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Summary, METHOD OF CoNsTRUCTING UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LABOR
ofr THE Cost or Livine in THE UNITED STATES
Statistics INDEx NUMBERS
Food
Clothing
Housing
Fuel and Light
Furniture and House
Furnishings
Miscellaneous
1913-1920, 22. socally represen
1921-date, 43. | tative housing.
Localities covered. . .. 51 32 32
Sources of informanonRorallers serving|Retailers serving|Real estate brok.
working class trade;] working class| ers: 400 to 2,000
15 to 25 firms, de-| trade; 4 quota houses, depend-
pending on size of tions for each| ing on size of
town, item except 5 in| town.
Greater New
York.
Number of articles. . . .
32 32 32
Retailers servinglRetailers servinglRetailers, doctors,
working class ris working class trade; hospitals, street
public utility com-) 4 quotations for car companies,
panies; 10 to 15 each item, except 5 theatres, etc.; 4
firms. in Greater New guotations for
York, each item except
5 in Greater New
York.
Special agents.
Method of gathering]
information........
Juestionnaire.
Special agents.
Special agents.
Juestionnaire, ex- Special agents.
cept special agents
for kerosene.
Method of computing
change in cost of ma-
jor item. ... .
’roducts of average
prices multiplied by
unit weights are
added together;
aggregates com-
pared from one
period to anothes
on percentage ba-
sis; this percentage
linked to index
aumber for last pre-
ceding date gives
current index num-
Her.
.verage price of
zach article, mul-
riplied by il
weight; products!
wdded, aggregates
compared from
ane period to an-
sther on a per-
centage basis;
percentage differ-
=nce linked to
index number for
ast preceding
deriod gives cur-
:ent index num-
Jer.
’ercentage of
change in aggre-
zate rents from
one period to an-
other linked to
index humber
‘ast preceding
period gives cur-
rent index num-
ber.
Cost per ton of coal,
rates for gas and
slectricity, multi
plied by local con-
sumption weights;
for country as a
whole, by average of
32 cities; aggre-
gates compared on
percentage basis
from one period to
another; this per-
centage linked to
iast preceding in-
lex number gives
current index num.
“PP
Products of average
orices in each city
multiplied by unit
weights are added
together; aggre-
zates for 32 cit
ies averaged; com.
pared on a percent
age basis from one
period to another;
this percentage
linked to last pre-
ceding index num-
ber gives current
index number.
Products of aver-
age prices in each
city multiplied
by unit weights;
aggregates for 32
cities averaged
and compared
with last preced-
ing aggregate, on
a percentage
basis; this linked
to last preceding
index number
gives current in-
dex number.
