MUNICH.

375

most  double-family  dwellings,  and  are  of  a  very  rude  type.  They  are  old
without  possessing  historical  or  sentimental  interest,  and  it  is  only  their  somewhat ­
  isolated  situation  in  quieter  parts  of  the  city  that  has  so  far  preserved  them
from  extinction.  They  are  constructed  either  of  brick  and  plaster  or  of  wood
with  a  basis  of  brick,  and  in  all  probability  they  were  erected  a  couple  of
centuries  or  more  ago  for  the  housing  of  labourers  and  others  engaged  on
temporary  works.  Most  of  the  “  Herbergen  ”  are  in  the  rural  style  of
architecture,  with  high  gables,  long  sweeps  of  tiled  roofs,  and  balconies  running
above  one  or  two  sides.  As  a  rule  these  houses  are  very  small,  some  of  them,
indeed,  quite  box-like  contrivances  ;  the  rooms  are  few  and  low,  and  the
general  internal  arrangements  primitive  to  a  degree.  The  peculiarity  about
them  is  that  up  to  a  recent  date  they  were  all  owned  by  their  tenants,  and  this
holds  good  even  now  of  the  majority,  though  the  municipal  authority  is
gradually  buying  out  those  owners  whose  property  is  flagrantly  defective.  In
a  majority  of  cases  each  story  has  a  different  owner,  an  arrangement  which
does  not  always  facilitate  harmonious  relationships.  Normal  sanitary  conditions
cannot  be  said  to  prevail  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the  “  Herbergen,”  though
on  the  other  hand  these  houses  are  said  to  have  enjoyed  immunity  from
infectious  disease  when  ocher  neighbourhoods  have  suffered.  A  number  of  the
tenants  are  small  handicraftsmen  who  carry  on  their  callings  at  home,  in  rooms
which  serve  at  once  for  working,  living,  and  sleeping,  in  one  case  observed
the  odd  arrangement  existed  of  a  bedroom  being  let  by  day  to  a  cobbler  while
the  tenants  were  away  working  in  another  part  of  the  city.
The  following  Table  summarises  the  rents  of  working-class  dwellings,  as
obtained  for  the  purpose  of  this  report  :—

Predominant  Rents  of  Working-class  Dwellings.

Number  of  Rooms  per  Tenement.

Predominant  Weekly  Rents.

One  room
Two  rooms
Three  rooms

Is.  Gd.  to  2s.  4d.
3s.  to  4s.
4s.  Gd.  to  5s.  9d.

There  is  no  great  difference  in  the  rents  of  working-class  houses  as
between  one  part  of  the  city  and  another,  since  Munich  is  without  a  clearly
defined  “  Old  Town  ”  in  the  sense  that  Dresden  or  Aachen  has  it.
Dent  in  Berlin  being  represented  by  100,  the  corresponding  figure  for
Munich  is  62.
The  only  direct  local  tax  which  is  paid  by  the  working  classes  is  the
income  tax,  but  there  are  indirect  consumption  taxes  in  the  form  of  octroi.
The  local  income  tax  forms  a  percentage  of  the  State  income  tax,  which  in
Bavaria  is  payable  by  all  incomes  without  exemption  limit,  though  it  falls
lightly  upon  persons  of  small  earnings.  Taking  the  local  super-tax  at  130
per  cent.,  the  total  income  tax  paid  by  the  working  classes  would  fall  within  the
following  ranges  :—

Class.

Income.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Up  to  £25
£25  and  under  £37  10s

£37  10s.
£45
£52  10s.
£60
£70
£80
£90
£100
£110

£45
£5210s
£60  ..
£70  ..
£80  ..
£90  ..
£100  ..
£110  ..
£120  ..

State  Income
Tax.

Municipal
Super-tax.

s.  d.
0  6

8  0
10  0
12  0
15  0

s.  d.
Exempted

3  11
5  2
6  6
7  10
10  5
13  0
15  7
19  6

Total.

s.  d.
0  6
1  0
2  0
6  11
9  2
11  6
13  10
18  5
23  0
27  7
34  6

For  some  years  rents  have  been  fairly  stationary  in  Munich,  and  so  long
as  the  supply  exceeds  the  demand,  which  it  does  at  the  present  time,  it  is
unlikely  that  any  serious  change  will  take  place.