COST OF LIVIPIG

Otago Witness, Issue 4048, 13 October 1931, Page 11

COST OF LIVIPIG

RETAIL PRICES. The index number for the three food groups as at August 15, 1931, on the base, average prices during the years 1926-30 equals 1000, is 824—a decrease of 17.6 per cent, as compared with the average of prices ruling during the base period, reports the Government Statistician. ’ A fall of four points is recorded since die previous month, and of 144 points or 14 J per cent., as compared with the corresponding month of last year. A fall of 11 points in the groceries group is mainly due to further decreases in the price of potatoes. Egg prices have fallen to a very low level, this movement being the principal cause of a further reduction of 23 pc.infs in the index number for the dairv produce group. , Since May last the index number for tne meat group has increased 23 points; the 15-point increase over last months index being attributable to higher prices being charged for mutton, and to a lesser extent for beef.

Expenditure on food constitutes approximately three-tenths of the expenditure ot an average household. I n order to present a more complete picture of the movement in retail prices generally, statistics regarding retail prices of clot’himi drapery, and footwear and of miscellaneous items. ar e collected at quarterly intervals. while returns of house rents are obtained twice a year. When these indexes arc combined with the monthly food and fuel and light indexes (the August index number for fuel and licht on'ti.e base 1926-30 equals 1000, is 986. a decrease of two points as compared with July) approximately 81 per cent, of the average household expenditure is represented.

Ihe Dominion weighted average index number for rent on August 15 was 940, a decrease of 47 points, or 4.8 per cent.' as compared with the February figure: the index numbers for the four chief centres being as follow;—Auckland. 852 (929 in February); Wellington, 1242 (1265 in February): Christchurch. 908 (96a in February); Dunedin. 931 (957 in February). Marked decreases has been recorded in all index numbers, except in the case of a few of the smaller centres where rents have always been comparatively low. A decided fall in prices of footwear and a lesser fall in clothing prices, have caused a 22-point decrease since May in the index number for the combined clothing, drapery, and footwear group. Only minor alterations have occurred in the miscellaneous group, their combined effect being a G-point decrease in the 1931 s nuniber f° r group since May, • co,nbsned all-groups index number is 892 —a decrease of 10.8 per cent, as compared with the average of prices ruling in 1926 to 1930, and an increase of 42.0 per cent, over July, 1914, prices.