asked the Taoiseach if he will state for the years ended 31st March, 1956, and 31st March, 1967, the cost of (1) 1 lb of tea, (2) 1 pint of milk, (3) 1 lb of steak, (4) 1 lb of butter, (5) a 2-lb loaf, (6) 1 st of flour, (7) 1 gallon of petrol, and the tax involved, (8) 1 oz of tobacco and the tax involved, (9) 1 pint of porter and the tax involved, (10) 1 glass of whiskey and the tax involved, (11) the daily newspapers, (12) the minimum bus fare, and (13) the minimum rail fare.
Written Answers. - Price Statistics.
105.
The information on retail prices available to the Central Statistics Office is that collected at the quarterly inquiries made in connection with the calculation of the Consumer Price Index numbers.
(1)-(6) The national average retail prices of the food items specified, thus obtained, for the years ended 31st March, 1956 and 1967, are given at (A) below. The figures are averages of the prices returned at the four quarterly inquiries.
(7) Top quality petrol cost 3s 9d per gallon in Dublin and 3s 10d elsewhere in March, 1956, and the duty content involved was 1s 9.5d. The corresponding price at 31st March, 1967, was 5s 10.5d, duty content 3s 8.95d (home refined).
(8)-(10) In the case of tobacco, stout and whiskey no attempt is made to price the identical quality in different areas though the quality priced is kept uniform at each reporting centre. For this reason, meaningful national average prices cannot be given for these items. The percentage increase in price between the year ended 31st March, 1956, and the year ended 31st March, 1967, and the duty content included in the prices at both dates are given at (B) below.
(11) Each of the three Dublin daily newspapers cost 3d in March, 1956, and in March, 1967, two of them cost 4d and the third 6d.
(12)-(13) The cost per mile, second class, for standard single journeys by rail was 2.475d at 31st March, 1956 and 3.63d at 31st March, 1967 and the minimum single adult fare (excluding special rates) for Dublin City bus services was 2d in March, 1956 and 4d in March, 1967. The costs per mile for standard single journeys on provincial buses for the same dates were 2.5d and 3.63d.
(A) National average retail prices of certain commodities for the years ended 31st March, 1956 and 31st March, 1967.
|
Commodity |
Unit |
Average price to nearest ¼d. |
|||
|
Year ended 31st March,1956 |
Year ended 31st March,1967 |
||||
|
s. |
d. |
s. |
d. |
||
|
Tea—best |
lb. |
7 |
3 |
7 |
10 |
|
—as used by wage-earning classes |
,, |
6 |
0 |
6 |
6¼ |
|
Milk |
pint |
5½ |
7½ |
||
|
Beef—round steak |
lb. |
3 |
4¾ |
5 |
3 |
|
—sirloin |
,, |
3 |
8¾ |
6 |
0 |
|
Butter—creamery |
,, |
3 |
9 |
4 |
10¼ |
|
Bread |
2 lb. loaf |
9 |
1 |
6¼ |
|
|
Flour |
stone |
4 |
2½ |
9 |
2½(a) |
(a) Based on prices returned for 3½ lb. flour.
(B) Percentage increase in the prices of certain commodities between the year ended 31st March, 1956 and the year ended 31st March, 1967 and the duty content included in the prices at both dates.
|
Commodity |
Unit |
% increase in above period |
Duty content in prices at |
|
|
31st March, 1956 |
31st March, 1967 |
|||
|
Tobacco: |
||||
|
Hard pressed |
oz. |
87.7 |
1s. 2.8d. to 1s. 3.1d.1s. 10.5d. to 2s. 0.3d. |
2s. 4.3d. to 2s. 5.5d.3s. 7.6d. to 4s. 0.1d. |
|
Other |
||||
|
Stout (draught) |
pint |
76.6 |
6.01d. |
10.89d. |
|
Whiskey (Irish) |
glass |
65.2 (a) |
2s. 0.8d. |
2s. 6.9d. |
(a) Change in proof strength taken into account.