Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-02

London, Dec. 2S.-The Telegraph, IN
an article on German Labor Condt-
tions, admits that several misrepre-
sensations concerning the prevailing
conditions of the working classes IN
Germany have been disseminated.
They have been conceived partly TO
further political objects and partly
owing TO inaccurate judgment.
One of the fundamental errors made
on this subject was contained in teie-
gram from Berlin TO London paper.
according to which the number OF
dismissed laborers was taken as
synonymous with the number or I'M
employed work people. The Union
of German Working Mems Bureaus
shows that a very large number of
those dismissed from one form OF
work Immediately found re-employ-
ment in another branch. Hence It
does not follow that given number
of workers dismissed represents
similar number Of unemployed. Fur
Their, of the latter, a large number OF
| them have only been partially unem-
are at hand to show that a good deal
of the distress of the latter has been
partially relieved by their OBTAINING
two or three days work during the
week.
Special examples prove this. At
one wharf in the north of Germany
! two thousands hands were dismissed
inl,3 Dff.
a body, Immediately and without any
/ delay taken over by another wharf,
which was in want of men, so that
there was no arrangement, but only
! lislocation of labor. Men and women
| have been dismissed from the larger
| factory centers and have at once
! found remunerative occupation in the
smaller towns or the country, lAe men
at some other branch of labor, while
many of The women have gone back
/ to domestic service.
The above named union is in po.
sition to guage up to certain point
the approximate number of employees
and unemployed through its relations
with the government Offices for the in
surance Of work people against sick
ness and accidents. The work people
are obliged by law to stick stamps on
cards provided for the purpose for
every week or part of a week
in which they have received employ
ment. The post office supplies these
stamps. In the case of Berlin, during
the month of last October 10000
marks ($5,000) less was received for
stamps Of this kind than usual. but
during the same month an increase on
precisely this amount was received in
the Province of Brandenburg, which is
the county Immediately surrounding
Berlin. This showed that the work
people had merely changed the 10
cality of their work.
It has been established that for the
whole German empire during the
whole of the first ten months Of the
| present year there was an increase iii
the sale of these stamps of between
eight and nine millions of marks. Il. e.
of between 100000 and $2,250000)
Hence one cannot speak of the exist
ence of great depression and great
distress among the working classes as
body, for, relatively speaking, a
much larger number of people must
| have been having remunerative en-
| ployment. If the work people had
been out of work they would not have
been contributing these stamps. No
distress strictly so-called prevails at
the present moment, owing to want of
employment. The fear was, however,
expressed that if the winter should
turn out 10 be exceptionally severe
there will probably be a good deal Of
distress. The present crisis, mean
while is nothing like so severe or so
serious as that of 1892.