Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-03-03
THE ARBEITER KoLoNlE.
lcrmany's Attempted Solution of the Prob lem of Dealing with the Unemployed.

Ccrmany's Attempted Solution of the Prob |
 lem of Dealing with the Unemployed.
 For several years movement has been progressing in Germany to solve logically l the problem of dealing with the unem- ployed, independently of aims giving and charities. Though little has been re- ported of the societies having the work in charge, there have been very satisfac- tory results attained in the past three years, and the success of the Arbeiter kolonie, of Berlin, the most important colony, has been of character to recom- mend the plan to all large cities of Europe and of the United States as we'll How
 to deal with men out of work without
 making them a charge upon the county is a question for most serious considera-
 tion; vet it has never been squarely met
 nor studiously investigated. Any one
 who will take the trouble and look into
 the labor and aid statistics of large city,
 even in bounteous America will be aston
 ished at the large percentage of persons
 capable of doing work who are, never | theless, objects of common charity, or
 are on the dependent rolls of the country
 The condition is proportionately worse
 in many European countries, but Ger
 many is the only country in which has been undertaken practical plan of deal
 ing with the idle classes that are willing
 to work but are unable to find employ
 ment.
 The colonies referred to, of which that
 of Berlin is the fittest example, were or
 ganized Ito employ industrious and un-
 employed men of all professions and
 classes, so far as they are really capable
 of work, in agrarian and other labor
 until it is possible to procure them re-
 munerative work elsewhere and to help
 them to quit the life of itinerants, and
 also to remove the excuse of lazy vaga-
 bonds that they have no work" The
 Berlin colony was founded in 1883. It
 has plot of land several acres in ex-
 tent, on which fruits, flowers and vege-
 tables are cultivated, and several shops,
 besides lodging and eating apartments,
 where various trades and general work
 may be engaged in. An investment of
 more than 95, 900 marks is represented.
 Besides the garden and fruit culture the
 occupations are straw plating, carpen-
 tering, shoemaking and copying, and all
 kinds and conditions of workmen are
 represented, including tradesmen, clerks
 and writers, apothecaries engineers,
 teachers, servants, etc. There are three
 systems of employing colonists-work on the premises on behalf of the institution,
 work on the premises for outside parties, , who furnish their own tools and raw ma- terial, and work on the outside under special agreement.
 The cost of keep is six shillings half
 penny day, but all earned in excess of this goes to the credit of the workman who receives his surplus earnings on quitting the institution. Some, of course, do not earn their keep, and the colony is not reimbursed for excess of expenditure on their behalf The proportion of these is not large. The two objects of the colony, to do away with begging and indiscriminate aims giving, and to give the honest unemployed chance to work till better employment can be. secured for , them, are doubly encouraged by the public. That is to say the householder ! ! gives to the beggar at his door ticket entitling him to admission to the colony. where work may be had, and general employers give preference to the applica tions of the colony. So well has the plan T worked that, despite its comparative
 newness in the reformatory field, the s Berlin colony has received 595 colonists I all of whom were relieved from pressing 7 want and most of whom were helped tC Q settled employment at their own trades d Small as these figures are in them y selves, they are large when taken into | account with the fact that there is les d mendicancy in Berlin than in any other q great city of the world. Indeed, Ger e many is exceptionally free from beggars n Moreover, the colonies are only for thost a who can and will work, but are unable l. to find employment. We hardly neeG I mnralize on the good results possible tt s be accomplished by an institution tha ). steps in between unemployed workmel V and beggary or starvation, or the crimes > of desperation. Nor need it be urgeC It that there are few better ways for tn o utility of practical philanthropy. Tn -e moral influences of such movement ar e ncalculable, and the material good to b accomplished not inconsiderable. An in i stitution of the kind could quickly b s made self supporting; or if it were no "a the indiscriminate charities now so lib .. erally dispensed could be turned wisel
 to it's maintenance. - Chicago Inter ,s Ocean.