134
BRUNSWICK.
were induced to purchase their tenements, but since 1903 this practice has been
abandoned. The society has undoubtedly exercised a good influence by raising
the standard of comfort amongst the working classes, and by inducing private
builders to improve the accommodation generally offered to this class of tenants.
The following Table showing the predominant rents of working class
dwellings in the old and new parts of the town respectively is based upon
returns relating to 1824 tenements.
Predominant Rents of Working Class Dwellings.
Number of Rooms per Tenement.
Three rooms ...
Four rooms
Predominant Weekly Rents.
Older parts of Town.
2s. 4d. to 2s. lid.
2s. lid. to 3s. 6d.
Newer parts of Town.
2s. 9d. to 3s. 6d.
3s. 6d. to 4s.
The difference in rent between the various storeys in the town as a whole
is very slight, except in the case of the fourth storey, which costs from 3d. to
6d. per week less than the floors beneath. Rent is usually paid by the month,
and a month’s notice is in that case required on both sides. The rent includes
the charges for water, for chimney cleaning, and, in the case of the better class
dwellings, for the cleaning and lighting of the stairs.
From these figures it is seen that rents in Brunswick are very low. Rents
in Berlin being taken as 100, the Brunswick index number is 37. In only two
of the towns investigated for the purposes of this report were rents found to be
lower, these two towns being Stassfurt and Oschersleben, the smallest towns
investigated.
The taxes paid by the working classes of Brunswick are the State income
tax and the municipal income tax. The former is levied upon annual incomes
exceeding £45 and the latter upon those exceeding £30. The State tax is a
fixed amount for each income group, whilst the amount of the local tax is
determined by taking a multiple of the unit of taxation prescribed for each
grade of income. This multiple varies from year to year according to the
financial necessities of the municipality, and in 1905 was 10^. The following
table shows the amounts paid in State and local taxes on incomes up to £150,
which may be regarded as the limit as far as the working classes are
concerned :—
Incomes
exceeding
up to and including
State Tax.
Local Tax.
Total.
3U
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
£
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
£ s. d.
exempted
3 11
5 3
6
7
9
0 10
0 11
0 13
0 14
0 15
0 16 11
0 18 3
0 19 6
6
10
1
5
9
0
4
7
0 10
1
5
0
7
1 11 3
1 13 10
1 16 5
0 10
0 11
0 12
0 13
0 14
0 15
0 18
1 1
4
7
11
1 15
19
3
7
12
2 17
3 2
3 7
3 13
d.
4
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
8
9
6
5
7
11
6
3
3
6
10
6
4
4
7
£ s. d.
0 6 4
0 7 4
0 8 5
0 13 4
0 15 9
0 18 1
10 5
12 9
15 1
17 6
1 11 6
1 15 9
2 0 2
2 4 10
2 9 9
2 14 9
3 0 1
3 5 7
3 11 3
3 18 6
4 5 11
4 13 7
5 1 5
5 9 6
