A COMPARISON

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 250, 16 July 1919, Page 8

A COMPARISON

OFFICIAL FIGURES AND "CURRENT PRICES" COST OF COMMON ARTICLE; In the Court of Arbitration yesterday Air. R. M'Keen (secretary of the Grocers' Assistants' I T nion) submitted a list show,, ing the present Wellington prices or lifteen common articles, chiefly of food. He compared these prices (which he said ruled in tho"keenest price-cutting establishments in (he city), with the prices given, in one case, by the Board of Trade, and in all the others by the Government Statistician; and he drew the conclusion that the official estimate was, on the whole, about fifteen per cent, short of the actual prices.

Following are the official figures, with Mr. M/Kecn's quotations bracketed for convenience of comparison:—Shoulder of bacon. Is. per lb. (Is. 5d.); middle cut ami roll of bacon, Is. GJd. per lb. (Is. 7d. and Is. 8d.); ham, Is. oil. per lb. (Is. Hd. and Is. 10d.); cheese, Is. l-Jd. per lb. (Is. 3d. and Is. -id.); cornflour, 7d. per lb. (M.); rice, id. per lb. (Gd. and 7d.); tapioca,, 3Jd. cer" lb. (4d. and 4-Sd.); sago. .IJd. per, lb. (-td. and 4.k1.); condensed milk, !)d. per tin (lfld.~); tea, Is. lUd. per lb. (2s. Id. to 2s. Bd., the price of the i)ro£>rietary teas generally consumed); .sugar, .3d. per'lb. _(3id.); currants, ICid. per lb. (Is.); raisins, "3d. per lb. (9(1.); sultanas, 10} d. per lb. (Is.); starch, l)]d. per lb. (Is.).