Cost of living in German towns

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 866449027

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-93831

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Cost of living in German towns

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stat. Off.

Year of publication:: 1908

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (LXI, 548 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

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ELBERFELD. 229 less than 240 square yards at least 120 square yards must be unoccupied ; but corner sites may be built upon to the extent of one-half. Where in the inner zone a street is 26 feet wide, the front of a building may have a height of 47 feet 6 inches ; where the street is more than 26 feet wide the height may increase to the same extent ; and where the street is narrower it must be to the same extent reduced. The highest number of stories permissible is five, including the basement. The height of back buildings is similarly regulated, except that the courtyard instead of the street is here the basis of measurement. In the outer district the shell of a building may not exceed 52 feet in height, and no dwelling house may have more than three stories in addition to the cellar and attic stories. The minimum permissible height of rooms in new buildings is 9 feet 9 inches, except in the case of attic rooms, which are allowed to have a mean height of only 8 feet 1^ inches. In addition, it is stipulated that in certain of the higher portions of the town the “ open ” plan of building must be followed ; here only detached houses of the villa type are allowed to be built, and industrial buildings of every kind are excluded. Coming to the internal arrangement of dwelling houses, it is required by the police regulations that bedrooms shall contain at least 353 cubic feet of space for each person above ten years belonging to the household using them, and for each child under ten years at least 176| cubic feet, infants under one year not counted. Where this condition as to space is not met, a room is held to be over-crowded. Single persons above 14 years of age must be able to sleep in separate bedrooms or compartments in the same, while every married couple must have a separate room or compartment for themselves and their children under 14 years of age. Every bedroom must have a window, opening outside, and not less in area than one-twelfth of the floor space ; but this provision does not apply to living-rooms. Attic rooms may only be used as bedrooms when they have completely plastered or boarded walls. Every house (not dwelling) must be provided with at least one privy, accessible to all residents. These regulations apply to all new buildings. Retail Prices. Groceries and other Commodities. Elberfeld is abundantly provided with shops for the sale of groceries. This appears to be particularly true of the working-class streets, in every one of which are to be found several such shops, all doing business in a very modest way and all apparently conducted by women. The only grocery enterprise of the “ multiple” sort is that carried on by the “Befreiung” Co-operative Society, which has 16 branch shops in the town, all selling at the same prices. This society numbers between 5,000 and 6,000 members in the town, and claims to be the regulator of retail grocery prices. There appear to be good grounds for the claim, for it happens not infrequently that a grocer on being questioned about prices will refer his questioner to the Co-operative Society as the most trustworthy authority on the subject. With regard to the quality of the articles consumed the following points may be noted. For coffee 11¿/. per lb. was the price almost invariably paid by workpeople in October, 1905, the kind sold being Santos. Along with the coffee it is usual to buy either roasted barley or rye, or prepared malt, which is mixed with the coffee in equal proportions. The prices were, for roasted barley 1Jd., for roasted rye 2d., and for prepared malt 2\d. per lb., the latter being the most in demand. There is little demand in Elberfeld for sugar-glazed coffee, the glazing being regarded as a device for concealing inferiority of quality. The Co-operative Society already named sold in the year 1904-5 33,100 lb. of malt coffee, against 73,952 lb. of bean coffee. White granulated sugar (Stampfzucker) is the only quality consumed, the price usually paid being a fraction under 2\d. per lb. I here is a large consumption of bacon, both fresh and cured, and the remarks made on this head in respect of Düsseldorf apply also to Elberfeld ; 9\d. per lb. was the price most generally paid both for fat and lean bacon. Austrian and Russian eggs are usually bought by the poorer classes in the winter months (including

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