The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-06
GERMAN WAGES
Low; AGRAR|AN
DIFFICULTIES
Farm Help Immigrating Be.
cause Of Poor ', ages for
Manual Labor.
Evening Ti.e. Special Service.


Washington, July 7.-During the
last year Germany has succeeded in
negotiating number OF commercial
treaties. the ultimate aim being to give
some relief to her landed interests.
These commercial, or. as they may be
more properly called, agricultural,
treaties will without doubt exercise
a great influence upon German indus
tries: but whether they will prove
of benefit or of misfortune to the
manufacturing interests of the empire
remains to be demonstrated. At al!
events. even If these treaties. which
have been concluded against the pro-
tests OF nearly every chamber of COM
merce in the empire. realize the most
saneuine hopes of the Agrarian. or
Conservative, party. one great problem
will still remain to be solved-the
question of wages of farm hands ami
servants The great question now con-
fronting the Kaisers government is.
will the steps which have been taken
to safeguard and promote the agricul-
tural interests of Germany. by the I'M
position OF higher tariff on foreign
foOdstuffs, to encourage the production
of Il larger output of farm produce,
stem the tide of migration from the
country villages to the industrial
cities!
Thus far in Germany's onward
march as an industrial state, as in
England and elsewhere. the acute
labor problems have been counted al
most exclusively 10 strikes and lock-
outs in connection with the textile,
mining, electric, chemical and ma
chine manufacturing industries. But
now, it is generally conceded, troubles
of the same nature are threatening to
develop in the country districts, AMI
unless something is done to prevent It
the same serious consequences will
soon be experienced by the farming in
terests which have marked the history
OF labor troubles in the cities and
small industrial towns during the last
few years. 1t is upon the shoulders
of the peasant boy and girl who are
not to become heirs to PARENTAL
farmhouse and patch of land that the
drudgery of the farm work usually
falls. This being the case, no senti-
mental reasons have bound them to
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 pro-
gress has taken during the last
twenty-five years. In 1881, no fewer
than 100000 Germans found new
homes in the United States. but the tide
of emigration was steadily turned
from America to the German cities By
the remarkable development of Ger
man industries in recent years, due
chiefly to the immense resources of
labor which the country villages have
contributed toward building up near
ly every branch of manufacture. In
1890 ChemEitz. which is the most I'M
portant industrial city of Germany,
had 100000 inhabitants, the monthly
census for March, 1906. puts the num-
Der at 245,396 The bulk of this in
crease has come from the neighboring
villages in the Erzgebirge. and from
other industrial cities in Germany
which always have floating popu-
lation. drifting from place to place,
according to the price paid for labor.
There are about seventy-five thou
sand skilled workmen in Chemnitz,
and this and similar manufacturing
cities have drawn a large industrial
army from Austria Hungary, especial
ly Bohemia, while Prussian Poland has
furnished large laboring element to
the Industrial cities on the Rhine.
The time has now come, however,
when the country districts can no
longer spare surplus population for
the cities, If the recent policies for the
support of agricultural interests are
to be success. Unless better wages,
however. are paid in the country, the
migration to the cities is sure to con-
tinue. thus rendering abortive the pro-
tective policy which has been adopted.
1t is realized that the increase of
wages will necessarily increase the
cost of farm produce, which has al
ready been made dear by the exclu-
sion of foreign foodstuffs. To secure
sufficient force to work the farms
profitably. however, it will be found
absolutely necessary to make a rate
of wages which will enable the work
men to turn their backs on the tempta-
tons for emigration to the cities, and,
failing this, it is difficult to see how