RISING PRICES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 120, 19 April 1940, Page 2

RISING PRICES.

INDICATION BY INDICES. Tlie retail prices index for February (base: 1926-30 equals. 1000) for the three food groups, according to, the Abstract of Statistics, fell 9 points (from 1073 in January to 1064 in February), due mainly to a further fall iu the price of potatoes, which served to reduce the groceries index by 42 points; this movement, however, was counteracted to an appreciable extent by an increase of 16 points in the dairy produce index, caused by higher prices for eggs. The February inquiry into house rents revealed an increase of 10 points in the index (from 893 to 903), as compared with the position in August, 1939. „ . There has been a general rise in practically all lines of clothing, drapery and footwear, and the index for this group, at 1003, is ,27 points above the index for November last. The all-groups index now stands at 1013. which is 5 points above that for January, and 61.3 per cent, above the 1914 level. The increase in the allgroups index as compared with that for the last pre-war month (August, 1939) is 1.8 per cent. The wholesale-prices index (base: 1926-30 equals 1000) registered an Increase of 15 points (from 1120 to 1135), the greater part of this movement arising from higher prices for imported manufactures, of metal, which caused the index for imported goods to rise 22 points. -The index for locally-produced commodities rose 4 points only. The export-prices index (base: 190913 equals 1000) advanced 15 points (from 1530 to 1545), the principal movement having occurred in the following groups: —Increases; Hides, skins,, etc., 112 points; minerals, 439 points. Decrease; Timber, 485 points. The share-prices index (base; 1926 equals 1000) at the end of February was 940, which is 5 points above the index for the previous month.