XXIV

one  (35s.  and  under  40s.),  where  the  average  number  of  persons  per  family  is
only  slightly  higher  than  in  the  lowest  class,  and  to  a  little  more  than  16  pints
in  the  highest  class  of  all.
Butter  shows  a  very  pronounced  increase  in  amount  with  the  rise  in  family
income  ;  the  average  quantity  consumed  weekly  being  in  the  lowest  income  class
only  a  little  over  ^  lb.,  and  then  rising  to  about  1  ^  lb.  in  the  group  with  incomes  of
35s.  and  under  40s.,  and  to  over  1|¡  lb.  in  the  highest  group.  The  expenditure
increases  in  very  nearly  the  same  ratio.  The  proportion  of  the  weekly  outlay
on  food  which  is  expended  on  butter  ranges  from  3'7  per  cent,  in  the  towns  of
the  South  German  group  to  13*7  per  cent,  in  the  Saxony  towns  ;  it  will  be
remembered  that  the  towns  of  South  Germany  have  also  a  relatively  low
consumption  of  bacon  and  pork.  The  demand  for  Margarme  (which  is  sold  at
a  wide  range  of  prices)  varies  greatly  :  at  Stuttgart,  Mülhausen,  Nuremberg
(all  southern  towns)  and  Chemnitz,  the  sale  is  said  to  be  small  ;  at  Aachen  and
Leipzig  its  use  appears  to  be  chiefly  for  cooking  purposes  ;  whilst  in  Berlin,
Munich,  Solingen,  Elberfeld,  Remscheid,  Brunswick  and  Stassfurt,  the  sale
is  reported  to  be  large.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  budgets  do  not  show  any
marked  variations  in  the  expenditure  on  this  item,  except  in  the  two  highest
classes,  where  it  is  probably  used  for  cooking.
Of  Cheese  numerous  varieties  are  sold—the  kind  most  commonly  bought
by  the  working  classes  being  Limburg,  which  is  the  cheapest.  Other  kinds  in
demand  are  Tilsit,  Münster,  Dutch,  German  Emmenthal  and  Swiss—the  lastnamed
  being  very  dear  and  bought  only  rarely  by  the  working  classes.  In  many
cases  small  cheeses  are  sold  by  piece  and  not  by  weight.  The  budgets  show
only  a  small  consumption,  ranging  from  ^  lb.  to  §  lb.  per  week,  at  a  cost  of  from
2J(7  to  6^(7.
The  amount  spent  on  Potatoes  does  not  vary  greatly,  and  ranges  from
about  10(7.  in  each  of  the  three  lowest  groups  to  Is.  2|c7.  in  the  highest  group.
The  consumption  is  large,  from  24.lbs.  to  33^  lbs.  On  the  other  hand  the
expenditure  on  Other  Vegetables  and  Fruit,  which  is  only  2|(7.  in  the  lowest
income  class,  rises  sharply  to  6(7.  in  the  next  class  (20s.  and  under  25s.),  and
then  gradually  to  Is.  \\d.  in  the  highest  class.
Coffee  accounts  for  an  expenditure  of  5j(7.  in  the  lowest  income  class,  rising
to  Is.  0^(7.  in  the  highest,  the  range  of  quantities  being  from  ^  lb.  to  a  little  over
1  lb.  Cheap  coffee  substitutes  are  largely  used  by  the  German  working  classes,
especially  roasted  barley,  malt,  and  rye,  which  are  mixed  with  the  coffee  in
varying  proportions.  ^
The  amount  of  Sugar  consumed  is  small,  and  the  range  is  not  wide,  being
only  from  about  If  lbs.  to  a  little  less  than  2f  lbs.  ;  the  expenditure  varies  from
4j(7.  to  6^(7.  Generally  “  cube  ”  sugar  is  bought  for  use  with  coffee,  and
“  white  granulated  ”  for  other  purposes.
Retail  Prices.
\  1
Information  as  to  the  prices  commonly  paid  by  the  working  classes  for
food  commodities,  for  fuel  and  for  paraffin  oil  was  obtained  from  a  large  number
of  shopkeepers  in  each  of  the  towns  investigated,  and  also  from  the  co-operative
societies,  where  these  existed.  The  predominant  prices  for  each  commodity  in
each  of  the  towns  are  given  in  the  separate  town  reports  and  also  in  the
Appendix  III.,  pp.  497-500.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  prices  there  shown
are  not  necessarily  the  minimum  prices  at  which  the  commodities  could  be  obtained
—probably  in  most  cases  they  are  not—but  simply  the  prices  which  the  working
classes  did  in  fact  usually  pay  in  the  month  of  October,  1905  ;  and  where  a
range  of  prices  is  given,  it  is  because  they  appear  to  be  of  equal  popularity.
The  differences  between  one  town  and  another,  accordingly,  represent  often  not
so  much  differences  in  the  cost  of  identical  commodities  as  variations  in  local
tastes  and  sometimes  in  local  standards  of  comfort.
The  following  Table  presents  the  predominant  range,  for  Germany  as  a
whole  (including  Berlin),  of  retail  prices  commonly  paid  by  the  workingclasses
  for  certain  commodities.  Prices  at  Berlin  fall  within  the  limits  of  the