162 
CREFELD. 
Meat. 
The following table gives the total consumption of fresh meat in Crefeld 
for the two years 1904-5 and 1905-6 : it includes animals slaughtered in the 
municipal slaughter-house, and animals slaughtered outside the town but 
brought to the slaughter house for inspection, as all meat intended to be sold in 
the town must be locally inspected :— 
Oxen and Bullocks 
Cows 
Young cattle 
Calves 
Sheep 
Goats 
Swine 
Spanish swine 
Horses 
1904-5 
1905-6 
1,452 
9,511 
1,045 
5,881 
2,826 
553 
34,633 
137 
517 
1,012 
9,867 
1,382 
6,920 
3,201 
537 
31,663 
75 
596 
The meat consumption of the working classes would appear to be very 
unequal. The ordinary weaver is stated to have fresh meat at most twice a 
week, but this, whilst undoubtedly due in part to the high price, is also an effect 
of the national fondness for sausage, the better qualities of which are, however, 
but little cheaper than good butcher’s meat. Nevertheless, the consumption of 
meat indicated by returns of weekly expenditure under this head by 206 
working-class families, representing 911 persons, reached the substantial total of 
2¿ lb. per head weekly, or at the rate of 117*7 lb. annually. Of this, 33 per 
cent, was pork and bacon, 33 per cent, was beef, and 26 per cent, sausage. 
As this last commodity is for the most part made of pork, it will be seen 
how large a part the pig plays in the meat diet of the working-classes. The 
general price of pork in October, 1905, was about Id. per lb. higher than that 
of beef, viz., 9|d. against 8§d., except leg and chops in the case of pork, which 
cost 11 d., and beefsteak, which cost from 11 d. to 1.9. Id. From 8§d. to 9\d. 
was also the price of most cuts of mutton and veal, of which, however, the 
working classes eat but little. 
The prices ruling at the same month of 1906 were in general over 
Id. per lb. higher, and the increase affected the prices of 'the numerous kinds 
of sausage which form a large part of the food of the working-classes. The 
following are the kinds of sausage mostly eaten, with the prices per lb. :— 
Liver sausage (made of pig’s liver), inferior qualities, 4\d. to 5\d. ; ditto, 
best qualities, 8\d. to 9\d. ; blood sausage (made of pig’s blood, bacon fat, 
herbs, and sometimes meal), inferior qualities, 4^&, better qualities, 8fd. ; 
“ Flock ” sausage (usually beef), Is. Id. ; “ Mett ” sausage (the same, but 
of inferior quality and sometimes different make), lie?, and Is.. Rolled bacon 
costs Is. 4^d., but bacon sold in shops other than those of butchers is usually 
somewhat cheaper. 
The following Table shows the predominant prices paid for meat by the 
working-classes in October, 1905, and in September, 1907. It will be seen 
that on the later date the prices of beef, pork and veal had fallen back to, or 
even slightly lower than, the level of October, 1905, whilst the prices of mutton 
showed an advance :—