§ Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement giving details of the six cost of living indices in Mauritius; and what their purposes are.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsThe six cost of living indices in Mauritius, which are based on a series of budget enquiries, the last of which was carried out early in 1950, relate to the following classes of workers:
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- (i) Clerical workers—monthly salary 100–330 rupees.
- (ii) Clerical workers—monthly salary 330–550 rupees.
- (iii) Clerical workers—monthly salary 550–1,000 rupees.
- (iv) Clerical workers—monthly salary over 1,000 rupees.
- (v) Manual workers—Artisans.
- (vi) Manual workers—Labourers.
The purpose of the Mauritian indices is to indicate changes in the cost of living of the classes to which they relate. Colonial indices, unlike indices in industrialised countries, can seldom relate to more than a small portion of the population, and there is therefore often great advantage in having a number of separate indices for different sections or income groups. Eight other Colonial territories have more than one index.