§ The annexed tables show:
- (I) The Ministry of Labour index numbers of average increases in retail food prices for each month of 1924 (July, 1914=100).
- (II) The prices of tea, sugar and other household necessaries at four large retail businesses (referred to as A, B, C and D) in London at
- (1) the end of January, 1924 (present Government came into office 22nd January);
- (2) the 30th April, 1924 (Budget speech, 29th April);
- (3) the date of the next rise in the price, if any; and
- (4) the end of September, 1924;
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§ Table A.
§ Ministry of Labour index numbers of average increases in retail food prices (July, 1914 =100).
| 1924. | |||
| 1st January | … | … | 175 |
| 1st February | … | … | 177 |
| 1st March | … | … | 176 |
| 1st April | … | … | 167 |
| 1st May | … | … | 163 |
| 1st June | … | … | 160 |
| 1st July | … | … | 162 |
| 1st August | … | … | 164 |
| 1st September | … | … | 166 |
§ The corresponding index number for 1st October is not yet available.
| — | End of January, 1924. | 30 April, 1924. | Next Rise. | End of September, 1924.† | |
| Date. | Price. | ||||
| Tea, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 2s. 6d. | 2s. 2d. | 15 Sept. | 2s. 4d. | 2s. 4d. |
| B | 2s. 6d. | 2s. 2d. | No rise | — | 2s. 2d. |
| C | 2s. 5d. | 2s. 1d. | No rise | — | 2s. 1d. |
| D | 2s. 8d. | 2s. 4d. | No rise | — | 2s. 4d. |
| Ministry of Labour Gazette | 2s. 6½d. | 2s. 3½d. | 1 Sept. | 2s. 3½d. | 2s. 3½d. |
| Sugar, Granulated, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 6¾d. & 7d. | 5½d. & 5¾d. | No Rise | — | 4¾d. & 5d. |
| B | 7d. | 5¾d. | No rise | — | 5d. |
| C | 7d. | 6d. | No rise | — | 5d |
| D | 6¾d. | 5½d. | No rise | — | 4¾d. |
| Ministry of Labour Gazette | 7d. | 5¾d. | No rise | — | 4¾d. |
| Sugar, Loaf, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 7½d. | 6¼d. | No rise | — | 5½d. |
| B | 7½d. | 6¼d. | No rise | — | 5½d. |
| C | 7½d. | 6¾d. | No rise | — | 5½d. |
| D | 7¼d. | 6d. | No rise | — | 5½d. |
| Butter, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 2s. 5d. | 1s. 10d. | 5 May | 2s. 1d. | 2s. 5d. |
| B | 2s. 3d. | April 22, 1s. 10d.; May 5, 2s | 19 May | 2s. 2d. | 2s. 3d. |
| C | 2s. 3d. 2s. 4d. | 1s. 10d. | 8 May 19 June | 1s. 11d. 1s. 11d. | 2s. 2d. |
| D | 1s. 11d. | 1s. 6d. | 3 May | 1s. 8d. | 1s. 11d. |
| Ministry of Labour Gazette | 2s. 2½d. 2s. 1¼d | 1s. 10¼d 1s. 9d | 1 July | 1s. 10½d. 1s. 9¾ | 2s. 1¾d 2s. 0¾d. |
| Margarine, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 9d. | 9d. | No rise | — | 9d. |
| B | 9d. | 9d. | No rise | — | 9d. |
| C | 8d. & 9d. | 8d. & 9d. | No rise | — | 8d. & 9d. |
| D | 6d. | 6d. | No rise | — | 6d. |
| Ministry of Labour Gazette | 6¾d. | 6¾d. | No rise | — | 6¾d. |
§ Table B.
§ Retail prices of certain commodities at four large retail businesses in London, together with the average retail prices published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette (where available) at the dates specified.
§ For particulars as to the retail prices of bread, reference should be made to the answer given to-day by the President of the Board of Trade to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Sir Kingsley Wood).
§ It will be seen that the retail prices at the end of September show a reduction as compared with those at the end of January in the case of tea, sugar, coffee and cocoa; that there is little or no change in the case of butter, margarine, cheese, rice, oatmeal, currants and sultanas; and that a rise has occurred in the price of flour and bread. As corn-pared with the prices on 30th April, tea and coffee prices show, by 30th September, a slight advance in some cases, and sugar a substantial reduction.
