Show Living Cost Remains Remas Up Many Factors Count CountIn In Principal Causes NEW YORK What What is holding the cost of living up when the price of basic raw materials has fallen so far since last fall Commodity prices at wholesale have retreated since then about way half back to their OPA levels on the average but the cost of living has dropped back only about one-eight one of the way However the average weekly wage In factories is about twelfth one of the way back The recession so far adds up to this Producers are getting considerably considerably considerably consider consider- ably less for many raw materials materials- but not all It costs almost as much to live as it did last year and the workers' workers average pay has been only slightly touched Roughly the same factors that retarded the cost of livings living's pace upward in the months when wholesale wholesale wholesale whole whole- sale commodities were soaring are arenow arenow arenow now acting as a drag as it slips slightly lower Between June 1946 1948 and January 1948 wholesale commodities went up at a dizzy pace The cost of living climbed steadily but more slowly Between January and September September Sep Sep- of last year commodities as a whole were on the downgrade but the cost of living still edged upward Since then the cost of living has receded but much more slowly than prices have fallen Rent controls and price absorption absorption tion by processors and retailers acted as a drag on the cost of living on the upgrade Braking the decline of the cost of living now are rents as high and apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap going higher the normal time lag between retail and wholesale wholesale wholesale whole whole- sale price changes continued high labor costs continued high taxes and of course substantial profits Ort Oil June 15 1946 the index in which 1926 prices are stood at By January 15 1948 It had reached It was back to by September 15 1948 |