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 house 
wives—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.