The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-07
GERMANY'S new
LABOR COLONIES
OBJECT LESSON FROM EUROPE IN
CARE OF INDIGENTs.
Provision Made on Government Farms
for the Unfit and Inefficient Some of
the Wrecks Of the Manufacturing
Towns Here Find Homes and occupa-
London Chronicle

London Chronicle,
1t was In Westphalia that the first
German labor colony was established by
Pastor Won Bodelschwingh, the inspirer
and founder of the German colony
He it is who has made
Blelefeld the Mecca Of all interested in
colonies are now distributed thruout
Inc German empire, and number thirty
three, nearly thirty of them being en-
tlrely agricultural. Westphalia led the
way with Wilhelmsdorf, and at the pres
ent moment has three within it's borders.
"a As passed thru from Vessel to Belle
extraordinary growth of this huge man.
ufaeturing district. For hundreds of
miles the country "pulsates. with fac
tor1es,' to use q phrase of Zangwill's,
ana the view from any high tower near
hruPp>s town of Essen presents vista
OF chimneys that obsesses the magma
lion, and compels one to think in terms
OF avolrdupois. It is the great manu-
featuring towns in Germany that are re-
ssponslble for the large residuum of UNI
ut and inefficient who find their Way
into the labor colonies.
A Germany Labor Colony
. Let us visit the place where the inef-
tielent and unemployed, the weak and
physically unfit are housed and fed and
made whole again.
ample of what Germany has done in the
direction of the labor colonies. Stu
ated few miles from Peddenburg sta
ton, and not far from Vessel, it Is an
preached by pleasant walk thru pine
woods and over heath land. The COLONY
was once a wilderness of sand; yet We
entered thru garden full Of flowers
and fruit and sweet-smelling herbs.
-. The director of the colony is Herr
Slemon, trained farm bailiff, and dea-
con OF the Rauhe Haus in Hamburg.
I could not help feeling that the sue.
cess of the colony was largely due to
his personality. His simple life, kindly
nature and sympathetic, yet firm, treat
ment of the men under his control,
will explain the fact that SO many wish
to stay, and so few to leave after the
period of probation is over. In addi-
ton he is a careful and shrewd business
man. In front Of his house were seats,
encircled by little grove of trees, with
hydranageas and bush fuschias as bor-
der. There we found few aged and
infirm resting and smoking. 1t was
easy to see that they regarded Siemon
as father and friend.
-: Reclamation Of Land.
A tour of the farm with the direc-
tor revealed the fact that since the
colony was founded in 1886 $50 acres
! Of waste sandy desert have been made
fertile and now grow good crops of rye
and potatoes, while four acres have
been set aside as a garden for the
growth of vegetables. 1t is pointed
out that much Of this land had beneath
it hard ocherous deposit, which had
to be entirely dug out before it would
produce any crop worth having. A
large area is still unreclaimed, and this
Is kept IN reserve for future work, and
meanwhile contracts are made with
neiglhboring landowners and the men
4 and draining at fixed price. Prac
/ tically all the buildings, as in the case
Of Merxplas, have been constructed. by
the colonists, and enc of the most mag
nifcent cowsheds / have ever seen il
the work of the colonists, aided by a
few skilled men. In it were seventy
cows and ten draught oxen. Hard by
of English breed. and the sale Of pigs
alone brought in f1,500 last year. In
addition to the farm buildings are
shops for tailoring, shoemaking, carpen-
tering, also a smithy and a bakery
which supply all the needs of the colon
lists. The whole of the work of the
farm, with it's 1872 colonists (the mum
Der is more than doubled in winter), is
superintendent by Herr Siemon as
ried brothers, head stockman, Z
head carman and bookkeeper.
Marvellous Results.
The colonlsts are not at all of the
type to be found in the Belgian insti
buttons. It is true that 40 per cent are
prison cases, but more than half OF
these are convictions for very light anG
trivial offenses, such as being without
a domicile for one or two nights; and
They are generally men who have been
unfortunate-men who are weak in
character and not able to stand alone
men who are "below par' so far a,
physique is concerned-and taking
into account the fact that they are
not by any means selected because they
are sturdy and able-bodied, it is marvel
GUS what Herr Siemon has been able to
do. Each man can earn nominal wage
part of which is placed to his credit
and part given him for the purchase OF
tobacco. The entire cost of the farm
per annum is about three thousand two
hundred pounds, and the sale of farm
produce brings in about half Of thi.
amount. The average cost per mar
per week, after all expenses have been
paid, including interest on borrowed
capital, Is little over half crown.
These colonies are all under the con
troll of the German labor colonies cen
trail board, with headquarters at Berlin
and tho subsidized and supervised Il
some extent by the state in which they
are situated, are really institutions in
spired and directed by Christian phil
anthropy. Freistatt. the newest Ger
man colony, and Wilhelmsdorf, the old
est are definitely connected with tn.
work of Bodelschwingh at Bethel.
The poverty Of the Russian peasants Il
80 great that many families use less thai
/ four nIla rts Of Oil for LIGHTING d11rino fl1