DORTMUND.

185

The  landlord  pays  the  charge  for  water,  and  no  rates  are  included  in  the
rent.  Rent  is  high  in  Dortmund.  Of  the  33  towns  investigated,  Berlin,
Stuttgart,  and  Düsseldorf  were  the  only  towns  in  which  tue  rent  level  was
found  to  be  higher  than  here.  Representing  rents  at  Berlin  by  100,  the
t  corresponding  figure  for  Dortmund  is  68.  The  highest  rents  are  found  in  the
north-eastern  and  north-western  parts  of  the  town,  and  the  lowest  in  the  Hansch
and  harbour  districts.
There  are  some  other  factors  of  importance  in  regard  to  housing  at
Dortmund  which  must  be  noticed.  The  first  of  these  is  the  work  of  the
Savings  and  Building  Society,  which  at  the  end  of  1905  had  948  dwellings  with
a  population  of  4,840  persons,  and  is  rapidly  extending  its  operations.  The
society  has  received  loans  from  the  Central  (Prussian)  Government  on
condition  of  taking  into  its  dwellings  a  number  of  postal  employees  (letter
carriers,  &c.),  and  railway  servants.  Persons  desirous  of  obtaining  accommodation ­
  in  these  dwellings  must  be  shareholders  in  the  society,  which  is  thus  of  the
nature  of  a  co-operative  undertaking.  In  the  erection  of  the  houses  considerable
attention  has  been  paid  to  architectural  appearance,  and  care  has  been  taken  to
avoid  a  barrack-like  uniformity.  The  rooms  are  large  and  well-equipped,  and
the  use  of  forecourts  round  which  the  buildings  are  ranged  on  three  sides  gives
them  a  roomy  and  attractive  appearance.  The  rents  range  from  £6  IO5.  to
£7  14s.  per  annum  for  dwellings  of  two  rooms,  from  £8  155.  to  £11  II5.  for
dwellings  of  three  rooms,  and  from  £10  8s.  to  £13  135.  for  dwellings  of  four
rooms.  The  rents  in  the  newer  blocks  are  distinctly  higher  than  in  those  erected
earlier,  though  they  are  still  considerably  less  than  the  normal  rents  in  the
town.
In  Dortmund  itself  there  is  some  housing  by  employers,  but  not  on  any
very  large  scale.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  dwellings  erected  by
the  two  largest  undertakings.  The  dwellings  built  by  the  Hoesch  works  are
chiefly  for  foremen  and  small  officials,  but  the  colony  of  the  "  Union  ”  works  is
really  for  workmen.  It  accommodates  about  260  families,  usually  in  two-family
houses  built  in  blocks  of  three  together.  There  are  small  gardens  in  front  of
the  houses,  and  a  large  drying  ground  for  the  whole  colony.  The  dwellings
are  well  built  and  equipped,  and  the  rooms  large.  For  three  large  rooms  the
rent  is  £7  IO5.  a  year  (2s.  11c?.  per  week)  ;  for  three  small  rooms  £4  IO5.  to
£5  85.  (I5.  9d.  to  2s.  Id.  per  week)  if  on  the  ground  floor,  and  £4  45.  (I5.  Id.
per  week)  if  above  (the  houses  are  of  only  two  floors).  In  a  few  cases  the  whole
of  a  six-roomed  house  can  be  obtained  for  from  £12  to  £14  (45.  Id.  ,  to  5s.  od.  per
week).  Many  of  the  coal-mines  build  houses  for  their  employees,  and  there  are
a  number  of  such  miners’  colonies  close  to  Dortmund.  A  fairly  typical
example  of  the  best  kind  is  the  colony  of  the  “  Minister  Stein  ”  colony,  with
about  140  houses,  well-built  and  well-grouped,  with  small  gardens,  and  with  a
large  and  admirably-planned  central  building  containing  a  library  and  readingrooms,
  baths  for  men  and  women,  laundry,  &c.  The  houses  accommodate  about
550  families  ;  the  majority  of  the  houses  are  for  four  families,  but  there  are  some
for  six  and  others  for  only  two.  The  usual  rent  is  os.  per  room  pei  month.
The  outward  appearance  of  the  houses  is  often  better  than  the  inside,  and  it  is
noteworthy  that  the  tenants  are  permitted  to  take  lodgeis.
The  only  direct  taxes  which  fall  on  the  working  classes  are  the  income  tax
and  the  church  tax.  The  income  tax  is  a  double  one,  vizState  and
Municipal.  The  State  tax  commences  with  incomes  of  over  £45  a  year,  and
does  not  (as  in  England)  vary  from  year  to  year,  but  is  a  fixed  amount  on  a
graduated  scale.  The  tax  levied  by  the  town  for  its  own  purposes  is  an
addition  of  so  much  per  cent,  to  the  State  tax,  the  rate  at  Dortmund  being
200  per  cent  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  every  person  with  less  than
€150  income  is  allowed  to  deduct  from  his  income  for  taxation  purposes  £2  IO5.
for  every  child  up  to  14  years  of  age.  But  incomes  of  less  than  £4o  do  not
escape  local  taxation  ;  if  the  local  authority  so  chooses,  it  may  assess  them  on
the  following  basis  :-Incomes  up  to  £21,  |  per  cent.,  2.,.,  up  to  a  maximum
rate  of  120  marks  (I5.  2'4d.);  incomes  from  £21  to  £00  2'4I)  marks
(2&  4-8(7.)  -  incomes  from  £33  to  £45,  4'00  marks  (45.).  The  full  local
percentage  may  be  levied  on  each  of  these  three  assessment  bases.
2  A

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