324
MAGDEBURG.
roasted barley, which is sold at 2d. per lb. Judging by the sales of the Neustadt
Co-operative Society, it seems safe to say that little more than one-half of the
material from which the “ coffee ” drunk by the working classes is brewed,
consists of genuine coffee.
Bacon in the form in which it is most generally known to British housewives—in
the form of rashers—is practically unknown to the working-man’s
wife in Magdeburg, and the remarks made on this subject in the reports on other
towns hold good here also. {See e.g., pp. 173, 202, 216, ante.)
Margarine is not generally used as a substitute for butter. The sales of the
Neustadt Co-operative Society in 1906 showed a total of 5,543 cwt. of the latter
against 2,510 cwt. of the former.
Of the three kinds of cheese distinguished in the table, that called
“ Limburg ” is most generally eaten, but by far the most popular cheese is
Kuhkäse, the price of which cannot be stated by weight. This variety of cheese,
which is appreciated most when it has reached an advanced state of “ ripeness ”
is sold in pats varying in price from 3 pfennige, or about a farthing, to 25 pfennige
or about 3c?., the latter representing apparently about half a pound.
The price shown in the table for coal is that of lignite from Bohemia,
which, together with briquettes made from lignite is the usual working-class
substitute for coal. When bought in quantities of half a ton and upwards
lignite can be had at 9d. to 10c?. per cwt.
Meat.
The whole of the retail trade in fresh meat in Magdeburg is in the hands
of small salesmen of the “ family-butcher ” type, there being no competition on
the part of co-operative societies or “ universal providers.” Butchers, however,
complain of the high prices and declining consumption of meat, and attribute
them to the closing of the German frontier to foreign cattle. The whole of the
fresh meat supply of the town consists of German produce, indeed, the greater
part of it comes from the province of which Magdeburg is the capital. The
official records of retail prices of beef and pork kept by the Municipal Statistical
Office of Magdeburg, show that in the ten years 1897-1906, the average retail
price of beef rose by 21 per cent., and that of pork by 38 per cent. In the case
of beef the price itiovement has been steadily upward throughout the whole
period, while in the case of pork it has been very irregular. This will be seen
from the following statement which is extracted from the Statistisches Jahrbuch
des Deutschen Reichs.* It should be stated that these prices relate to meat of
" average quality,” and represent the mean of the prices for cuts from the belly
and cuts from the leg. In order that the fluctuations may be more clearly
discernible, the prices are here given in the form in which they were printed in
the German source, i.e., in pfennige per kilogram.
Average official retail juices of Beef and Pork in Magdeburg, 1897—1906.
Year.
Beef.
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1901
1905
1906
128
135
135
135
135
138
138
139
146
155
Pork.
120
132
130
130
130
147
140
130
146
166
Thus for a pound of beef, which in 1897 could be bought for 7c?., the price
in 1906 was 8¿c?., and for a pound of pork, sold at 6\d. in 1897, the price in
1906 was 9c?.
Data relative to the consumption of meat in Magdeburg are available only
for the years 1903-1905,jr but these show a decline of 10 lbs. in the annual
* XVIII. Jahrgang, p. 235.
t Bericht über die Verwaltung und den Stand der Gemeinde-Angelegenheiten der
Stadt Magdeburg, XVI. Schlacht- und Viehhof. Magdeburg, 1906.