541W| — | End of January, 1924. | 30 April, 1924. | Next Rise. | End of September, 1924.† | |
| Date. | Price. | ||||
| Cheese, Colonial, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 1s. 1d. | 11d. | 3 June | 1s. | 1s. 1d. |
| 1s. 4d. | 1s. 4d. | — | — | 1s. 4d. | |
| B | 1s 4d. | 1s 2d | No rise | — | 1s. 2d. |
| C | 11s. 2d. & 1s. 4d. | 1s. & 1s. 4d. | 19 June | 1s. 1d. & 1s. 4d. | 11s. 2d. & 1s. 4d. |
| — | 1s. 1d. | 10 July | 1s. 2d. | 1s. 2d. | |
| D | 1s. | 1ld. | 18 June | 1s. | 1s. |
| *Ministry of Labour Gazette | 1s. 3½d. | 1s. 1¼d. | 1 Sept. | 1s. 1½d. | 1s. 1½d. |
| Cocoa, Pure, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 2s. | 1s. 10½d. | No rise | — | 1s. 10½d. |
| B | 2s. 3d. | 1s. 8½d. | No rise | — | 1s. 8½d. |
| C | 2s. 2d. | 2s. 0½d. | No rise | — | 2s. 0½d. |
| D | 1s. 10d. | 1s. 10d. | No rise | — | 1s. 8d. |
| Coffee, Pure, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 2s. | 2s. 0½d. | 1 June | 2s. 2d. | 2s. 2d. |
| B | 2s. | 1s. 10½d. | No rise | — | 1s. 10½d. |
| C | 2s. | 1s. 10½d. | August | 1s. 11d. | 1s. 11d. |
| D | 1s. 10d. | 1s. 10d. | No rise | — | 1s. 8d. |
| Flour, per 7 lbs.— | |||||
| A | 1s. 1½d. | 1s. 2½d. | August | 1s. 3½d. | 1s. 5d. |
| C | 1s. 1½d. | 1s. 1½d. | 1s. 3½d. | ||
| 1s. 2½d. | 1s. 3½d. | 17 July | 1s. 4½d. | 1s. 4½d. | |
| D (per quartern) | 8d. | 8½d. | 9 July | 9d. | 9½d. |
| Ministry of Labour Gazette Rice, per lb.— | 1s. 2¾d. | 1s. 3d. | 1 July | 1s. 3¼d. | 1s. 5d. |
| A | 2½d. & 3½d. | 2½d. & 3½d. | No rise. | — | 2½d. & 3½d |
| B | 2½d. | 2½d. | No rise | — | 2½d |
| C | 2½d. | 2½d. | No rise | — | 2½d. |
| D | 5d. | 5d. | 11 Aug. | 6d. | 6d. |
| Oatmeal, per lb.— | |||||
| A | 2¾d. | 2¾d. | No rise. | — | 2¾d |
| B | 3d. | 3d. | No rise | — | 3d |
| C | 3d. | 3d. | No rise | — | 3½d. |
| D | 3½d. | 3½d. | No rise | — | 3½d |
| Currants per lb:— | |||||
| A | 7d., 8d. & 10d. | 7d., 8d. & 10d. | No quotations. | ||
| B | 7d., 8d., 9d. & 10d. | 7d., 8d., 9d. & 10d. | No rise | — | 7d., 8d., 9d. & 10d. |
| C | 6d., 9d., & 10½d. | 7d., 10d. & 11d. | No rise | — | 6½d., 9d. & 10½d. |
| D | 8d. | 8d. | No rise | — | 8d. |
| Sultanas per lb.:— | |||||
| A | 8d., 10d. & 1s. | 8d., 10d. & 1s. 1d. | No rise | — | 8d., 10d. & 11d. |
| B | 8d., 10d., 11d., & 1s. | 9d., 10d., lid. & 1s. | No rise | — | 7d., 8d., 9d. & 10d. |
| C | 8d., 10d. & 1s. | 10d., 1s. & 1s. 3d. | No rise | — | 9d., 10½d. & 1s. 1d. |
| D | 8d. | 8d. | No rise | — | 8d. |
| † The Ministry of Labour prices given in this column are for 1st September. | |||||
| * The description of cheese specified by the Ministry of Labour for quotation is Canadian or American, but where such cheese is seldom sold in a locality the returns quote the price of another kind locally representative. |