BARMEN.

77
A  point  which  should  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  me  sale  of  meat
and  other  kinds  of  food  (including  bread)  is  the  existence  of  a  police  regulation
which  prohibits  the  fingering  of  such  articles  of  food  by  customers  in  shops.  A
notice  calling  attention  to  this  regulation  is  in  many  cases  exhibited.  The  fines
for  contravention  range  from  one  shilling  to  thirty  shillings,  and  the  shopkeeper ­
  is  liable  if  he  permits  such  contravention  on  the  part  of  a  customer.
The  level  of  prices  in  Barmen  is  higher  than  in  any  other  of  the  towns
investigated.  Predominant  prices  in  Berlin  being  taken  as  100,  the  following
are  the  prices  index  numbers  for  Barmen  :—Food,  other  than  meat,  116  ;
meat,  109;  all  food,  114;  coal,  83;  and  food  and  coal,  110.  The  index
number  for  rent  and  prices  combined  is  99,  Berlin  being  taken  as  100.  -