WAR TIME PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1943, Page 3

WAR TIME PRICES

SEPTEMBER INDEX FIGURE. LOWER THAN IN LAST DECEMBER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The war time price index at September 15 (on basis: December 15, 1942, eauals 1000) was 996. Notification of this in accordance with the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations appears in last night’s Gazette. The announcement adds that this figure indicates that after seasonal adjustment has been made in respect of certain commodities the prices of which' are subject to seasonal movement, the general level of prices of commodities, etc., included in. the war time price index was 0.4 per cent lower at September 15 than at December 15 of last year. The establishment of the war time price index was announced by the Prime Minister op December 15 last year, when he made public the Government’s stabilisation policy. “The index will comprise 110 items,” said Mr Fraser, “and will include a wide range of groceries, dairy products, meat, some fresh fruit, and vegetables, fuel and lighting, clothing, footwear, drapery, furniture and a large number of miscellaneous articles which all of us have to- buy. There will be no luxuries in it.” The Government’s determination, added Mr Fraser, was that the price of the 110 items, taken as a whole, should remain constant. If there were any variations, then a rise in one would be offset by a fall in another. The whole purpose was to ensure that the pound would buy the same from month to month and year to year.