THE COST OF LIVING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144669, 1 May 1915, Page 7

THE COST OF LIVING.

COMPARISON WITH 1875. PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, May 1. Giving evidence at the Arbitration Court to-day, Dr. HTlraitb dealt with the relative cost of living to-day and in 1875. AVitness said he had made a close study of. the wholesale prices of goods. Prices last year, prior to the war, were not as high as m 1875, hut were about 5 per cent. 1 lower. It was about tho year 1875 that wholesale prices of most commodities began to fall all over the world towards the end of a long period of prosperous times. Retail prices, i.e., the cost of living, increased faster than wholesale prices, but in a time like the present wholesale prices seemed to increase much faster than retail prices. If any reason could be assigned for this he would say it was that towards the end of prosperous times people had money to spend and they were not critical of retail prices, but in a time like the present the shopkeeper was under the public eye more than the wholesale deafer. AVholesale prices had increased twice as rapidly as retail prices since tho war, or 20 per cent, as against 9 per cent. The rise had been chiefly in farm produce. Before the war broke out farm produce had reached the highest level since 1879.