The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-12-17
MOTTO IS:- BACK
TO THE LAND
European Treatment Of the
Problem of she Unemployed
and the Hesuito Attained.
VARIOUS METHODS OF RELIEF.
Employablc, the uncmpioyablc
and the Nagrant.-i'ublic Bureaus
Have Grown Rapidly in Number.

Berlin Germany. y.-ln their treat
ueut Of the problem European coun-
tries usually recognize three general
classes of unemployed tho employ
able. the unemployable and the vag-
rant. the incorrigiOle or more or less
vicious. The principal agency every
where for dealing with the employ
able is the employment bureau. pri-
yata and public. but colonization and
various efforts to get men back to
tie land" in their home countries Is
also important.
Tublic employment bureaus in
Germany have grown rapidly in the
last twenty years in numbers and et-
gciency. In recent year. for OK
ample, according to an Official report.
there were in Germany over 400 pub
lie employment bureaus, finding
places I'm that year for some $4,000
persons. In France also the public
bureau became very important. the
laws in 1904 making the mainten-
an.c OF such bureaus compulsory in
all towns of 10000 or more.
IN Great Britain means OF relief
for the trades union man out of work
which has been developed to great
proportions is the trade union out-of-
wcrk benefit
In the Ghent system the trade un-
ion out.of-work benefit is supple
mented by the addition OF sums con-
tributod by the municipal or COM
munal, or in some cases the provin-
cal or general government.
This system has been largely de-
veloped throughout Belgium and has
spread TO other countries. notably
France. In Switzerland the attempts
to establish system OF insurance
against unemployment have attract
cd much attention. though they cam
not be said to have been successful.
Great Britain, Germany and
France have furnished valuable ex-
perience In the management of tenn
porary relief works. In Germany
and. 10 less extent. in France. the
provision of municipal relief works
have come to be general in the larger
cities daring the winter season.
In Germany. Switzerland and Aus
tria home shelters are organized in
TO a general system of homes or no
tells for workingmen travelling in
search of work in all the larger ci-
ties and towns. Here workingmen
can find lodging for night or two
by paying 4 small sum, or, II unable
TO pay, by doing a little work I'm the
morning. These are in all cases pri-
yate institutions. maintained in many
cases by trade unions or not infre-
Qgently religious societies.
Connected with these home shell
tors there has been developed, par
ticuIarly in southern Germany and
a few other portions Of the German
empire, a system OF smaller relief
stations under government admin
stration or support. These relief sta
tons are already organized In many
portions of the empire in such num-
bers as to be within walking dis
,ance of each other and all are con-
aected by telephone.
a workman travelling in search OF
work can go from shelter TO shelter
and at every point learn in which
direction he can look for work with
the most hope of success, II unable
to pay for his shelter he is required
10 work in the morning and travel
in the afternoon. and the time he
can stay at any one shelter Is strlct-
ly limited. Legislation has been en-
acted in Prussia looking to the es-
tablishment of this system all over
that kingdom. In the Cantons or
Switzerland, which have accepted the
system, and in considerable portions
OF Germany, tramps and irrespons-
ible vagrants have largely disappear
ed from the community.