§ 4. Mr. PENNEFATHERasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that average wholesale prices in America in January last were 227.2 as against 288.5 in this country, and that by September the American average had fallen 43.2 to 184 while the average in this country had only fallen 4.4 to 284.1; and can he give the reasons why the decline in prices should be so much greater in America than in this country?
§ Sir R. HORNEI cannot accept the figures given in the question as accurate,
INDEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES ON THE BASIS, 1913=100. Year 1920. U.S.A. Bradstreet's. U.S.A. Bureau of Labor. U.S.A. Federal Reserve Board. U.K. "Economist." January … … 227.2 248 242 288.5 February … … 226.4 249 242 303.1 March … … … 225.5 253 248 310.2 April … … … 225.7 265 263 305.7 May … … … 216.4 272 264 304.5 June … … … 210.7 269 258 291.4 July … … … 205.0 262 250 292.5 August … … … 195.7 250 234 287.6 September … … 184.1 242 — 284.0