DRESDEN.

205

illustrated  by  returns  from  191  workmen’s  families  in  Dresden,  collected  for
the  Board  of  Trade  during  the  latter  half  of  1906  through  the  secretaries  of
various  local  trade  unions,  and  amounted  to  only  20§  ounces  per  week,  which
would  be  about  67  lbs.  per  year.  Of  this  amount  38  per  cent,  was  beef,
26  per  cent,  pork  and  bacon,  and  23  per  cent,  sausage.  Were  it  possible  to
ascertain  how  much  of  this  weekly  meat  supply  was  absorbed  by  the  father  of
the  family  it  would  probably  be  found  that  very  little  remained  for  the  wife
and  children.  Indeed,  statements  made  to  the  writer  by  members  of  trade
unions  and  others  acquainted  with  working-class  ways  of  living  point  to  the
conclusion  that  the  only  member  of  the  family  who  has  meat  regularly  is
the  father' 1 .
Appended  is  a  statement  of  the  prices  of  various  joints  of  meat  usually
paid  by  the  working  classes  in  October,  1905,  and  in  June,  1906  :—

Predominant  Price  per  lb.

Description  of  Cut.

Beef  :—
Ribs  ...  ...
Silverside
m  ■  j  with  bone
(  without  bone
Steak  ...  ...
Flank
Mutton  :—
Leg  ...  ...
Shoulder
Breast
Neck
Chops  (trimmed)
Veal  :—

Hindquarter
Without  “bon
Shin
Loin  ...  ...
Pork  :—
Leg  ...  ...

Foreloin  ...
Belly
Spare  Rib
Chops

October,  1905.

7|f?.
8ft?.  to  llf?.
8§d.
9#
Is.  If?,  to  Is.  3Ir?.
7#
9|f?.  to  Ilf?.
9#
7|í?.  to  8|f?.
8#
lit?.
9|f?.  to  Ilf?.
8|í?.  to  9|f?.
Ilf?,  to  Is.  le?.
6&f?.
9|f?.  to  Ilf?.
9ff?.  to  Ilf?.
9  W.  to  Ilf?.
8#
Ilf?,  to  Is.  If?.

June,  1906.

7%f?.
8fí?.  to  Ilf?.
8#
92f7.
Is.  If?,  to  Is.  3\d.
7§f?.
9|f?.  to  llf?.
9|f?.
7|í?.  to  8|f?
8#
llf?.
9|f?.  to  llf?.
8fí?.  to  9|f?.
llf?.  to  ls.  lf?.
6|f?.
9|í?.  to  llf?.
llf?.  to  ls.
llf?.  to  ls.
9#
Is.  to  ls.  2ff?.

Here,  again,  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  prices  are  those  charged  for
those  (more  or  less  inferior)  qualities  of  meat  which  are  most  generally  bought
by  the  working  classes.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  were  practically  no  changes
in  the  prices  of  beef,  mutton  and  veal,  but  the  price  of  pork  rose  by  a  little
more  than  Id.  per  lb.
Representing  predominant  prices  at  Berlin  by  100,  the  corresponding
figures  for  Dresden  are—for  meat,  113  ;  for  other  food,  103  ;  foi  coal,  8  ,  and
for  all  commodities,  103.  The  index  number  for  rent  and  pnces  combined
is  93.