An interesting debate on the cost of living in Germany
was raised in the Reichstag on Monday by Herr Scheidemann, a Socialist Deputy. He asserted that the average increase in the cost of living during the last ten years was estimated at 334 per cent., while in the case of certain articles of general consumption, such as pork, mutton, veal, wheat, and rye, the rise in price varied from 40 to 62 per cent. The new tariff during the first year of its operation had enormously increased the price of a large variety of articles in common use; and in view of the partial failure of this year's harvest, and other signs of an impending economic crisis, Herr Scheidemann urged the Government to relieve the pressure on the lower middle and working classes by removing the duty on imported corn, and relaxing the stringent regulations governing the importation of foreign meat. He admitted that wages had risen as a result of the exceptional prosperity of industry, but asserted that they had not risen proportionately with the increase in the cost of living. •
