Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-08-25
How IL wOrks IN German,

4 Sluce 1919 Germany cOmuenctN CIV
| ing increased protection to labor and
home industries by revision of her
tariff, and 1t is interesting to note the
result. Our consul at Dusseldorf, Mr..
| William ID. Waner, in recent COM
mum ,ation to our State Department,
furnishes extracts from the German
Steel and Iron Industry Association,
giving the results in three hundred and
Twenty iron works, foundries and ma
chine shops AZ TO the increase of volume
of business and the rate of wao = paid.
In January, 1879, there were employ
ed in these works 151, 5S2 wor 'lmen, and
on the same date in 1884 the number
had increased to POP, SS9, being an in
crease of 81 ,306, or nearly thirty-four
per cent. The average monthly wages
paid in January, 1879, were Sl5.03, and
i'll the same in 1884 they had increased
to SHY, net gain of 81. 03 per month,
or nearly fourteen per cent. Workmeu
in this country will be astounded at the
low rate of wages paid there, even max
ing full allowance for the noted increase
under protection, but it must be re-
membered that this is only slight
move in the direction of real protective
tariff like workingmen enjoy in the
| United States When Germany in
creases protection she may show great
| or good results in increase of number OF
worknen employed and in the wages
paid The rate of wages above quoted
is the average of all the workmen EN-
ployed in the works, including the high
est skilled mechanic and the rulest la
| borer. Our American workmen will
agree with us, we imagine, that it is no
wonder there has been such u great ex-
cess of German immigration to this
country during a few years past. If
Germany would keep her laborers and
population at home she will be compell-
ed to give protection to labor and her
home industries.
Consul Waner in his communication
| refers more distinctively to machine
shops and foundries, and Jumps the
matter in this manner
In comparison to those igurds of
1879 there has also been an extraordi-
narily large increase of labor aui wages
In the iron works. Since then tho num-
her of workmen has increased 26.3 per
cent: the total wages advanced hy Is. &
per cent, aud the single wages by II y
per cant, which, 100, has taken place az
| a period when many works in Eaglanl
had to suspend operations and thou.
sands Of workmeu were thrown out of
employment, with considerable reduo-
ton OF wages"
| But this is not the full extent Of
IGermany's protection, which reaches
even to the agricultural classes by es-
tablishing a bounty on the expectation
OF some of the products, amongst which
Is that of six dollars per ton on beet
root sugar. This is species of protec-
ton which has not yet been tried in the
United States, but it certainly has the
merit Of throwing projection around the
farmer as well as the mechanic.
This system Of protection would be
the same in this country as if our Gov
lernment should offer bounty of say
fifty cents on barrel of -four, and ten
cents on bushel of wheat exported, the
duties on imported goods forming the
fund to pay the bounties on exported
: goods. This duplex system Of protec-
ton may work very well for Germany,
and may not work 80 well for the L nj.
ted States. 1t strikes us that there
would be serious objection by the con
sumers in this country to Government
: making them pay fifty cents barre
more for flour, to make bounty fol
the producer, but still az our American
, Congress is always on the hunt for
= something new in the line OF free trad,
and protection, this phase of protection
might afford food for thought for futur'
legislation.