The permit valuation and number of new dwelling units provided, by type of dwelling and size of city, in the 2,099 identical cities reporting for April and May 1941, are given in table 6.

TABLE 6.-Number and Permit Valuation of New Dwelling Units in 2,099 Identical Cities, May 1941, by Size of City and Type of Dwelling

The information on building permits issued is based on reports. received by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2,099 identical cities. having a population of 1,000 and over.

The information is collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from local building officials, except in the States of Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, where the State departments of labor collect and forward the information to the Bureau. In New York and North Carolina the information from the smaller cities is collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from local building officials and the information from the larger cities is collected and forwarded to the Bureau by the State departments of labor. The permit valuations shown in this report are estimates made by prospective builders on applying for permits to build. No land costs are included. Only building projects within the corporate limits of the cities enumerated are included in the Bureau's tabulation. The data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show, in addition to private and municipal construction, the value of buildings for which contracts were awarded by the Federal and State Governments in the cities included in the report. For May 1941 the value of these buildings amounted to $53,624,000, for April 1941 to $80,932,000, and for May 1940 to $20,963,000.

Construction From Public Funds

The value of contracts awarded and force-account work started during May 1941, April 1941, and May 1940 on construction projects financed wholly or partially from various Federal funds is shown in table 7.

TABLE 7.-Value of Contracts Awarded and Force-Account Work Started on Construction Projects Financed from Federal Funds, April and May 1941 and May 1940 1

The value of public-building and highway construction awards financed wholly from appropriations from State funds, as reported by the various State governments for May 1941, April 1941, and May 1940 is shown in the following statement:

FOOD PRICES IN MAY 1941

THE average retail cost of food increased 1.5 percent between April 15 and May 13, continuing the widespread advances of the previous month. Contraseasonal increases for dairy products and higher prices for fresh fruits and vegetables, pork, and lamb were largely responsible for this rise. Prices of staple commodities such as flour, lard, sugar, and coffee also continued to move upward. These advances reflect increased consumer demand, Government purchases, and seasonal price increases for certain domestic commodities; and an increasingly tight shipping situation for imported commodities. Preliminary reports for May 27 indicate a further increase of slightly less than 1 percent in retail food prices during the last 2 weeks of May. Food costs have advanced without interruption during the last 6 months, rising 6.5 percent since November 1940. On May 13, 1941, the Bureau's index of retail prices of 54 foods was 2.1 percent above the 1935-39 average and 5.3 percent above the level of May 1940. Prices of meats, dairy products, coffee, tea, fats and oils, and sugar ranged from 3 to 10 percent higher on the average than in May 1940, eggs and butter were about 20 percent higher, while canned and dried fruits and vegetables were up 1 to 2 percent. Prices of cereals and bakery products and of fresh fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, were lower than last year at this time, the former by 3 percent and the latter by 2 percent.

Details by Commodity Groups

Retail prices of flour rose 2 percent between April 15 and May 13. Flour prices have been advancing steadily since September 1940, except for a slight decline in February 1941, and are now 9 percent higher than they were at that time, although they are still 3.5 percent below the May 1940 level. The increases in flour prices for the past few months have not been reflected in prices of bread and other bakery products. The price of white bread on May 13 was 5 percent lower than in the corresponding month in 1940.

Average retail costs of meat increased 0.7 percent between April 15 and May 13, with continued advances for pork, lamb, and poultry,

largely as a result of increased consumer buying and large Government purchases of pork for domestic consumption and for shipment abroad. Prices of fresh and cured pork rose 3.3 percent during the month to a level 21 percent above that of a year ago, when pork prices were relatively low as compared with the 5-year average 1935-39. Prices of beef, which have been tending downward since January of this year, declined 2 percent between mid-April and mid-May. This decline brought beef prices to a level 8 percent higher than in May 1940, while in each of the first 4 months of this year the differential over the corresponding month of 1940 was at least 12 percent. Prices of lamb and chickens advanced seasonally during the month, by 5 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Lamb prices are only 1.3 percent higher than a year ago but roasting chickens are selling 5 percent above May 1940, and higher than at any time since July 1938. Prices of fresh and frozen fish declined 4.7 percent between April 15 and May 13, but are still 3 percent above the level of a year ago. Canned pink salmon, on the other hand, advanced 1.8 percent during the month to the highest point since it was first priced by the Bureau in January 1935. Retail prices of canned salmon have been rising moderately and almost continuously since March 1939.

