New Britain herald., 1915-10-25

master workmen at once. and who naturally will be loathe to relinquish their places even to the heroes of the Fatherland; and secondly of the wom- en now filling mems places. The majority of the latter will return to their places in the home, but some proportion will have lost their hus- bands or supporters, and, if forced out of their present occupation. will have to be taken care of elsewhere.
 Swell Treasuries.
 Leaders of responsible, organized labor organizations have taken ad- vantage of increased wages to swell the treasuries. This has been the easier to accomplish because of the dwindling sums that have had to be paid out to the unemployed. When peace does come and the flood begins there will be millions on hand, but still not enough, in the estimation of the leaders, to take care of matters.
 The government has been brought to realize the seriousness of the inn pending situation, according to Alvin Koersten of the Trades Employment Bureau in Berlin, and does not look unfavorably on a proposition to re- tain in service but on furIough for from eight to twelve weeks all such soldiers as in the ordinary course of events would be mustered out imme- diately at the conclusion of hos tilities.
 Matters Adjust Themselves.
 Those behind the movement to have this arrangement made feel sure that the economic situation created by the release of many hundreds of thou sands of men at once cannot be handled otherwise, but do hope that matters will adjust themselves within three months, just as they adjusted themselves in one month in Berlin with lesser horde of work-seekers at the beginning of the war.
 ! Berlin and the other large cities of Germany are bound to suffer most from an excess of workers, it is felt No matter how often nor how many the warnings, there are going to be uncounted thousands who will feel convinced that opportunity for em- ployment lies in the big rather than Tn the little place, and who are going to swarm into it accordingly.
 Government Prepared.
 MT. Koersten again is authority for the statement that the government is prepared to ease the situation by the use or sums running, is necessary, into the hundreds of millions of marks for the support of the unemployed If these sums have to be drawn upon he believes, it will be the equivalent Of an extended furlough on pay and will be the solution of the whole mat ter.
 Surveying the whole German field of labor, Dr. o. Becker of the As soclat1on of German Employment Agencies, hesltates to venture a fore cast until the outcome of the war is clearer than at present He feels that the whole immediate future of the German workingman depends on what the ultimate terms of peace may be that it is by no means dark if Ger many wins, but that a tremendously difficult problem is ahead if Germany should lose and be hemmed in more completely than it is now.
 Injured Enjoy Preference.
 The German injured, lightly or seriously, in the interest of his Faith erland, bids fair always to enjoy a preference in the matter of work, and yet Germany today, as far as labor is concerned, is in the anomalous position of mot having enough crip- ples." The reason today is two-fold. Whether this will be true in years time or in two years no one will pre- dict.
 At present the crippled soldier has not yet learned a trade sufficiently to be able to fill the place that is open to him. Also he is, this far, all too intent upon finding a "job' as petty official, doorkeeper at some govern ment building, or something similar. to heed the calls for his services in a trade that formerly he thought suf- ficiently dignified but which now he is inclined to scOrn.
 After Official Positions.
 As n result there nnlN hot urno,,