Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-06-24
Holland Suffers.

The big cities of Holland and above
all the capital, are suffering serious
" from the effects of the war on their
staple trades, which have been brought
almost to a standstiil since the be-
ginning of hostilities. Local author
tiles everywhere are experiencing diff
culties in finding funds to meet the
distress among the unemployed, many
of whom had made no provisions for
such crisis. Trades unionistS, during
the first few months of the war, were
able to draw on the out-Of-wOrk funds
of their unions, but these have long
since been exhausted or almost so, and
the government and the municipalities
have had to come to the rescue.
During the month of March the I'M
employment funds of the various trade
unions paid out in benefits to their
members no less than $116,062. Now
that the municipal authorities have
stepped in to help them out, the city
of Amsterdam alone pays out for this
purpose $14S00 weekly. In the city
longing to trade unions. OF this num-
Der at the end of May 8,949 were totally
unemployed; 2,0SS others were only
partially employed and 2,833 had been
called to the colors. These figures show
that 1928 per cent. are totally voorhees,.
7.6 partially unemployed and 14.4 per
cent. in the army-altOgethe over so
per cent.
In the whole of Holland there are
ia, 55J trade unionists and of these
25,SS2 Cor IS per cent? are either I'M
employed or are working only one day
a week.
The figures Of the Central Union of
Building Trades Workers show clearly
how much this branch of industry has
been affected by the war. Totally I'M
employed, partially employed and serv-
ing in the army were 4O.8 per cent. of
the membership. The union of Painters
had $50 per cent. in these categories,
while the General Carpenters Union
of the Netherlands, suffered in the
same way to the extent of 1872 per cent.
and the Plasterers' Union 45.6 per cent.
The Diamond Polishers and Cutters,
who form a trade entirely dependent
on the demand for articles of luxury,
10 per cent. of the skilled wOrkmen in
this branch of industry have been de-
prived of their means of livelihood.
Printers and the allied trades, too,
are depressed, for among the $500
members of the largest trade union in
these branches there are 1900 wholly
or partially unemployed, besides S25
serving with the army.
Not only have men been affected by
bad trade conditions, but women also
have difficulty in finding work. Queen
Wirhelmina takes great interest in the
girls Her Majesty since the beginning
of the war has purchased and sent to
the Netherlands Union for Providing
a. quantity of wool suffic-
lent to make 10000 pairs of gloves,
10000 pairs of socks and 1C 900 pairs
Of mittens. The Queen, as a matter of
fact in order to be able to provide
more money for this object has exer-
cised her Unborn Dutch economy to
such an extent that tradesmen of The
Hague have begun to grumble. Every
cent Her Majesty can spare is handed
over to the various societies. She has
almost entirely desisted from enter
tanning for the past ten months and
this has had the effect of causing the
ladies of the Dutch aristocracy to fol-
low her xample-much to the loss of
the storekeepers, for Holland possesses
in proportion to it's size a much larger
leisure class than any other country in
Europe.