Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-26
BIC CITIES Of
HOLLAND SUFFER
MUCH FROM WAR
Unemployment Problem Gre
ateS a Grave Situation
Throughout Kingdomi Work
ingmen in Keen Distress,

Amsterdam. June 1.-THE big cit
les of Holland, and above an the cap
ital, are suffering seriously from the
effects OF the war on their staple
trades, which have been brought al
most to standstill since the begin
ming of hostilities. Local authorities
everywhere are experiencing Difficult
ties in finding funds to meet the dis
tress among the unemployed, many
of whom had made no provisions for
such a crisis, Trades unionists, dur
ing 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 mu-
inequalities have had to come to the
rescue.
During the month of March the
unemployment funds of the various
trade unions paid out in benefits to
their members no less than sl16, 0G2.
Now that the municipal authorities
have stepped in to help them out. the
city of Amsterdam alone pays out for
this purpose S14,S00 weekly In the
city there is a total of 1924 work
men belonging to trades unions Of
this number at the end Of May, S.949
were only partially employed and p,
S33 had been called to the colors.
These figures show that 1928 per cent
are totally worthless. 76 partially
unemployed and ti.4 per cent in the
over so per cent.
In the whole of Holland there are
114.559 trades unionists and of these
25,SS2 Cor 26 per cent? are either UNI
employed or are working only one
day a week
Building Trades Suffer.
The figures Of the Central Union Of
Building Trades Workers show clear
~ how much this branch of industry
has been affected by the war Totally
unemployed. partially employed ana
serving in the army were 40.S per
cent Of the membership. The union
OF painters had 53.5 per cent in these
categories. while the general carpen-
ters' union of the Netherlands suffered
in the same way 10 the extent of 1872
per cent and the plasterers union 45.6
per cent,
The diamond polishcrs and cutters.
who form q trade entirely dependent
on the demand for articles of luxury,
are in even worse condition, since
over IS per cent of the skilled work.
men in this branch of industry have
been deprived of their means Of live
lihood.
Printers and the allied trades, too,
are depressed, for among the $500
members of the largest trade union IN
these branches there are 1,200 who'll
ly 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 Wilhelmna takes great inter-
est in the welfare Of the unemployed
women and girls. Her majesty since
the beginning Of the war has pur-
chased and sent to the Netherlands
Union for Providing Employment, a
quantity of wool sufficient to make
10 900 pairs of gloves, 10000 pairs
of socks, and 10000 pairs Of mitteHs.
The queen, as matter of fact, in or
der to be able TO provide more money
for this object has exercised her in
born Dutch economy to such an ex-
tent that tradesmen of The Hague
have begun to grumble Every cent
her majesty can spare is handed over
to the various societies. She has al
most entirely dessted from entertain
ing for the past ten months and this
has had the effect of causing the Ia
lies of the Dutch aristocracy to fol-
low her example-mueh to the loss
of the storekeepers. for Holland pos
sesses in proportion to its size
much larger leisure class than any
other country in Europe.