Inching upward for a fifth straight month, the Government's fever chart on living costs touched a record 114.7 in mid-July (base: 100 for average prices in years 1947-49). Reason: increased rents, some higher food prices (pork, poultry, eggs, fresh milk), higher costs of medical care and transportation. Result: 1ยข-an-hour wage raise for a million aircraft and automobile workers, whose pay is tied to the cost-of-living index.
Treasury Secretary Humphrey took the report without flinching. Said he, noting that the increase is only a fraction of a point over the mark of twelve months ago: "That is a most eloquent demonstration...
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