New-York tribune., 1906-07-03
GERMAN WAGE QUESTION.
Lo50 Incomes of Farm Hands Re
tard AgTarian Development.

During the last year Germany has succeeded IN
negotiating a number OF commercial treaties. the
ultimate aim being 70 give some relief TO her
landed interests. These commercial. they
may be more properly called, agricultural treaties
will without doubt exercise a great influence upon
German industries; but whether they will prove
Of benefit OF misfortune 20 the manufacturing
interests Of the empire remains TO be demonstrated
been concluded against the protests Of nearly
every chamber Of commerce. In the empire, realizs
the most sangUine hopes OF the Agrarisn, or Con-
servatve. party one great problem will still re-
main 70 be solved-the question OF wages OF farm
hands and servants. The great question now con
fronting the Kaisers government is. Will the steps
which have been taken to safeguard and promote
the agricultural interests of Germany, by the I'M
position of a higher tariff foreign foodstuffs 70
encourage the production OF a larger output OF
farm produce. stem the tide OF migration from the
country villages to the Industrial cities7
Thus far in Germany's onward march an in
dustrial state. in England and elsewhere, the
acute labor problems have been confined almost
exclusively to strikes and lockOuts In connection
with the textile mining. electric. chemical and ma
chine manufacturing industries. But now. it Is
generally conceded. troubles OF the same nature
threatening to develop in the country districts
and unless something IS done to prevent IL the
same serious consequences will soon be experienced
by the farming interests which have marked the
history Of labor troubles in the cities and small
Industrial towns during the last few years. It Is
the shoulders or the peasant boy and SirI VINO
are not to become heirs 20 a parental farmhouse
and patch of land that the drudgery of the farm
work usually falls. This being the case no sentl-
mental reasons have bound them 20 the country
village. and the low wage rate has driven them to
try their luck IN the cities.
Germany has been very fortunate in the trend
which her industrial progress has taken during the
last twenty-five years In 1881 fewer than 22O,OD0
Germans found new homes in the United States
but the tide OF emigration steadily turned from
America to the German cities by the remarkable
development of German industries in recent years.
due chiefly to the immense resources Of labor which
the country villages have contributed toward build
ing up nearly every branch of manufacture In
1890 Chemnitz. which is the most important indus
trial city of Germany had 10000 inhabitants; the
monthly census for March. 1906. puts the number
at 245.S96 The bulk Of this increase has come from
the neighbOTing villages in the Erzgebirge and
from other industrial cities in Germany which al
ways have a floating population. drifting from
place to place according TO the price paid for labor
There about seventy-five thousand skilled work
men in Chemnitz. and this and similar manufact-
%ring sites have drawn large industrial army
Prussian Poland has furnished a large IabOrins
Tbe time Se has s nC coe eeS bo%s on the & Rhine
tTy districts can no longer spare surplus pOpuIa-
support Of agricuura interests are to be SUCCESS s
trV the msTso8 10 tbs Cs: are paid IN the soun
thus rendering abOrttve the protective DOlic yhi~6
wages will necessarily increase the cost oF F
produce. which has already been made dear nv Tbe
exclusion of foreign fOodStuffs. 70 secure
clent force 10 work the farms pTOftably hovraVer
II viii be found absolutely necessary 10 MAKE q
rate OF wages which will enable the vorLUer -
turn their backs the temptations for cmicTafyoT
TO the cities, and, failing this IL is diicut 10 Sc
now the problem now pressing upon the German
people can be solved at all 'o
The wages ordinarily paid 10 German farm labor
eTs are pittabIy small The territory embrscej 6,,
the German Empire Is something more than 9IoO6
square miles, and the Of wages in the counfrx.
districts naturally varies according to .cirCI,v,
stances dependent upon the nature of the ~rODs
classes NV
The lowest which applies &c about 65s4l souar.
miles OF the territory, Is from S75 to $50 per annu
which Is paid TO about 2113 per cent OF the aerf-
cultural labOrers The next group. about n 81 rer
cent. receives from 500 TO SIPS year: the third
from Sl2S 10 $l5I the fourth from Sl5T TO SIS and
the highest rate paid is from Sls5 70 S22S which h
received by O7ly IA per cent OF the labOFers work
ing territory OF but 39s square miles mis-
latter class is scarcely 20 be considered IN uarine
ANALYSIS of the situation. II Is small and in
significant Those who earn annual wage Of
more than Sl5s are remarkably few Generals,
speaking, the wages are higher n those paris of
Germany where the farms smaN and owned bN-
a well to do peaSantry than in those parts where
large landed estates are In the hands Of few pro
pTietors.
The farming interests of Germany appear 70 be
suffering more from inability compete than from
any other cause. AS RUE cheap labor strengthens
competition In manufacture. but this does not
hold good when apDii . ,f