§ 67. Sir W. Smithersasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the purchasing power of the £ sterling, calculated over the whole field of personal expenditure, taking 1st January, 1945, as £1, on 1st January, 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952.
§ Sir A. SalterFigures are not available for the dates specified. But taking 20s. as the average for 1945, the corresponding averages for 1948, 1949 and 1950 were 16s. 11d., 16s. 7d. and 16s. ld., respectively. A comparable figure for 1951 is not yet available.
§ 68. Sir W. Smithersasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the purchasing power in this country of the £, taking 1900 as 100, for each decennial period since; and if he will give similar figures, on the best estimates available, calculated over the whole field of personal expenditure for the latest convenient date.
§ Sir A. SalterOnly approximate figures can be given as different bases must be used for different periods and an index covering all consumer goods and services has only been available since 1938. Subject to this qualification the figures are as follows:
1900 … … … … 100 1910 … … … … 95 1920 … … … … 37 1930 … … … … 58 1940 … … … … 49 1950 … … … … 31 A comparable figure for 1951 is not yet available.