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

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

324 MAGDEBURG. roasted barley, which is sold at 2d. per lb. Judging by the sales of the Neustadt Co-operative Society, it seems safe to say that little more than one-half of the material from which the “ coffee ” drunk by the working classes is brewed, consists of genuine coffee. Bacon in the form in which it is most generally known to British house wives—in the form of rashers—is practically unknown to the working-man’s wife in Magdeburg, and the remarks made on this subject in the reports on other towns hold good here also. {See e.g., pp. 173, 202, 216, ante.) Margarine is not generally used as a substitute for butter. The sales of the Neustadt Co-operative Society in 1906 showed a total of 5,543 cwt. of the latter against 2,510 cwt. of the former. Of the three kinds of cheese distinguished in the table, that called “ Limburg ” is most generally eaten, but by far the most popular cheese is Kuhkäse, the price of which cannot be stated by weight. This variety of cheese, which is appreciated most when it has reached an advanced state of “ ripeness ” is sold in pats varying in price from 3 pfennige, or about a farthing, to 25 pfennige or about 3c?., the latter representing apparently about half a pound. The price shown in the table for coal is that of lignite from Bohemia, which, together with briquettes made from lignite is the usual working-class substitute for coal. When bought in quantities of half a ton and upwards lignite can be had at 9d. to 10c?. per cwt. Meat. The whole of the retail trade in fresh meat in Magdeburg is in the hands of small salesmen of the “ family-butcher ” type, there being no competition on the part of co-operative societies or “ universal providers.” Butchers, however, complain of the high prices and declining consumption of meat, and attribute them to the closing of the German frontier to foreign cattle. The whole of the fresh meat supply of the town consists of German produce, indeed, the greater part of it comes from the province of which Magdeburg is the capital. The official records of retail prices of beef and pork kept by the Municipal Statistical Office of Magdeburg, show that in the ten years 1897-1906, the average retail price of beef rose by 21 per cent., and that of pork by 38 per cent. In the case of beef the price itiovement has been steadily upward throughout the whole period, while in the case of pork it has been very irregular. This will be seen from the following statement which is extracted from the Statistisches Jahrbuch des Deutschen Reichs.* It should be stated that these prices relate to meat of " average quality,” and represent the mean of the prices for cuts from the belly and cuts from the leg. In order that the fluctuations may be more clearly discernible, the prices are here given in the form in which they were printed in the German source, i.e., in pfennige per kilogram. Average official retail juices of Beef and Pork in Magdeburg, 1897—1906. Year. Beef. 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1901 1905 1906 128 135 135 135 135 138 138 139 146 155 Pork. 120 132 130 130 130 147 140 130 146 166 Thus for a pound of beef, which in 1897 could be bought for 7c?., the price in 1906 was 8¿c?., and for a pound of pork, sold at 6\d. in 1897, the price in 1906 was 9c?. Data relative to the consumption of meat in Magdeburg are available only for the years 1903-1905,jr but these show a decline of 10 lbs. in the annual * XVIII. Jahrgang, p. 235. t Bericht über die Verwaltung und den Stand der Gemeinde-Angelegenheiten der Stadt Magdeburg, XVI. Schlacht- und Viehhof. Magdeburg, 1906.

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Cost of living in German towns

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation