The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-05-27
CHANGES IN RETAIL PRICES
OF FOOD

The retail food index issued by
the United States Department of
Labor through the Bureau of Labor
Statistics shows that there was a
decline of 2.7 per cent in the retail
cost of food to the average family
in April as compared with March.
Prices of 43 food articles are re-
ported to the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics each month by retail dealers
in 81 important cities. From these
prices average prices are made for
each article. These average prices
are then weighted" according to
the quantity of each article con-
sumed in the average workingman's
family. From January, 1913, to
December, 1920, % articles of food
were used in this index, but from
January, 1921, 43 articles are in
cluded in the index number.
Changes in One Month
During the month from March
Is, 1921, to April Is, 1921, thirty
one of the 43 articles OIL which
monthly prices are secured, de-
creased in price as follows: Eggs,
Is per cent; flour and potatoes, s
pc NCheb pl uiiCS, pei SSilli hui
margarine, lard, crisco, and rice, 6
per cent; butter 5 per cent; cheese,
cornmeal, and navy beans, per
cent; cornflakes and canned toma-
toes, 8 per cent; plate beef, fresh
milk, bread, rolled oats, canned corn,
and bananas, 2 per cent; canned
salmon, olemargarine, baked beans,
canned peas, tea, coffee and raisins,
l per cent. The price of chuck
roast, hens. cream of wheat, and
macaroni, decreased less than five
tenths of l per cent.
Ten articles increased in price
during the month from March Is
to April Is, as follows: Cabbage,
q per cent; bacon. per cent;
pork chops, per cent; onions, 8
per cent; sirloin steak. round steak
and oranges, per cent; rib roast,
ham, and lamb, l per cent.
Prices remained unchanged for
evaporated milk and sugar.
Changes in One Year
For the year period, April Is,
1920, to April Is, 1921, the per-
centage decrease in all articles of
food combined was % per cent.
Forty of the 43 articles for which
prices were secured on both dates
decreased as follows: Potatoes, rs
cent; onions, 81 per cent; sugar,
81 per cent; rice, 81 per cent; cab
bage, 45 per cent; lard, 80 per
cent; crisco, r38 per cent; strictly
fresh eggs, 35 per cent; navy beans,
prunes and oranges, 81 per cent;
cornmeal, 20 per cent; butter, %
per cent; flour, 81 per cent; coffee,
20 per cent; canned tomatoes, "a
per cent; olemargarine, % per cent;
lamb, 90 per cent; plate beef and
nuS margarine, 10 per cent; chuck
loast. lG per cent; pork chops and
biccL, ID per cent; cheese. Is r"r
cent; canned corn. II per cent;
round steak and baked beans, IL per
cent; hens, 10 per cent; rib roast,
fresh milk and cornflakes, 8 per
cent; ham and bread, 8 per cent;
sirloin steak, 7 per cent; canned
peas, 8 per cent; rolled oats and
tea, per cent; canned salmon and
bananas, per cent. The price of
cream of wheat decreased less than
five-tenths OF l per cent.
The 8 articles which increased in
price during the year were: Raisins,
16 per cent; macaroni per cent;
and evaporated milk, l per cent.
Changes Since April, 1913
For the Swear period, April Is,
1913, to April 10. 1921, the per-
centage increase in all articles of
food, combined, was 55 per cent.
The articles named show increases
as follows; Hens, "a per cent; ham,