COST OF LIVING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1609, 12 September 1916, Page 4

COST OF LIVING.

Latest figures in regard to the cost of living in New Zealand are given by the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Fraser, F.S.S) in the Labour Journal. The average prices for the June quarter of 1916 show an increase of 15 points over the figures for the March quarter. The index numbers are as follow: June quarter, 1916, 1,151; June, 1915, 1,105; March, 1916, 1,136. Thermometers illustrating the movements of prices in 25 representative towns during the period dealt with show that in the groceries group there was an upward trend in seven towns and a slight fall in IS, the decreased price of potatoes being responsible. Invercargill, owing to the low price of bread (31d) and flour, was the cheapest town for groceries, Wanganui being next, Christchurch, Dunedin and Timaru following in that order. Rotorua was the dearest. Wellington occupied th,e middle position. In dairy produce there was a considerable advance in all towns, this being usual at this season of the year. New Plymouth naturally held the most favourable position, and Wellington was high above all others, mainly owing to the price of milk, which also led to Oamaru occupying the second place on the list. There were heavy increases in the price of meat in Gisborne, Palmerstin North and Nelson, and slight decreases in eight other towns. Gisborne was the dearest town for meat, and Blenheim and Nelson the cheapest. Wellington continues to lead all other towns in rents, though the influence of the latest increases is not yet shown in the figures. The consequence is that Wellington leads in the general cost-of-living table, while Alexandra, where rents are low, occupies the most favourable position, Wanganui occupies a midway position in regard to dairy produce, meat and rents.

The Statistician’s weekly budgets (the assumed weekly household consumption of certain foodstuffs) give the following' comparisons between .Time, 1910, and July, 1914: — jjuly, 1914. June, 1916 Inc. | s. d. s. d. P.c. Groceries 6 71 7 111 20.82 Dairv pfodc. 5 111 7 BA 29.82 Meat } . 7 2 8 3;f 15.99 Total | 19 8A 24 0 21.78 These' figures are based on the average iof the four chief centres. They indicate practically this —that four families living in the four centres, and whose average expenditure on food in July, 1914, was 19s BAd per week, would find in June, 1916, that they would have to pay 24s for the same bill of .fare.