270

HAMBURG.

or  “  dairy”  batter  cost  from  Is.  to  Is.  1  d.  per  lb.,  but  the  working  classes  use
far  more  margarine  than  butter,  though  much  of  the  margarine  bought  is  for
cooking.  The  “  Production  ”  Co-operative  Society  sold  in  1906  542,366  lb.  of
margarine  against  351,965  lb.  of  butter,  and  the  “  1856”  Co-operative  Society
sold  1,516,940  lb.  of  margarine  against  403,476  lb.  of  butter.  Margarine  is
sold  under  several  names  and  in  many  qualities,  but  the  price  generally  paid
in  1905  was  6J(7.  per  lb.  The  price  of  milk  was  2£(7.  per  quart.  Little  of  the
milk  supply  is  delivered  to  the  houses  ;  it  is  mostly  fetched  from  the  dairy
shops  and  the  provision  dealers  who  keep  this  article.  The  two  large  co-operative
societies  had  in  1906  a  daily  sale  of  nearly  440  gallons.
Many  kinds  of  cheese  are  bought.  The  general  classification  is  into
“  hard  ”  and  “  soft  ”  cheese,  the  former  being  as  a  rule  sold  by  weight  and  the
latter  by  the  piece.  The  working  classes  chiefly  eat  the  Dutch  and  Tilsit  kinds,
the  former  costing  from  9^<7.  to  11(7.  per  lb.,  and  the  latter  from  7\d.  to  8f,(7.
Swiss  cheese,  for  which  there  is  a  more  limited  demand,  cost  from  11(7.  ¡to  Is.  1(7.,
and  Limburg  cheese  6(7.  As  a  rule  small  quantities,  to  the  extent  of  from  Id.  to
3(7.,  are  bought  at  once.
Coal  is  the  fuel  usually  burned,  and  English  small  nuts  are  largely  bought.
The  qualities  usually  bought  cost  in  October,  1905,  from  11^(7.  to  Is.  0^(7.  per
cwt.,  but  the  Hamburg  working  man  frequently  does  not  store  much  coal  at  once,
owing  in  part  to  the  absence  of  cellar  accommodation,  but  buys  in  small
quantities  of  an  “Eimer”  or  two  (the  “Eimer”  holding  from  15  to  20  lb.).
When  so  purchasing  he  pays  from  Is.  4(7.  per  cwt.  upwards.  Coke  cost  from
Is.  0\d.  to  Is.  1J(7.  per  cwt.  As  a  rule  small  coal  is  used  with  briquettes,  the
latter  costing  from  9^(7.  to  Is.  per  100,  and  the  kitchen  stove  can  be  kept  going
for  from  3J(7.  to  4J<7.  per  day.  The  paraffin  oil  chiefly  used  is  American,
costing  8J(7.  to  8f(7.  per  gallon.
The  following  statement,  showing  the  fluctuation  of  prices  during  a  period
of  five  years,  relates  to  staple  commodities  sold  by  the  “  1856  ”  Co-operative
Society,  which  does  a  very  large  working-class  trade  in  its  37  provision  shops,
distributed  over  the  town  and  suburbs  :—

Retail  Prices  of  Commodities  in  December  of  each  Year.

1901.

1902.

1903.

1904.

1905.

1906.
4id.
5  id.
Bid.
lOd.
1«.  Id.
2\d.
2  id.
2¡d.
2*d.
2jd.
S*d.
Is.  0id.
Ill  d.
?*d.
1«.  3fd.
Is.  l^d.
Is  Oid.
9%d.
lid.
lid.

Bread,  Rye
„  Fine
Flour,  Rye,  Coarse
,,  ,,  Fine...
„  Wheat,  Best
"Sugar,  Loaf
„  Refined,  Granulated
„  Cube
Potatoes,  “  Egg  ”
„  “  Magnum  Bonum  ”
Cheese,  Tilsit
Sausage,  Brunswick  Cervelat
„  ,,  Bed  (I)
„  ,,  »  (H)
„  Coarse  “  Mett  ”  (I)
„  „  »  (II)
Cassel  Spare  Rib  ...
Bacon,  Fat
„  Lean  and  Belly  ...
Tinned  Meat,  German  ...

per  4  lb.
per  7  lb.
per  lb.
per  7  lb.
per  lb.

4  id.
5  d.
7%d.
9id.
L?.  Oid,
3*d.
3  Jd.
4d.

7jd.
Is.  0\d.
7|d.
Hid.
9*d.
94  d.

4d.
5d.
7fd.
9id.
Hid.
3i  d.
3i  d.
3*d.
3d.
2\d.
7*d.
llfd.
10id.
7|d.
Is.  l^d.
Hid.
lOjd.
9%d.
9|d.
9id.

4d.
5d.
7|d.
9id.
Hid.
2id.
2&d.
2*d.
2\d.
2\d.
7fd.
lid.
10id.
7fd.
Is.  Id.
lid.
lOd.
Bid.
Bid.
9id.

4d.
5d.
7fd.
9id.
Is.  Oid.
2|d.
2\d.
2|d.
3*d.
2i  d.
7fd.
lid.
10id.
6id.
Is.  0|d.
lid.
lOd.
8d.
8d.
94d.

4d.
5  d.
Bid.
9¿d.
Is.  Oid.
2id.
2i  d.
2id.
2*d.
2d.
7*d.
llfd.
H|d.
7id.
Is.  3id.
Is.  lid.
Is.  0|d.
9%d.
lid.
10id.

*  The  heavy  fall  in  the  price  of  sugar  in  1903  was  due  to  the  operation  of  the  Brussels  Convention.