FT.—lB

XXX

Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices of Particular Foodstuffs* — continued. 5. Butter.

In this commodity New Zealand shows the highest rate of increase, chiefly because her dairy industry has developed almost wholly within this period, and the prices for the earlier years were low, because determined by local conditions. 9. There is a greater contrast between the course of the prices of materials in New Zealand with that in other countries than|was exhibited by the comparison of food-prices. The next table shows the index numbers of these : —

Materials.

Table 20.—Index Numbers of Prices of Materials, 1890 to 1911.

Whilst the other countries have shown an increase over the average in the nineties of from 23 to 38 per cent., the increase in New Zealand is shown to have been 4 per cent. The New Zealand materials selected were fourteen—viz., wool (2), kerosene, linseed-oil, galvanized iron, bar iron, lead, zinc, cement, soap,' matches, candles, hops, and soda-carbonate. It has already been shown that if hides, leather, tin, copper, and cotton be included, and it be assumed that New Zealand prices follow the English the materials index number would rise to 118 for 1911, a rise almost as great as in Canada. It cannot, of course, be definitely accepted that the increase in these prices would show exactly the same rate as the rate of increase in the English prices ; but the change effected by their inclusion shows that the New Zealand materials index number indicates probably too low a rise.

* To nearest whole number.

Year. United Kingdom. France. Germany. United States of America. Canada. New Zealand. 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 100 106 108 106 98 93 98 94 95 103 102 105 102 100 102 107 110 108 114 112 114 98 99 121 130 101 87 83 86 95 102 100 89 84 78 84 80 91 92 92 84 94 103 100 103 106 101 93 95 101 99 99 98 103 101 104 104 111 117 117 121 124 130 100 113 116 121 102 94 82 84 87 96 102 98 112 106 98 113 113 128 122 132 139 96 110 111 114 105 94 90 90 93 96 105 100 100 100 93 108 112 120 128 120 126 S | 88 136 100 115 100 98 86 89 80 95 111 117 109 102 116 121 111 138 159 157 157

Country. g GO f* c4 co' ■-* \a © © © © © 00 00 CO CO CO os as CO oo CO © ©* rH N CO *** © © © © © o © GO CO OS OS OS © © O OS to c © r- co © © © © cs © O i-t © © © a: United Kingdom— Board of Trade Sauerbeck United States of America— Bureau of Labour Canada— Coats France— Hooker Germany— Hooker New Zealand— Mcllraith 115 111 114 108 109 106 108 105 104 102 104 102 101 102 101 101 95 94 92 98 92 94 93 95 96 94 92 95 94 92 91 95 93 96 95 96 100 110 110 102 123 125 118 112 111 113 112 108 107 111 119 109 110 113 125 113 114 113 119 113 112 117 124 115 123 130 133 123 131 135 140 127 117 116 125 120 117 117 130 118 133 127 137 123 130 115 106 99 100 91 9.1 91 91 97 117 133 119 117 120 119 I 122 I 140 146 127 126 138 114 106 99 97 90 93 95 96 98 111 122 112 108 114 I 116 I 118 134 148 129 126 132 112 111 101 98 96 93 94 96 93 101 106 98 95 97 93 95 102 108 102 102 104 105