Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-10
CARE OF THE PEOPLE
PaternaI SoIicitude of the City
of Vienna.
CARRIED TO AN EXTREME
Good Place to Study Workings of
Municipal Ownership.
RUNS SALOON AND BREWERY
Foreigners Distracted in Their Efforts
to Obtain Permit for the Con-
duct Of Business.

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
VIENNA, August Is, 1906.
This Is good place to study the practi-
cal workings of municipal ownership for
the city of Vienna is conducting a variety
OF enterprises such as are usually left to
individuals and corporations, including
brewery, a saloon, a number of flower
stores, a storage warehouse, stone quarry,
etc. Vienna is also a good place to study
the practical application of paternalism-
that feature of administration which is
usually condemned by modern writer's as
repugnant to the spirit of republican insti-
tutions. We are taught that a govern
ment should not interfere with the private
affairs of its subjects, and should allow
them to paddle their own canoes
Paternalism is carried farther in Austria
than anywhere else, and just now we have
striking illustration Of the embarrass-
ments 1t involves, presented by a bill pend
ing in parliament to regulate the sale of
ready-made clothing, shirts, gowns, under
wear, ETC., in the interest of the custom
tailors, dressmakers and shoemakers. The
proposed law prohibits all dealers in ready
made wearing apparel of every kind from
doing custom work or repairing The tai
lors, dressmakers, shoemakers and other ar
tisans who do their work at home or have
small shops complain that they are being
ruined by the big department stores. 1t is
the old story that the department stores,
with cheap labor, low wages and small
profits are crushing out the small dealers.
The latter assert that the tendency is
against the interests of skilled labor, ard
therefore should be checked by the state.
Ready-made clothing is comparatively
new thing except for very cheap goods.
Formerly almost everything was made to
orders but now any one can buy Il complete
outfit at the big stores over here just in
all of our American cities, and alterations
will be made in any garment as may be
necessary. The big stores also take orders
for custom work and do repairing. This
Is necessary or expedlent In order 10 Keep
their hands employed.
The guilds complain that this Is against
the public interest; that factory clothing is
not as good as custom made, and therefore
the buyer does not get the worth of mis-
money; that factory operatives are practi-
cally slaves; that the tendency is to reduce
wages, which is contrary to the welfare of
the people; that cheap labor makes poor de-
signs. poor goods and poor workma lship,
and discourages the ambition of the people.
They demand that law be passed pIo-
hibiting the large stores from taking orders
for custom work, and from making alter
atoms in factory goods, and requiring them
to pay the same wages that are paid to
journeymen tailors, shirtmakers, Lress-
makers, shoemakers and the other skilled
trades.
The merchants yesterday held mass
meeting and appointed a committee to
present their side of the case to parlia-
ment. In order to attract public attention
and excite public sympathy they closed
their stores for two hours in the after
ami required all of their clerks to attend