KÖNIGSBERG.

285

contain  2  302  kilograms  of  bread,  or  exactly  5  lbs.  1  oz.,  which  corresponds  to  a
price  of  4§d.  for  4  lbs.  Bread  was  at  that  time  dearer  than  in  any  month  since
February,  1903  (when  the  6<7.  loaf  weighed  2*297  kilograms),  and  had  been
rising  steadily  in  price  since  January,  1904,  when  sixpence  worth  of  bread
weighed  2*509  kilograms,  or  7\  ozs.  more.  Thus,  in  January,  1904,  4  lbs.  of
bread  were  being  sold  for  about  4\d.  It  may  be  added  that  the  weight  of  the
6d.  loaf  has  been  declining  steadily  since  October,  1905,  and  by  October,  1907,
it  had  reached  1*806  kilograms,  which  would  correspond  to  a  price  of  about  6d.
for  4  lbs.
Although  fresh  milk  is  cheap  in  Königsberg  (about  2\d.  a  quart),  the  bulk
of  the  milk  used  by  working-class  families  is  skimmed  and  costs  about  Id.  the
quart.  The  coal  used  for  domestic  purposes  is  imported  from  Scotland,  and
costs  Is.  4(7.  per  cwt.  when  bought  in  small  quantities.
Meat.
The  whole  of  the  meat  consumed  in  Königsberg  is  home  grown,  and  here,
as  in  all  other  parts  of  Germany,  pork  is  the  principal  flesh  food,  as  may  be  seen
from  the  subjoined  table  showing  the  consumption  as  estimated  from  the
Municipal  Slaughterhouse  Returns  :—

Total  and  per  capita  Consumption  of  Meat  in  Königsberg,  Year  ended
March  31  st,  1906.

Consumption.

Total.

Pork  (including  Bacon)
Beef
Veal
Mutton
Horse

Fresh  meat  of  all  kinds

cwts.
114,694
76,371
13,385
8,831
6,566

219,847

Per  capita.

lbs.
58&
39
1

112

In  the  previous  year  the  total  consumption  of  meat  was  250,362  cwts.,  and
the  amount  per  head  of  population  143  lbs.,  so  that  in  a  single  year  there  was
an  absolute  decline  of  12  per  cent,  and  a  per  capita  decline  of  22  per  cent,  in  the
meat  consumption  of  the  town.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  closely
related  to  the  great  increase  in  the  price  of  meat  which  Königsberg  was
experiencing  in  common  with  every  other  part  of  Germany.  It  need  scarcely
be  said  that  the  yearly  consumption  of  meat  per  head  is  less  among  the  working
classes  than  that  shown  above  for  the  whole  population.

Returns  obtained  for  this  inquiry  from  224  working-class  families  containing ­
  1,022  persons,  showed  a  meat  consumption  at  an  average  yearly  rate  of
91J  lb.  Of  this  37  per  cent,  was  pork  and  bacon,  26  per  cent,  sausage,  and  24
per  cent.  beef.
The  average  wholesale  price  of  pork  in  the  Königsberg  market  in  the  year
ended  March  %lst,  1906,  was  64*88  marks  (£3  4s.  10yt.)  for  50  kilogs.
(110  lbs.),  or  31*2  per  cent,  above  the  corresponding  price  for  the  previous
year,  and  this  rise  was  accompanied  by  a  decrease  of  28*2  per  cent,  in  the  per
capita  consumption  of  this  kind  of  meat.  Beef  prices  in  1905-6  were  only
4*6  per  cent,  higher  than  in  1904-5,  but  the  per  capita  beef  consumption  was
12*7  per  cent,  less.  Veal  and  mutton  may  be  left  out  of  consideration,  especially
in  so  far  as  the  working  classes  are  concerned  ;  but  not  horseflesh,  of  which  the
consumption  increased  from  5,268  to  6,566  cwt.  (or  25  per  cent.)  in  the
aggregate,  and  from  3  lbs.  to  3  lbs.  5  ozs.  (or  11  per  cent.)  per  head  of
population  in  1905-6  as  compared  with  1904-5.  By  November,  1906,  the  date
of  the  visit  to  Königsberg  for  the  purpose  of  this  report,  meat  prices  had,
however,  dropped  considerably,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  table  :—