COST OF LIVING

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1931, Page 5

COST OF LIVING

fall in food prices. BACK TO 1915 LEV'LL. LONDON, January 29, Official figures show that the cost- of living in Great Britain'has been steadily decreasing, and that food prices as a whole arc back to the level ol 1915. The (sovereign now buys one and sixpence worth more food than it did four years ago, and the last six months of 1930 showed the biggest reduction in the general cost of living in any out? year since 1922. Almost everything in the way of general foodstuffs have come down in price, Flour, oread, potatoes, sugar, tea. butter, cheese, and bacon are all cheaper. Compared with three years ago, the drop in some eases is remarkable. The ‘Mood’' figure to-day stands at 45 per cent, above that of July, 1914. In 1921 it stood at 1291, and it had been falling gradually ever sin.ee. Coal is the unfortunate exception in the eost-of-livmg ledger. If the price of coal had dropped in proportion to some of the oilier com modi lies, we should have almost got, back to prewar level, Three years ago the price of coal stood at 75 per cent above prewar level, and gas at 50 per cent, Coal j s now anything from 5 to 10 per cent dearer than it was in 1927. while the

cost ol Mas is, in some areas, about o per cent.' cheaper, but generally maintains its 1927 level. Milk, generally, retains its level of (id per quart for the country as a whole hut there are districts where the price has dropped since 192 i. Clothing has come down in price, particularly in the ease of the working man's suit. The cost of clothes, generally, showed a drop of 10 per cent, dining the past year.