New Britain herald., 1916-12-08
GERMANY DEFENDS
 ACTS IN BELGIUM
Necessary for Welfare Of Country
 Offer Work to Natives
NATION WAS OVERWHELMING

Drunkenness and Depravity on In
 crease, It Is Claimed, Through Lack
 of EmpIoyment-One-fi of Popu-
 Iation Required Assistance.
 Berlin, Thursday, Dec ', Via Lon- Dec S. 10:55 a. m.-The German government issued a statement today in exclamation and justification for the transfer of Belgian laborers to Ger many. tI says the measure is by no means hardship for the Iaborers but is a social necessity.
 Owing chiefly to the British en- bargo against Belgium's oversea trade, which before the war supported a large part of the industrial population, large numbers of Belgian workers are idle, the statement says, and conditions are growing worse. Many families, after spending all their savings, have become objects of public charity. This state of things is not due as as serted in Belgium, to German requisi- tions of raw material, it is explained, for these acquisitions occurred as rule only where factories were un- able to continue operations.
 5O5, ,OOO Out of Employment.
 Of 100000 employees engaged in Belgian industries before the war 5o5,OOO, including 15sl000 women, are now wholly without work, and 15O, 900, including 46.0O0 women, are partly without work, making a total of 655,- 900 persons dependent on public aid. In addition to these there are 293, ,0OO wives and 672,OO0 children or men without work, so that 1,56O,000 per- sons, or one-fifth of the total Belgian population, require assistance. More than 30O,O00O00 francs already has been spent in supporting these per- sons and 2O,O00.00O francs monthly will be required henceforth These masses of idle people,, the sta tement says, are degenerating and drunken ness and social depravity are resulting.
 Von Bissing's Plan.
 The German governor general, General Won Bissing, early recognized the. necessity of taking measures to help the idle to obtain employment. He caused municipalities to under take public works to create employ ment where this was possible with out imposing too great financial bur dens. Upon the suggestion Of Bel
  nor general issued an ordnance in August of 1915 against persons un willing to work, which was made more stringent last March. These ordinances provide for compulsory transfer of workmen only when idle persons refused to accept work at reasonable pay, the provisions of ln- ternational law protecting them St ing recognized as adequate ground. The ordinances were directed chiefly against influences aiming to prevent laborers from accepting work volun- tarily only because it was offered by Germans. Nevertheless tens of thou sands voluntarily accepted work in Germany at profitable wages
 Conditions Growing Worse. The statement goes on to say that the labor situation in Belgium has grown worse and that conditions are now such as to necessitate improve ment. Hence the ordinances must be i enforced more vigorously in order to 1 relieve the situation. Before com- | pulsory transport, however, every idle person is offered the opportunity vol untarily to accept profitable work on 1 contract, ana IS restored l to only where the laborer stubbornly refuses.
 Workmen coming to Germany are placed on the same footing as Ger mans and are earning higher wages than they ever received in Belgium. Steps have been taken to send part of their earnings to their families in Belgium. The laborers also are per- [ mitted to make regular visits to their 1 homes, and families are allowed to 1 accompany them to Germany. Provi- sions also is made for religious serv- ices in their own language. The statement says the transportation of workmen to Germany means a con- siderable betterment in their position. Inasmuch as hundreds of thousands are being ruined in Belgium, while aged men, women and even children are wearing themselves out with work in Germany, the transp portation of Belgians, the statement asserts, is not only a right but a social duty of the German government.