THE-COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 62, 7 December 1918, Page 6

THE-COST OF LIVING

SOVEREIGN'S DIMINISHING VALUE,

The current Official Monthly Abstract of Statisti.es shows that in the September quarter the worth of the sovereign, as measured by fhe' amount of. groceries, dairy produce, and , meat that it would purchase, had further shrunk.to 13s. 3|d., compared with its average purchasing power : in' the four -years 1909-13. As com. pared with the purchasing , power bit hei sovereign/iff July, 'WU, however, the sovereign- hall shrunk ■to 14s. 2jd. only. The diiference is duo to;' the fact than even before the'war it marked shrinkage ha<l set in. • The following 4able shows the steady progress of the shrinking process on both bases of comparison-.-• 1909-13 \ July, IW4. : . Basis. : Basis. September, .1015 "... IG7j .17 H ' September, 1916 ... 15 71 \\ »1 September, 1917■;...- 1! 7?' 58} Septembeii. 1918 ... 13 33 USi In'. March of the present year the relative ■•''worth" of the sovereign on the two'liases were 13s: 113 d. and 14s. ll*d. respectively. '•" •■' -' '".'■'■ ' • , Putting it another- way,', it/no* 30s.id.in Auckland. 30s. 7>,d; in-WellinK-ton;:23s. in Chrintchiirch, 295.- ll?d.< m Dunedinj or 295.-'ll3d.- on the.average in. the four chief centres, to buy; the- foodstuffs which on the average of the four centres'cost from 1909-13 only 20s: The progress on these lines is shown by tfte following table:—- _"""_ " Sept. Dec. Mar. June sept. Qr., Qr., Qr., Qr., Qr., ■ ]<117. •■ 1917. >191 S. 1918.-■• 1918. : A'klaiul .07/03 28/51-28/7 -30/2 30/4 WWo "i/lU'-SW* 29J» 30/24 SO 71