128 
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
Percentage Rise in the Cost of Food. A Comparison between Wholesale 
and Retail Prices. 
Wholesale Price.* 
Retail Price per lb. 
June 1914. 
June 1916. 
% Rise. 
June 1914. 
June 1915. 
% Rise. 
Beef per lb. (av. of all 
( (Av. of 
} 
cuts) 
6'25d. 
lOd. 
60 
-j cheaper 
l cuts) 9d. 
- 13d. 
44-4 
Suet per lb. 
• • • 
... 
. . . 
iojr 
ni 
9-5 
Corned Beef per 72 lb. 
41/6 
63/9 
54-8 
12 
18 
50 
Mutton per lb. (av. of 
( (Av. of 
/ 
all cuts) . 
8'5d. 
10-75 
26-5 
0 cheaper 
1 cuts) 8 
( 12 
50 
American Bacon per 
112 lbs. . 
73/6 
95/6 
30 
io| 
15 
43 
American Cheese per 
112 lbs. . 
72/6 
99/6 
37-4 
8f 
134 
58-8 
Margarine per 112 lbs. 
78/ 
76/6 | 
28/7 
2 de- 
crease 
54 
7 
27-2 
Sugar .... 
15/8 
82*2 
2 
5 
150 
Potatoes per 168 lbs. . 
4/ 
8/7 
114-5 
•57 
1-17 
100 
Oatmeal „ 280 „ 
29/11 
49/ 
633 
1*23 
2-29 
86 
Flour „ 280 „ 
37/8 
51/3 
36 
1-43 
2-29 
60-1 
Bread .... 
• • • 
• • • 
... 
1-5 
2-125 
41*7 
Lentils per 100 lbs. . 
13/3 
26/6 
98/ 
100 
2-5 
3-5 
40 
Peas „ 280 „ 
60/5 
62 
2 
5 
150 
Beans „ 112 ,, 
23/ 
34/6 
50 
2-5 
3-5 
40 
Barley „ 280 „ 
26/9 
38/8 
44-5 
2 
3-5 
75 
Rice „ 112 „ 
10/10 
16/3 
50 
2 
2-5 
25 
Fish is omitted owing to the difficulty of obtaining reliable figures. 
Upon the whole it has advanced in price more than most other 
commodities. 
The rise in the cost of food from June 1912 to June 1916, as shown by 
Miss Lindsay’s dietary studies, is 48 per cent. The average rise in prices 
since the outbreak of war, as shown by the retail price list, is 67 per cent., 
but one or two of the commodities most used have not risen in price to 
that extent. Bread rose only 42 per cent., beef 44 per cent., mutton 50 
per cent., rice 25 per cent., beans and lentils 40 per cent., and margarine 
27 per cent. 
The average rise of wholesale prices is about 14 per cent, less than the 
retail, being 53 per cent, compared with 67 per cent, on retail prices. 
Certain commodities have risen in retail out of all proportion to the 
wholesale rise. The most marked differences exist in the price of peas, 
flour, oatmeal, sugar, margarine, and American cheese. 
* From price list kindly supplied by the Scottish Wholesale Co-operative Society, Ltd. 
These are the prices at which the central society sells to the branches. 
