COST OF LIVING.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 150, 10 September 1928, Page 3

COST OF LIVING.

LITTLE VARIATION IN SCHEDULE.

WELLINGTON, Saturday

A slight variation in the cost of living is revealed by the monthly abstract of statistics for July.

The retail price index (Dominion weighted average) for the three food groups as at July 15th was 1573 (on the base average prices in the four centres during the years 1909-13 is equal to 1000), an increase of 2 points as compared with that for the previous month, and of 47.0 over that for July, 1914. Prices have remained almost stationary in the individual groups. The prices of potatoes and onions are showing an upward tendency, although that of sugar is still decreasing; the combined effect of these changes is reflected by a 7-point increase in the groceries index number. Butter and eggs in the smaller centres show a definite reduction in price, with flic result that a decrease of 11 points is shown in the index number for the dairy-produce group. Meat prices are continuing to show a slight upward movement, and the index number therefore shows a 6-point increase.

Expenditure on food constitutes somewhat less than two-fifths of the expenditure of an average household. In order to present a more complete picture of movements in retail prices generally, statistics regarding the retail prices of clothing, drapery, and footwear and miscellaneous items of family expenditure, are collected at quarterly intervals, and when combined with the indexes for food, rent, fuel and light, approximately 87 per cent, of the average household expenditure is represented. The July indexes for food, fuel and hght, and the May indexes for the clothing and miscellaneous groups have been combined with the Febralr.v indexes for the rent group. The resultant, “all groups” index is 62.1 P er cent, above that for Julv, 1914, 80 th »t it now takes £1 12s 5d on the average to purchase what could be Purchased for £1 in that mouth.