The Washington herald., 1913-09-14
Questions of Foreign Work.
ers and Abandonment Of
the Farms Have Been Dis
cussed IN Parliament.

The problems of foreign labor and OF
abandoning the farms for the cities are
occupying the attention of nations other
than the United States. The manner In
which the French legislators look at the
matter may be judged from the resume
OF a recent discussion in their Parlia-
ment on these subjects.
The main question examined was,
Would it not be opportune to impose
special fiscal tax on all foreign workmen
who come to France in search OF work,
or. rather, to impose this tax on en-
ployers?
No solution. however, was arrived at,
the question being extremely delicate and
complex. From a national point of view,
it is desirable that work in France be
performed by French workmen alone in
order to push home industries and pre-
serve trade secrets; yet such measure
would not be practical for French work.
men in other countries would be sub
jected to a similar tax. 1t also is said
that foreign workmen are content with
a smaller wage than Frenchmen; for
some, the moderate pretensions are ex-
planned by the simple life these men are
accustomed to lead, for others by the
fact that they may have some private
means. One may readily understand that
the head of an industry would preferably
employ foreigners IL they may be had at
lower wages, but the natural effect of
depressing the wages of the home work
men must not be overlooked, particularly
in agriculture where there is the greatest
dearth of French laborers. According to
an inquiry made by the Minister of
Agriculture the following statistics were
obtained:
Agricultural Labor Diminishing.
At present 2,32o,ooO persons are en-
ployed in agricultural pursuits in the
whole of France, while in 1892 their
number was a little over 100000; in
1882, 3,500,000, and in 1862, 100000.
Thus, in half a century, agricultural
tabor has diminished 40 per cent, and
by reason of the steady increase of
agricultural production the employ
ment of foreign labor has become a ne
cessity. Every summer troops of for
eign workmen may be seen passing
through France offering their valuable
help to the farmers, who could not
gather in their harvests unaided. In
the industrial domain this foreign in
vasion is not of accidental character.
as in the case of agriculture; ii is
he result of contracts. 1t is impos-
Iible to tell how this work could be
lone If foreign labor were restricted
~ some fiscal tax and could not give
lnder present conditions, do without.
This state of things has been brought
about by the peasants and country
people forsaking their farms and flock
ing to the large cities. The inquiries
IF the Minister of Agriculture show
hat the same motives everywhere in
luce the peasants to leave the soil
great number cannot make suf-
icient income out of the produce Of
heir days work on their farms. Ir-
work, long periods of enforced
IdIeness. poverty resulting from bad
larvests, frequent recurrence OF GER
ain calamities-hail, blight, mildew,
them TO abandon the soil
and look elsewhere for better-paid
work.
Small Farmers Idle.
In certain mountainous regions es-
Decially the small farmers are idle
Turing the long winter months, and
heir earnines~are not sufficient to COW !
r the expenses of the whole year. In |