Die Aufgaben der Volkswirtschaftslehre als Wissenschaft

Cost of living in German towns

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 884842509

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-10952

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Weber, Adolf http://d-nb.info/gnd/118629646

Title:: Die Aufgaben der Volkswirtschaftslehre als Wissenschaft

Place of publication:: Tübingen

Publisher:: Verlag von J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck)

Year of publication:: 1909

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (77 Seiten)

Digitisation:: 2017

Collection:: Economics Books

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

364 MÜLHAUSEN. best Swiss cheese ; the price of this kind was about Is. to Is. 3d. per lb. There is a small consumption of margarine, the price of which was 7(7. per lb., though lard is also used as a substitute for butter. The predominant price of wheaten flour was Is. 3\d. per 7 lb. There is no home baking, and the bread requirements of the town are supplied by some 170 public bakers, a co-operative bakery, and a factory bakery. The public bakers are organised in a Guild, which nominally regulates the price of bread in the town according to the prevailing price of flour, raising it or decreasing it by \cl. at once, though in practice changes do not take place at more frequent intervals than a year or a year and a half. Since the establishment of a co-operative and a factory bakery, keen competition has prevailed in this trade, and this competition has been intensified by the under-cutting of individual bakers hopeful of making up for small profits by a large turnover. The loaf mostly eaten is one of wheat 2\ kilogrammes or lb. in weight and sold in October, 1905, at 5J(7. and 6(7. per 4 lb. English. The loaves are oval and as much as 18 inches in length with a diameter in the centre of 6 or 8 inches. So-called “ Black ” bread is made either of inferior wheat or wheat with an admixture of one-quarter rye, the weight of these loaves being 3 kilogrammes or 6'6 lb. and the price in October, 1905, 4\d. and 5\d. per 4 lb. English. In each case the lower price is for the co-operative bakery’s bread. An all-rye loaf was sold by Guild bakers at 5J(7. per 4 lb. English. Milk is retailed by dealers who draw their small carts through the streets with the assistance of large dogs ; the universal price was 2J(7. per quart. The police regulations allow milk to be publicly sold in two qualities only—" full- milk ” or uncreamed milk, and skimmed milk, the former having a minimum of 3 2 per cent, of fat. It is required that the vessels in which milk is exposed for sale shall contain in bold letters " full-milk ” (red letters) or “ skimmed milk ” (blue letters), as the case may be. There are also stringent regulations as to the conveyance of milk and its exposure for sale in public places. Besides beer, wine of local origin is drunk at meals ; it can be bought very cheaply, viz., white wine at from 4\d. to b\d. per quart and red at from 5\d. to Id. Mülhausen pays dearly for its coal, a circumstance due to its geographical position and distance from the coalfields. Belgian coal cost in October, 1905, Is. 9\d. to 2s. per cwt., but Saar and Ruhr coals are largely used by the working classes, and cost from Is. 4(7. upwards per cwt., being only slightly dearer than coke. The coal is taken round to houses in sacks. Some manufacturers supply their workpeople with coal at cost price. Two kinds of petroleum are used, American at 10(7. and 11(7. per gallon, and Russian at 8(7. per gallon ; the former is mostly bought. The co-operative movement has been introduced into Mülhausen, but has made little progress. There are two societies, which sell exclusively to their members, and in one case the stores are only open on several evenings during the week. The larger society has a membership of about 1,200 with three shops, and a turnover of £6,000 a year. The town still levies octroi, in the old French fashion, upon a large variety of commodities which come from the outside. The boundaries of the octroi rayon are marked by 21 posts ; and distributed along the line are 25 toll houses past which all dutiable goods intended for consumption and sale within the town may be introduced between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week ; there are 13 prohibited roads and entrances. A number of the most indispensable articles of consumption are exempted from taxation, e.g., corn, flour, coffee, sugar (only relieved in 1904), petroleum, coke, butter, milk, and other farm produce, and infants’ foods. Coal, coke, oil, colours, pure alcohol, and other raw materials used in manufacturing are also exempted. The articles taxed, however, are very numerous, and are grouped in 99 classes. They include live cattle and pigs (Is. 5(7. per cwt.), live sheep, lambs, calves, and goats (2s. per cwt.), beef (2s. 8^(7. per cwt.), pork and bacon (Is. 8^(7.), mutton and veal (3s.), cured and smoked flesh and sausage (5s.), game and fowl of all kinds (up to 5Jc7. each), fish, preserved meat and fruit, fresh and dried fruit, tea (nearly 3(7. per lb.), cocoa and chocolate, beer, wine, &c. ; with coal for domestic use, iron and steel goods, and building materials. The octroi regulations are severe and are rigidly enforced. Should goods be smuggled into

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