XXXIII

H.—lB

Index Numbers* of Wholesale Prices of Particular Materials— continued. 4. Petroleum.

The effect of the tariff reduction is observable in the case of New Zealand ; a conspicuous feature is the occasional abrupt changes in the United States of America. 12. It is difficult to construct retail prices indices, but the most reliable available are quoted in the following table and compared with the corresponding wholesale prices : —

Comparison of wholesale and retail prices.

Table 23. —Comparison of Wholesale and Retail Food-prices. (Base 1895-1904 = 100.) (Hooker, p. 35.)

(i.) Import values; same commodities as (ii) and (iii). (ii.) Assistance publique. (iii,) Economat. (iv.) Normal expenditure of a working-class family, (v.) Idem, without sugar and wine ; (i) and (ii) include coal and lamp-oil in addition to food.

v—H. 18.

Year. United Kingdom. France. Germany. United States of America. Canada'. New Zealand (Kerosene). 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 106 109 97 77 75 116 107 92 99 121 131 126 121 121 119 109 119 131 131 123 116 107 101 87 77 76 115 107 99 110 122 124 109 113 130 123 114 121 133 136 136 123 110 106 103 93 88 106 101 91 96 107 110 106 105 111 104 98 106 107 109 106 106 95 74 61 70 92 149 129 87 100 142 148 133 136 174 179 152 176 191 196 183 148 105 105 110 110 110 103 95 94 88 80 79 79 84 97 100 85 83 79 79 81 69 117 103 85 84 92 93 93 98 87 118 83 59 56 60 59 57 61 62 65 66 66 61 * To the nearest whole number.

United K: igdom. France. Gen lany. United S Amei tates of ica. Year. Wholesale (Board of Trade). Retail (Board of Trade). Wholesale (i)(ii.) Retail (iii). (iv.) (V.) Wholesale (Hooker). Retail (Board of Trade). Wholesale (Bureau of Labour). Retail (Board of Trade). 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 110 118 112 110 103 100 94 98 103 99 100 101 102 101 102 102 101 106 107 109 110 94 93 97 102 97 101 103 103 104 105 105 104 107 110 109 111 110 117 110 105 102 98 94 94 98 99 98 102 107 107 106 99 102 109 115 122 122 109 112 110 104 103 99 99 102 101 102 102 102 98 99 93 88 92 98 99 96 107 108 113 107 109 100 97 97 103 104 101 103 99 97 98 98 99 99 103 105 110 113 112 109 109 104 102 104 105 107 104 101 89 91 94 88 86 90 91 90 96 101 105 104 98 104 102 99 96 101 103 98 98 100 102 102 107 107 112 114 109 114 110 119 113 109 101 94 88 93 102 100 102 103 101 108 108 113 115 121 113 125 128 98 96 99 101 99 100 101 103 102 101 108 114 116 119 120 108 114 102 107 96 92 82 88 94 98 104 106 115 109 111 112 114 121 123 127 131 96 93 94 96 97 99 102 108 107 110 111 114 118