Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-03-29

MascAhsl. 1871, ~ 5vsr y~loSsi1slfAa-
nseota. over TIN Ia WisconxaK, over
xSi IN South dakota. "a in North
Dakota, and nearly - IN Montana.
Cnse OF Iiying.
The cost Of living 10 coming down.
Declines in Wholesale prices mean
nothing to the Individual consumer,
We have therefore secured report6
from representative persons In im-
portant cities In this district covering
q prices at retail Of food. clothing.
rents. fuel, and liEht and gas on the
,lrst Of each month, beginning with.
last December. Our weighted index
numbe exhibits a total decline of 81
per cent between December I and
March I, although the average de-
cline. since December 1 has been
about Y 1-a per cent. The decline in
the cost Of living has been cohtinu-
Gus for each month of the four. al
though the decline in March was not
as marked as in the earlier months.
IN q there was an increase in the
prices OF foods during the month OF
March as shown In the figures for
minneapolis. st. Paul, Great Falls and
Grand Forks. The greatest change
Is found to have taken place In the
prices Of clothing and food, which de-
clined 1870 and 10 respectively. I'm
der present conditions of rapid price
change, with o declines thanIad-
vances in recent monthA tits p4rttc-
ul1rly advantageous for buyers to
compare prices and qualities in differ
>ent stores before making purchases.
Our index number has been weight,
ed according to the relative amount
expended for each articles and for the
relative size OF each of the cities in
Guided.
The index number was conceived
as the actual o s of living for a fam
lily OF three during the six winter
months Quotations have been Sc
cured for the price of twenty food
articles, fifteen items of clothing, and
the cost Of housing, heat, light and
gas. Weights have been included for
furniture, and miscellaneous expense
to cover such costs as insurance, med.
ica1 treatment, amusement and saw
ings. These latter costs do not fluc-
tuate and have been included merely
to prevent the variations in the cost
of food and clothing from affecting
the index number in too great a de-
gree. The percentages of each item
OF expense correspond closely with
the experience Of about 100 families
to whose budgets we have had access
are must be exercised in interpret
ing the changes for the different cit
100 PSA SOAAS0eSc III Al0AA6
may mean merely that some cities
were slower in making the reductions
which have been3impending for some
time or have found 1t necessary to
force the sale of holdovers Of winter
clothing not required, owing to the
abnorEnally mild winter. And posi-
bly, some of the differences may be-
due to differences in the quality of
goods quoted in the different cities
olthnN0Dh thA A~tir1a ~,,~t1l hao AnA~
the same in each succeeding month
in the city where used.
Volume OF Business.
Changes in the money volume of
business is shown by the payments
banks in the twelve most important
cities in this district for the four
weeks ending February %, as COM
paired with the four weeks ending
January 49,. The February volume
was 10 per cent less than in January,
whereas a year ago between the same
dates there was a decline of but 12h
per cent. All cities without exception
experienced declines in FebruarySSas
compared with January. AS compared
with the same four weeks a year g
all cities experienced declines except
Cumulative totals for such pay
ments through these banks for the
ten-week period from January 1 to
March ., 1921. inclusive, are but S1.4
per n of a similar period in the
preceding year.
Postal receipts in the cities of Min
neapolis, st. Paul and Duluth during
the month of February totalled more
than s per cent less than in January
and 10 per cent more than in Febru-
AIRY a year ago..
Grain Movement.
The total of all grain received at
Minneapolis and Duluth during, Feb
ruary was more than IA million bush
els, which is three-quartera/ of the
January receipts and fully II per cent
larger than the receipts for February
a year ago. Wheat receipts in Feb.
ruary totalled about $500, 00Q< BUSH
clsIas compared with over II million
in January and nearly-E million in
February a year, ago. February ship
ments were about 80 per cent less
than in January and about 80 per
cent larger than in February q year
ago. ~
Minneapolis receipts Of grain for
the month of February totalled ILL.,
084, $50 bushels or 26 per cent less
than in January and 6 per cent more
than a year ago. The total shipments
Of all grains were about two-thirds Of
January and about IA per cent larger
than a year ago. '
|. Duluth receipts for all grains to-
tailed a,oes,yoss bushels in February.
which was not rs large as January,
but nearly double those of a~year ago.
Terminal Grain Stocks.
Total stocks of all grains In Minne-
apolis andaDuluth terminals on Feb
ruary4 26, 1921, were. .~26,O74,796 bush
| els, which is about 4 per cent more
than-a month ago and practically the
same as q year ago. AS compared
with a month ago there were substan-
and a radical decline in the stocks of
rye. Wheat stocks. totalling -8,021,441
bushels, were s per cent less than a
month ago and about "a per cent less
than a year ago.
Grain. Held ON Farms.
Estimates made by the bureau of
| crop estimates Of the United States
department Of agriculture on March
1 Indicate that the farmers in Mime
sofa, North Dakota. South Dakota.
Montana and Wisconsin held on that
date a larger percentage of the last
! crop for wheat, oats, barley and corn,
than they held a ear ago. with the
single exception that Montana held a
crop. The larger holdover is account
ed for quite generally by the smaller
number Of cattle on the farms/that
were fed this winter, and the fact
that open weather and ample hay
stocks carried over, required less feed
ing OF grain, although some holding
has been due undoubtedly to dissatis-
faction with prices. The northwest,
ern states are holding more Of thu
/ IL ot# : nrnr "a N on tho QVAr0 90 sihn1AN vAr