H—4B

PREFACE PERSONNEL The following Committee was set up by tlie Government " to investigate the need and method of establishing a revised cost-of-living index " : Mr. F. P. Walsh (Chairman). Mr. K. McL. Baxter. Mr. W. A. Fox. Mr. E. C. Fussell. Mr. M. J. Moriarty. Mr. R. S. Odell. Mr. Gr. E. Wood. At the initial meeting of the Committee held 011 11th August, 1948, Mr. E. J. Russell, of the Census and Statistics Department, was appointed Secretary to the Committee. A technical sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. Moriarty, Odell, and Wood, was also appointed. Owing to Mr. Odell's absence from New Zealand on official duties at the time of the completion of the report, his name does not appear among the signatories, although he attended numerous meetings of the technical sub-committee and of the main Committee before his departure. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We desire to record our appreciation of the excellent work done by our Secretary, Mr. E. J. Russell, of the Census and Statistics Department. We are also appreciative of the work done by the staff of the Census and Statistics Department in preparing data for our consideration. Our work was greatly helped by the ready co-operation we received from the staff of the Department and from many other people who were approached for assistance on specific points.

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