ANCE again, rising: costs have hit the ' family budget. This was driven home recently by the Government announcement that its consumer price index had risen 0.4 par cent more to a record high of 118.7 per ‘"lit of the 1947-49 average, during the month ended in mid-February. This was the sixth consecutive monthly • in and the sharpest since October. It was pointed out that food and housing were the two groups most responsible for the jump, although all major areas of goods' and sendees except apparel moved up. In presenting the report. Ewan Clague, Commissioner of Labor Statistics, declined to make an estimate of the movement in the index for next month. Over the rest of tile year, he said, there was some reason to expert the price of automobiles and many household durable goods to de cline. largely ;is a result of sluggish de

65.8%