Costs at retail of dairy products increased 1.3 percent between midApril and mid-May, largely as a result of a 4.3 percent advance in butter prices. Wholesale prices of cheese were higher recently than for any May since 1930, reflecting, to some extent, purchases of cheese and evaporated milk under the Government purchasing program. Retail prices of butter and cheese in mid-May were 20 percent and 7 percent higher, respectively, than in May 1940. Prices of fresh milk declined 1 cent per quart in Scranton, Pa., and one-half cent per quart in New York as usual at this season, but advanced 1 cent per quart during the month in Buffalo, N. Y., and Los Angeles, Calif. On the average, for the country as a whole, fresh milk prices were 0.8 percent lower than they were a month ago, and 3.3 percent lower than a year ago. Prices of evaporated milk on May 13 were nearly 3 percent above prices on April 15 and about 6 percent higher than in May 1940.

Retail prices of eggs registered a seasonal advance of 2.5 percent during the month, rising to a level 21 percent higher than last May and 8 percent above the monthly average for May for the 5 years, 1935-39. Two important factors working toward higher prices for eggs this year are an increased consumer demand in this country and purchases by the Government for domestic use and for export under provisions of the lend-lease program.

Costs of fresh fruits and vegetables advanced 3.2 percent from midApril to mid-May, owing largely to the increases which follow the marketing of new crops of potatoes and onions from the South. Prices of lettuce, carrots, and sweetpotatoes also rose, as a result of temporary shortages due to unfavorable weather conditions. Prices of green beans, cabbage, and spinach dropped as larger supplies became available. Prices of apples, oranges, and bananas continued to increase, as usual for this time of year. Retail prices of fresh fruits and vegetables as a group were 2 percent below the May 1940 level because of much lower prices for potatoes this year (24 percent), and for apples, oranges, and onions (2 to 10 percent). Prices of lettuce, spinach, green beans, and bananas, on the other hand, ranged from 15 to 30 percent higher than a year ago, while prices of cabbage, carrots, and sweetpotatoes were 8 to 10 percent above the corresponding prices in May 1940.

Canned fruit and vegetable prices increased substantially (1.2 percent) between April 15 and May 13. Canned peaches rose 2.4 percent and canned tomatoes by a similar amount, following large purchases of tomatoes by the Government. Canned corn prices were nearly 6 percent above those of a year ago, canned tomatoes were 2.4 percent higher than last year, and canned pineapple 0.5 percent higher. Canned peaches and peas, however, were lower than in May 1940 by 1.2 and 2.2 percent, respectively. Prices of dried prunes advanced 2.1 percent during the month, and navy beans rose 4.5 percent. Prunes were still 2 percent lower than a year ago, while navy bean prices were 4.5 percent higher than in May 1940.

Prices of sugar, coffee, and tea continued to rise in retail markets following earlier advances in wholesale prices caused in part by the tight shipping situation. Coffee and tea prices were only 2 or 3 percent above those of a year ago but sugar prices were about 10 percent higher than in the corresponding month of 1940.

Prices of fats and oils continued to advance at retail in response to a succession of sharp increases in wholesale markets. Government purchases of lard have been rather heavy during the past few weeks, and exports increased greatly in March of this year. Lard prices were 25 percent higher than a year ago. Prices of shortening were also somewhat higher than in May 1940, while lower prices were reported for salad dressing and peanut butter.

Indexes of retail costs of food for May 1941, April 1941, and May 1940 are shown in table 1. The accompanying chart shows the trend in costs of all foods (1935-39=100) and of each major commodity group for the period January 1929 to May 1941, inclusive.