Changes in Cost of Living in Large Cities, July 1943 WITH meat prices cut back by the OPA and vegetables seasonally lower, the cost of living for city workers dropped 0.8 percent from mid-June to mid-July-its first substantial decline since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Retail food prices as a group, representing about two-fifths of total living costs, declined by 2.0 percent. Clothing costs rose 0.5 percent. Other costs, including housefurnishings, utility rates and services, were stable or increased moderately. Until this summer, the rise in living costs had been almost uninterrupted since Germany invaded Poland, only two previous declines having occurred-one during the 3-month period immediately after the outbreak of war, following a speculative rise in food costs, and the other, a small decline of 0.2 percent, from May to June of this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics index of the cost of living on July 15 was at 123.8 percent of its 1935-39 average, about 5 percent above September 1942 and 23 percent above January 1941, base date of the "Little Steel" formula. The substantial declines for most meats in July resulted from reductions in maximum prices ordered by the OPA. They included. a drop of 8% percent for beef and veal, 8 percent for pork, and 4 percent for lamb. Prices of chickens, which were not affected by the OPA cutback, were down fractionally-0.5 percent. There were continued reports of acute shortages of beef and poultry in many areas. Fresh-fish prices rose 4 percent from mid-June to mid-July, but were subject to an OPA regulation on July 22, establishing maximum retail prices below the July 15 level. On the average, prices of meat, including fish, were down 5.5 percent. Victory-garden produce and larger commercial supplies helped to accelerate the normal summer decline in vegetable prices which in almost all cases was greater than usual from June to July. Cabbage prices declined 35 percent, beets 27 percent, white potatoes 15 percent, lettuce 11 percent, sweetpotatoes 5 percent, and onions 2 percent. Prices of spinach, on the other hand, rose 42 percent, with supplies extremely scarce in some cities. Despite the many summer reductions, fresh-vegetable prices as a group were still about 40 percent above those of July 1942. Aside from spinach and fresh fish, the only important price increases among foods were seasonal advances of 5 percent for eggs, a greaterthan-seasonal increase of 10 percent for oranges, and smaller advances for dried fruits and some cereals. Clothing prices in July were, on the average, about 0.5 percent above those of June, mainly because of a fairly widespread substitution of higher-priced lines of women's percale house dresses, men's business shirts, and chambray work shirts. The cost of miscellaneous goods and services rose 0.2 percent, with medical expenses and charges for beauty- and barber-shop and laundry services somewhat higher than in June. The higher costs for laundry services were the result of local adjustments in maximum charges by the OPA, in most cases because of higher labor costs. TABLE 1.-Indexes of Cost of Living in Large Cities on July 15, 1943 and Previous Dates 1 Based on changes in cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. * Rents not surveyed in July. TABLE 2-Percent of Change1 in Cost of Living in Large Cities, Specified Periods 1 Based on changes in cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. Changes through June 15, 1943. Rents are surveyed at quarterly dates-Mar. 15, June 15, Sept. 15, Dec. 15. TABLE 3.-Percent of Change1 in Cost of Living in Large Cities, June 15 to July 15, 1943, by Groups 1 Based on indexes of the cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. Rents are surveyed at quarterly dates-Mar. 15, June 15, Sept. 15, Dec. 15. Based on prices for 56 cities collected on the Tuesday nearest the 15th of the month. Based on data for 34 cities. 4 Based on data for 21 cities. • Indexes for June revised: All items 121.8; food 135.8. 'Indexes for June revised: All items 123.7; food 143.5. TABLE 4.-Percent of Change in Cost of Living in Large Cities, Specified Periods 1 Based on changes in cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. TABLE 5.-Indexes of Cost of Living in Large Cities, July 15, 1943 1 Based on changes in cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. Rents surveyed at quarterly dates-Mar. 15, June 15, Sept. 15, Dec. 15. Based on prices for 56 cities collected on the Tuesday nearest the 15th of the month. Based on data for 21 cities. Based on data for 34 cities. * Indexes for June revised; see footnotes 6 and 7, table 3, TABLE 6.-Indexes of Cost of Living1 in Large Cities, 1935 to June 1943 1 Based on changes in cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities Rents collected at quarterly dates-Mar. 15, June 15, Sept. 15, and Dec. 15. Food Prices in July 1943 PERCENTAGE increases in retail food costs on July 13, compared with June 1943, July and September 1942, January 1941, and August 1939, are presented in table 1. TABLE 1.-Percent of Change in Retail Prices of Food in 56 Large Cities Combined, ' in Specified Periods, by Commodity Groups The number of cities included in the index was changed from 51 to 56 in March 1943, with the necessary adjustments for maintaining comparability. At the same time the number of foods in the index was increased from 54 to 61. |