trade groups) determined that canned tuna should be one of the fish- 

 ery items which was to be included in the revised '^olesale Price 

 Index which the Bureau of Labor Statistics was working on„ Solid 

 pack, light meat tuna vjas picked as the most representative of the 

 different styles of canned tuna available at that time. This ^yle of 

 pack represented the greatest proportion of the total tuna pack at 

 that time. In the raeantiraej specifically since 1950, the pack of 

 chunk-style, light-meat t'ona has increased. '-/-■ ''.'-' .■■-' '-' 



Canned tuna prices for advertised brands and private labels do 

 not generally move or change simultaneously. In order to give rep- 

 resentation to both types of tuna in the index, the price supplied 

 to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics for inclusion in 

 the '/iJnolesale Price Index is a composite price for advertised brands 

 and private labels. The composite price is computed in the follow- 

 ing manners In a particular week the average price for advertised 

 brand solid-pack, light-meat tuna is |15.00 per case, and the price 

 for private label solid-pack, light- meat tiana is 514o00 per case. 

 By talking to brokers and cannery representatives it is determined 

 that 80 percent of the tuna entering trade channels during that week 

 is advertised brands. Assigning a weighting of 80 percent to the 

 price for advertised brands, the composite price (based on the above 

 two quotations) for advertised brands and private labels would be 

 $1A..80 per case. 



Although some critics of this method of computing a price for 

 canned tuna contend that quoting one grade of canned tuna does not 

 show variation in prices for all grades and packs of canned tuna, 

 it must be remembered that for index purposes it is not feasible to 

 give representation to aH types and grades of a particular commodity. 

 It is o nly possible to pick one type or grade which,, over a long 

 period of time , approximates the over-all price movement of a sub- 

 stantial part of the total of that commodity entering trade channels. 

 It is impossible in an index of the type compiled by- the United States 

 Bureau of Labor Statistics to include all grades or major varieties 

 of a certain commodity. The Bureau prices over 2,000 commodities. If 

 prices for all grades and types of canmodities were to be included, 

 the cost of computing the index would be prohibitive. 



If the pack of chunk-style, light-meat tuna continues to in- 

 crease, it will be necessary to link the price for this style of 

 tuna into the iftiolesale Price Index and discontinue the pricing of 

 solid -pack, light- meat tuna. Befoi-^ doing this, however, it would 



395 



