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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ESSEN. 245 To this table the Municipal Statistical Office appends the following note:— “ These figures relate only to fresh meat. Of bacon, ham, sausage and similar meats, the imports by railway into the town exceeded the exports by 13,800 tons. It is, however, very difficult to estimate the amount consumed in the town, since there are in Essen important dealers whose branches are in the surrounding district. But if we assume that one-half goes out of the town, that leaves 70"4 lb. per head of the population to be added, but the amount is probably greater.” Taking into account this excess of imported meat, the consumption for the years 1903-1905 would be increased to 200*7, 205 J 8, and 197*4 lb. respectively. The slaughterhouse figures given above are not easy to interpret, and the figures for consumption per head are possibly subject to some error owing to the uncertainty of the population served by the slaughterhouses. Assuming their correctness, however, industrial progress in Essen appears to have brought with it a rise in the food standard, as measured by the consumption of fresh meat per head, in spite of the rise in prices. The following table gives the figures for the last 12 years :— Year. 1894 .. 1895 .. 1896 .. 1897 .. 1898 .. 1899 .. Amount per head in lb. 92-7 98-4 104-9 101-3 96-4 100-7 Year. Amount per head in lb. 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1230 116-5 115-7 130-3 135-4 127-0 The average for the period since (and including) 1900—a year of hitherto unexampled prosperity—has thus been much higher than for the preceding six years. The drop in 1905, however, certainly continued in 1906, owing to the continued rise of prices. To the same fact must be ascribed also the increased consumption of horseflesh, which is not, however, the highest on record, for in 1901, when the population was considerably smaller, 1,204 horses were slaughtered as against 1,125 in 1905. In 1900 the number slaughtered was only 855, and the abrupt increase in 1901 may have been due to a sharp rise (from 7\d. to §\cl. per lb. in the Krupp stores) in the price of pork, combined with a drop in wages (at Krupp from 4s. 9\d. to 4s. 7\d. a day). One other feature of the return is the very small consumption ol mutton, which, as sold in the town, is of inferior quality and unpopular ; it is noteworthy that the municipal slaughterhouse returns class sheep and goats together. The meat consumption in working-class families is no doubt far below the average consumption of the population generally. Returns of weekly expendi ture on meat obtained from 191 such families, representing 920 persons, show an average weekly consumption of 28^ oz., or at the rate of about 93^ lb. per annum. Of this 39 per cent, was pork and bacon, 27 per cent, was beef, and 27 per cent, also was sausage. The sale of meat at Essen has the peculiarity (encountered in other German towns also) that in most working-class shops and in the markets only one or two prices are quoted for each kind of meat. Thus in the butchers’ shops one sees boards on which the day’s prices are inscribed, but these give prices only for perhaps two qualities of beef, veal and mutton (where it is sold), and often only one price for pork. In general the range of prices for all kinds of meat is narrow, if special cuts, like beefsteak, mutton and pork chops, and loin in veal, be excluded. The following detailed return of predominant prices at October, 1905, is based on quotations obtained from the Krupp stores as well as retail shops in all parts of the town frequented by the working classes :—

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