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.

OSCHERSLEBEN. The town of Oschersleben, in the province of Prussian Saxony, lies south-west of Magdeburg on the river Bode, which flows from the Harz Mountains, and is within sight of the famous Brocken, the highest point of that range. Though occupying an isolated position, it is in direct communica tion with the main railway systems of Germany. Its importance consists in the fact that it is a centre of the beet-sugar industry. The soil of the surrounding plain is well adapted to the cultivation of the beetroot, which is conducted on an extensive scale. Since the discovery that the salts of the Stassfurt mines are rich in potash, and form a valuable manure, this branch of agriculture has received a powerful impetus. The sugar manufacturers of Oschersleben enjoy the great advantage that their raw material lies at their doors, and they are also able to obtain cheap labour during the “ sugar campagne ” from September to Christmas, when the beetroot crop is being worked up into sugar. Oschersleben has the air of a quiet country town, and the few factories which it possesses are scattered about the outskirts. Its municipal activities are confined to the supply of gas and the care of the roads, for Oschersleben possesses neither tramways, electric lighting, nor waterworks, and pump water has to serve for all domestic purposes. Few of the streets are sewered, and in consequence dirty and evil-smelling water flows down most of the gutters into the river Bode. Whilst the trade and manufactures of Oschersleben are prosperous the town itself does not grow, and building operations have been for several years at a standstill. This is owing to the drift of workmen to larger centres where higher rates of wages are paid. The scarcity of labour has to be met in the case of the sugar industry and agriculture by importing foreign workers, who are lodged in barracks during the season. At any time during the season groups of women may be observed at work in the fields surrounding the town, under the supervision of a ganger or overseer, and their brightly coloured kerchiefs, as well as their speech, unmistakably proclaim the Slavish race. Every spring agents of the farmers and landed proprietors are at work in Poland, Galicia, and even in Bussia securing field labourers for Oschersleben. These are brought over free of cost and are returned to their homes in the autumn. Somewhat similar conditions obtain in the sugar manufacturing industry, which also suffers from a dearth of local labour in the season. The need is supplied to a large extent from Saxony and Thuringia, whence come workers to whom even the low wages offered in the sugar factories are tempting. The population of Oschersleben, which in 1861 was 6,704, continued to increase steadily until 1900, since when it has declined slightly owing to the drift of workers to other industrial centres. The census returns are given in the following table :— Date. 1861 1871 1880 1890 1895 1900 1905 Population. 6,704 8,091 8,873 10,682 12,258 13,405 13,251 Occupations, Wages, and Hours of Labour. The principal industry at Oschersleben is the manufacture and refining of sugar. This finds employment for 900 men in three factories, two of which produce raw sugar, whilst the third is engaged in refining, and in recovering, by means of the strontium process, still more sugar from the residue of the beetroot used in the other factories. This latter factory finds employment for its 500 workpeople all the year round, whereas in the case of the other two the

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Cost of living in German towns

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation