H.—lB.

XXXI

10. In order to show the position of the prices of materials in 1910 and 1911 with their levels in the two previous decades we give the following table :—

Decade averages.

Table 21. —Wholesale Prices of Materials : Comparison of 1910 and 1911 with Two Previous Decades. (Hooker, with additions.)

A noticeable feature pointed out by Hooker is that the differences in these numbers between one country and another are much less marked than in the case of food. The table shows that New Zealand is an exception. Canada, the youngest country but New Zealand, is the country that shows the least rise. This suggests that the slower rate of rise in their case is in part due to the high prices ruling for materials in the base period. 11. The prices of four materials—coal, iron, wool, and petroleum—have been selected and stated in the following comparative table : —

Particular materials.

Table 22. —Index Numbers* of Wholesale Prices of Particular Materials. (Base 1890-99 = 100.) 1. Coal. (R. H. Hooker, in the Statistical Journal, December, 1911, with the addition of Dr. McIlraith's Index Number for New Zealand.)

United Kingdom (Sauerbeck). France. Germany. United States of America. Canada. New Zealand (Mcllraith). .verage 1890-99.. 1900-09.. 1910 .. „ 1911 .. 100 119 127 130 100 127 138 100 123 132 100 124 137 100 116 123 100 100 104 105

Year. United Kingdom (Wallsend, in London). France (Charbon Nord). United States Germany of America (Dusseld, Fett). (Pittsburg Bitum.). Canada (N.S. Run of Mines). New Zealand (Newcastle, on Ship). 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 109 109 107 112 95 86 86 91 97 107 135 115 107 95 94 89 95 114 104 101 99 129 113 99 91 91 81 83 85 100 129 182 162 135 131 123 123 143 162 162 148 162 135 111 96 82 89 90 91 101 101 105 114 115 107 105 105 108 114 123 127 122 121 103 123 117 118 99 93 89 89 88 83 117 117 122 144 132 124 123 128 132 126 125 102 102 102 102 99 99 100 98 97 97 106 121 122 124 122 114 111 119 128 125 122 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 83 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 75 75 *To ;he nearest whole number,