New-York tribune., 1872-06-04
SOCIAL TOPICS ABROAD.
1ApoR PRoBLEMs IN AUSTRIA.

WHERE.
lFRON REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRlBUNEl
VIENNA. MAY Ill received, yesterday morn
ine piece Of information ofso grave character that,
Notwithstanding the unquesuonaDle trustworthness "
nv informant hesitated 70 forward it without per
sonaly obtaining positive confirmation Of its au'neu
ticty. Lam perfectly satisfied that the nseAisen
Ireceived substantially true in every particular au
that the Importance attached 70 it by my lnorn"h'
in no respect exaggerated IL appears that Ior aoo'
ten davs the police Of Vienna has had cause lot Tue
greatest anxiety for the safety Of several portions OF
the city Since the beginning of the present uoh 'o
poice officers have been greatly oyerWorkeu' ana ohy
allowed few hours sleep during the daytime inSteau
Of at night The worst possible feeling eAlss AIMING
some classes Of the worS-people
MANY things have contributed 70 this, insufficient pay
long working hours and the propaganda Of the political
pariies especially the priests, dissatisfied with the
course OF events in Austria But the chief cause whcn
has been used by the agators interested IN creathg
dissatisfaction is the enormous increase OF rents, ana III
the cost Of living It is almost utterly impossloe or
yvorkmen 70 obtain hOuseroom within reasonable dis
tance Of their work Fabulous rents are now asked ana
obtaihed the smallest and most wretched rooms anu
two or three families consequently crowded IN nan
the spaee formerly occupied by single one There
is nothing Ike fgures to tell tale. therefore give the
figures published in the report Of Commission on
Workmen's Dwellings in Vienna" and I translate ht-
eraly from COPY OF the report now lying before me'
In four small rooms Of house in the BrggtIsnian @ an
IA suuurb of Venna) the largest room measuring II y
10 eet. there found u families numbering 70,
ycS I'M tlese foar rooms and these were their sole
haiJaOn In another house IN the same street 5f pei
sous. OF ali and both sexes inhabited three sla
'cabnet and one room Il feet by feet only two OF
the cabinets had Windows, and these were VuS @ wv
feet AIgn. In another the worst instance Ol a. 20 Tto
sons Of different and all ages were crowaeG mo mo
rooms three children were SUFFERING rom rom i % ,n I'm
the rooms, and woman, VINO hti lten cen Oun -
nuci during the night the presence OF y Orl5 men, was
lying dead a shelf :"
Asaproof that the inhabitants these fearful odg
f are not vacabonds or vagrants here one day, some
where else the next, must mention that the roems or
rather share of the were in every instance pad
FOR i'm advance by the month week. and IN most cases
tnc dodgers had occupied their quarter OF
year could multiply such instances, but that IS need
lcs they are unfortunately only too common should
add that m the character of the people here 70
prefer close quarters for the sake OF saving Atue
money! on the contrary. love OF home Life ana OF nome
comforts strongly developed even among the lowest
cllscs The very families which we're packed so closely
last Winter probably each occupied one OF TWO rooms
few years ogo.
Ibave divcrred from the subject to show that the
workmen OF Vienna have real grievances The question
OF high rents has long been discussed and IL is not from
to-day only that it has caused such bad feeling As
rule the proprctors Of inhabited by the lower
classes are Jews and the Roman Catholic wOrkmen be-
sides hating them for being Jews, cannot believe that
the high rents are not caused by combinations among
the Jews for the purpose OF making money Every
term or hafyear for the past two years the rents in
Vienna have gone up IN every part nom % to 50 per
cent 20 that the poor man who formerly paid $50 year
for ms d-ng would have to S75 or 500 for the
same accommodation to-day This he cannot afford 70
do and he consequently shares room with other fami-
lies It is certsnly true that wOrkmens lodgings have
increased IN rent quite out Of proportion to the rents
paid by the middle classes. Wello-do people have sub
ued 10 an about $50 cent within the last
IS smonths but the Of poor peoples lodgings the
increase is nearer 500 per cent
These facts have fearfuly ezasperated the working
-.mH aHH# sIaar I1HTh
happen u have among them active OF more violent
1tlrors than the others The beginning Of May is one
OF the hafyoary terms and the fact that many hund-
reds of families have turned out for refusing TO pay
higher rent added fuel to the fire Of discomfort
What the wormen threaten DO a. that they will burn
down the houses Of prOpretOrs who increase their
rents II that, in private meetings workmen
have mo0ted question and have settled that with
petroleum there would be no difficulty IN the matter
Thev say that IL fifty OF hundred Of them agree TO
burn down each his dwelling, IL VIII have an excel
lent the landlords that there would be no du-
cu dsug and that they would all profit by H. as
their services would be needed TO rebuild the houses
AT one meeting workman is reported 20 have said that
"If prayers had effect on the landlords petroleum
would their houses aud that they had no feelings
Of pity they might have some for big fire." Several
arrests have been made, quietly, the authorities do
not wish 20 alarm the public, which, 70 this time, has
no conception that the moment is critical one OF that
the police have to perform double and treble night
duty The police force has been increased, the whole
corps OF detectives the watch and frequenting all
the meetings Of wOrkmen 70 learn the first intelligence
Of any threatened general combination.
OF course the quarters inhabited by the workmen
IN most danger If the bad feeling which exists should
break out into actual acts Of revenge. But unfOrtu
atey many OF the interior streets Of Vienna have work
ngmeu lodging the attcs and also many Of the pro-
pretors OF workmen's dwellings possess good houses in
the CITY, out 20 weather. tenants The proprietor Of
the magnificent building facing the Opera House is an
object Of particular hatred to the working classes on ac
count OF the summary way which he deals with such
OF them as pay their rents refuse % pay an In
creased price for their lodgings he many houses
filed with w0rkmen's families in several parts OF
Vienna and t is said that the Heinrichs HOf the hne
building have mentioned, is the first house doomed
the people put threats into execution. On three
occasions within the last days. the troops have been
brought into requiston openly for, as said be-
fore every precauon is taken not 70 alarm the public
Only half the IN barracks were, on either OCCASION
allowed 20 lie down, the remainder were kept IN readi
at moments notice, and detaehments OF
unarmed men we're quietly taken TO each Fire Depart
the city. TO reinforce the hremen In case
OF need This last fact I know beyond possibility Of
doubt and had the opportunity Of myself seeing last
night the increased force OF police kept duty in the
Mariahlf and AlsergruDd suburbs.
Az every precauUOn which be suggested is taken
70 prevent the inhabitants from taking the alarm, and as
the authorities are naturally anxious that the workmen
should not know that the evil designs ventilated among
them are the Of anxiety and harder work to the
police it is natural that al the precautionary measures
taken are kept profound secret, and that the sur
face there appears for apprehension For IN
stance a large body Of police has lately been stationed
near the Exhibition building for the ayOwed purpose OF
putting stop rObberes OF material used III It's con-
struction but really watch the great numbers Of
worknen Ongregated that spot. On Tuesday two
"a uh in paath ouief flv