XXI
It will be seen that the proportion of the income spent on food diminishes
as the income increases ; the following Table shows the proportions for each
income-class :—
Limits of Family Weekly
Income.
Under
20a.
20a. and
under 25a.
25a. and
under 50a.
30a. and
under 35a.
35a. and
under 40a.
40a. and
above.
Percentage of weekly income
spent on food (excluding Beer).
68-7
64-5
62 3
59 2
57 7
56 3
Bread and Flour.—The heading “ bread ” covers all the numerous varieties
and grades of bread sold in the German towns. White (wheaten) bread is
eaten by the German workmen to only a very small extent, and then chiefly in
the form of breakfast rolls ; " black ” rye bread, from flour once or twice ground,
is used extensively in all parts of Germany ; and between these two extremes
there are many varieties, chiefly of bread composed of rye and wheat (or in
some instances, as at Dresden, rye and maize) in varying proportions, and
usually known as “ grey ” bread. A typical case is Barmen, where the kinds
of bread sold, and all bought by the working-classes, are described as being
made of rye once-ground, rye twice-ground, two-thirds rye and one-third wheat,
two-fifths rye and three-fifths wheat, one-third rye and two-thirds wheat, and
wheat (this last in the form of sweet loaves or rolls). Whilst there is thus
nothing approaching to a standard quality of bread throughout Germany, so
also there is no standard size for the loaf, and consequently in the same town
loaves are sold often in numerous sizes ; a rise in the price of cereals may thus
bring either a decrease in the weight of loaves without a rise in price, or a rise
in price and no diminution in weight. Flour is bought by the working-classes
only to a small amount ; it is wheaten flour, used chiefly for the making of
pastry. The average weekly consumption of Bread per family as shown by the
budgets varied from lbs. in the case of the lowest income-class to 35¿ lbs.
in the highest class, where the number of children living at home is larger than
in any other group and the family income is much augmented by their earnings.
The weekly consumption of Flour per family ranged from 1& lbs. to 3 lbs.
Meat.—The total weekly expenditure on meat of all kinds (including
bacon, fish, &c.), as shown by the budgets, ranged from 3s. 11 d. in the lowest
income-class to 8s. 11|d. in the class of family incomes above 40s. The average
for all incomes is 5s. 11 \d., or 18*8 per cent, of the average family income for
all classes. The proportion of the amount expended on meat of all kinds
(including bacon and fish) to the family income is distinctly higher in the two
lowest income-classes than in the other four ; in these latter, though the
actual expenditure rises with the income, its proportion to the income appears
to be a fairly constant one, as the following Table shows :—
Weekly Income.
Under 20s.
20s. and under 25s
25s. „ „ 30s
30s. „ „ 35s
35s. „ » 40s
40s. and over
Percentage of Income spent
on Meat, Bacon and Fish.
22 2
19 3
18 6
18-8
18 4
18 4
The kinds of meat principally consumed by the German working-classes
are beef, pork and sausage (chiefly of pork). The following Table, which gives
the respective proportions of the different sorts of meat to the total weekly
amount of all kinds consumed, as shown by the budgets, clearly demonstrates
the overwhelming importance of the three principal items :—
Percentage of total
weekly consumption.
Beef.
29-8
Sausage.
26-7
Pork.
213
Bacon.
10 4
Veal.
5*9
Mutton.
3-5
Other
kinds.
24
Total.
100-0
