The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-08-25
IN THE FATHERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary Of the Most Important Hap
penings in The Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.

Timely Items for the German
Readers.
Prof E. E. Pratt of New York gives
the following illustration of the wax
ing of the industrial system of Ger
many: One of the largest Ger
man factories. the Siemens- Schuck-
ertwerke, employs amout $4,000 work
ers. We visited one of the largest
factories where, under a single roof
there are about 10000 workers, and in
one factory more than 100000 square
feet of floor space. One who goes
through a factory such as this can
not help but realize the significance
of the German program of social and
industrial development. In this ire
mendous factory, where SO many peo-
pie are employed, great attention ID
given to the details Of working condl-
tons. One of the best institutions
betterment of the working man is an
apprentice school The length Of term
is four years. During the first year
the apprentices spend the time in a
speclal workshop. During TWO and one
half years they are detailed to va
final training to the special appren-
tice department Each boy must com
plete masterpiece before he gets
his certificate as a skilled workman.
Even casual visitor to the appren-
tice school is impressed by the seri-
BUSINESS Of purpose and the peculiarly
strong faces of the boys found in the
apprentice school. 1t is often said
that the insurance funds of modern
Germany stif1e individual endeavor. 1t
is a remarkable fact, however, that a
factory such as Siemens-Schuckert-
matter of insurance funds against
claims, accidents, old age and invalid
ism more than 100000 marks, has
been willing to go beyond the require
ments OF the government and to pro-
vide donations and benefits against &C
those required by the government.
The s-Schuckertwerke also
provide dining rooms for the en-
ployees, all sorts of safety appliances
and hospital attention. Near the
works is a playground entirely devot-
hood. 1t was esta biished primarily
for the children of the workers in the
factories of the company, but any chill
dren III the neighborhood are free to
attend and they could be found scat
tered all over the tremendous yard
ernoon maps. They were peculiarly
healthy and bright looking youngsters
and will some day grow up to be
sturdy employees of the Siemens-
Schuckertwerke
DIR. Alvin Kraenzlein takes a fairly
optimistic view of the progress of his
work in preparing German athletes for
the Olympic games at Berlin in 1916.
He finds, on the whole, that the Ger
man physique is inferior to the Amer
lean, because Of the lack of participa-
ton in healthy, muscle-building out
door sports. but he has discovered a
lot Of raw material which will show in
1916, especially among young men
who have served or are serving their
terms in the army, splendid instru-
ment OF physique improvement. DR..
kraenziein began WORK in Germany by
making tours about the country, exam
lining people and conditions. He was
present at the unwilling of the Lelp-
zig battle monument last winter, for
example, and later saw the finish Of
the junior Olympic races. He has
started at Grunewald a trainers col
lege," which will turn out competent
trainers, who, after passing through
Kraenzlein's hands, will go to the pro-
vinces and pick out promising men.
He has about hundred men studying
at the college now, and the faculty
consists of himself and three under
trainers, one of whom is Herman
Waiter, of Munich, who was one of
the German commissioners sent here
last year to study American athletic
conditions.
A Berlin daily declares emphatically
that the German government will soon
monopolize the cigar trade of the en-
pire. The way to do this is to buy
all the cigar stores and factories.
Germany only needs to follow the ex
ample Of Austria in this matter The
real problem is to get rid of the Brit
ish-American tobacco trust, which is
constantly gaining ground and threat
ems to destroy the German cigar in
dustry.
The transatlantic steamship com
panies of Germany have had a very
poor year The losses on freight have
never been SO great
The German federal council decided
not to proclaim a moratorium for the
present. The courts were empowered
to deal leniently with debtors and the
term for the payment of debts may be
extended for three months. In Ger
tain cases relief also was granted Tor
bill of exchange transactions.
Mrs. Luise ]. Jerbing, of Schnepfen-
thai, has spent years in collecting cos
tunes among the people of Thurin-
gen Now she has finished her work
and has turned the collection over II