COAT OF LIVING.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 9 January 1917, Page 5

COAT OF LIVING.

j (Special Correspondent). ! WELLINGTON, Jan. S. j A; is proverbially a dangerous thing, and it seems that a i great deal of statistics might be inj eluded in ; the same category. The "Ev- | oning Post" has been examining the j monthly abstract issued by the Governi ment Statistician, and has discovered some.-dreadful facts concerning the differences.'in prjees of various commodities in the"chief centres of population. | <llt is ama 2ing, except to those in the I tradej" it says, "why groceries should be seven per cent, dearer in WellingI ton than in Christchurch, and why Dunj odin. should obtain its groceries one | per cent, cheaper than Auckland." j "Dairy produce foodstuffs," it eon- ' tinues, "have risen by S.ll per cent. | in Taihape and 9.36 per cent, in Gore, while in Wanganuji and Pajmcrston North they hav e advanced 24.3 b" and 26.14 per cent, respectively." All this, J of course is very startling stated in ! bald figures, but the truth is that the large percentage increases have taken place in the centres where prices were comparatively low before th e war. The Post'" should have looked at another table in the abstract, which would have made the position clear.

RELATIVE PRICES

Just before th e outbreak of Avar the cost in Auckland of what are known us the three food groups—groceries., dairy produce and meat—was represented by the index figure 10i)0, in Wellington 1082, in Christchurch 1049, and in Dunedin by 1042. At the end of November last the figures had risen to 1322. 1309. 1303 and 12S1 respectively, but the percentage increases in the northern cities, owing to the high prices prevailing there before the Avar, were substantially lower than (hose in the southern cities, the actual figures being Auckland 21.28, Wellington 20.57 Christchurch 24.21, and Dunedin 22.94. Fix-pressed in another way the quantity of commodities that could be obtained for £1 before the war, now cost in Auckland 26/o§, in Wellington 26/02; in Christchurch 24/11$ j j„ Duneditt 24/02. As for Wangauui and Palmerston North .they seem to lend themselves for special criticism on account of the prices which they were charging before the war. Their index numbers were 1030 and 990 respectively, the two lowest on the whole list. Their selling prices now. taking the three groups together, are appreciably lower than those of Auckland and Wellington, and substantially lower than those of Taihape and Gore.