The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-07-19
Wages in Germany.

Wages in Germany.
Just before the war the normal
wages in Chemnitz, Germany, were ap-
proximately these:
From Sc to So a week for masons,
plumbers, painters, and bricklayers !;
81 to 50 for plasterers; about $3.50
for gas filters; Sc to 50 for machin-
lists; 81 to So for holders; about the
same for pattern makers; Sc for sad
dlers.
Transfers worked for about dol
lar a day. In the textile trade wages
ran from Sc to 81 week, and I'M
skilled men generally received less
than 81 week and seldom more than
S.. Municipal employees drew from
their local governments 81 to Sc a
week. C.
Wages in Berlin were about 20 per
cent higher: also living expenses.
1t is something of a shock to the
American MECHANIC when he reads
such figures as these. Here in our
glorious America the contrast was
amazing at that time-and would be
again In peace times. But in war all
opportunities for comparison are
wiped out. / reproduce below some
New York wages in 1910, four years
before the beginning Of the war. In
1914 some of these wages were at
least 10 per cent higher. I gathered
the facts from official sources and
they are correct.
You may compare New York with
Berlin, though of course you must
heavily discount these American
figures when you apply them to
smaller communities. You must also
take off similar percentages when you
compute German wages In the smaller
towns.
In New York then, plasterers were
getting $3.50 day, and plasterers'
labQrers got 1925; cement and con-
crete masons, S., and their laborers
So granite cutters, So; boiler makers,
IS, and their helpers $3.50; electrical
workers, $3.50; steam filters, S., and
their helpers So; painters, "a; ashes
.os workers, $3.50, and their helpers
$3.50; elevator constructors, IS; sta
tionary engineers, $3.50; portable and
1oisting engineers. $3.50; cabinet
So; decorators and gilders,
4.50; ironworkers, So; slate roof
ers So.
Long Hours of Toll.
In Chemnitz about this time news
PAPER compositors received something
ike $14 a week. In New York the
lnion scale at that time on morning
newspapers was $31 week. while
woodwork paid sol. At the time my
igures were gathered, in 1915, news
'aper compositors in New York were
citing from So to Sc a day, accord
ng to the shift on which they work |
d. Book compositors drew 81 to So
day.
You must remember that the New
,ork wages have cited were paid for
hours work, while in Germany the
ay was usually from 9 to 10 hours.
AlhOb5 Qdtd UdU
cen gathered in Germany in 1905 1
ound canvass of 5,046 workingmen's
antilles, showing that only 1877 had
lcomes reaching $40 week. To ar
I've at fair estimate of wage scales
/ 1915, add 81 a week. This is not
~ estimate, but is official.
Now, we are apt to say in this coun-
y that Germany lived as well on her
ages as we did on ours, but anyone
no has studied the facts finds that |.
his is fallacy. In 1910 two-thirds OF
lie people in Chemnitz lived in apart
ents of three rooms or less. Chem
tz has population of $4,000.
] found in the New York public L.
AIRY interesting documents showing
'sults of investigations of Euro !
ean costs of living. In Chemnitz in
no it was costing a family of six
ersons between 81 and SIS week for