Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1918-08-16
Labor Conditions That Exist In
Downtrodden Germany.
AMERICA FIGHTING OWN WAR
Purpose IL to obviate the kalsers
Dominance and His Desire 10
oermanixe Our Industries
BY EDWARD MOTT wooLLEY.

ton. washington. d. CO.
When I heard II said that the United
states Is fighting the war for France
or England I pictured In my mind some
OF the things that would happen here
In America II our industries were
Germanlzed. Optimism ls n mighty
ine thing, and II Is easy to say that
Germany could never get n foothold In
this country. Certainly we believe
that II never cnn-and we are bending
all cur energies 10 prevent such a dire
possibility; but q little pessimism Mt
times may help cllnch our purpose, so
let us visualize American industry re-
duced TO the German and Austrian
plane.
These countrles-and I am speaking
now OF normal times preceding the
war-are amazingly different lndustri-
ally from this country OF ours. We
ran scarcely deny that the reason for
this lies In no small degree In the
difference In governments. Germany,
with It's autocratic grip on all busi-
ness, Its secret as we'll as open ma
n~ipulatlon Of corporations, It's partner
ship In combinations, and Its military
dominance Of all industry and OF all
men, would strangle us II she had the
! chance over here.
We are fighting to keep her out. We
must keep her out, and In doing so we
fight our own war.
Not long after the beginning Of the
war In 1914 / made some studies OF
European wages. II was too late then
to get my data on the spot, for Ger
many, Austria and France were on
fire and all industry was upset, but l
spent several weeks In digging
through official European documents
md In getting facts from men who
hpd been managing factories in Eu-
rope; also from workmen who had
been employed in foreign plants. To
see these men personally ! made jour
neys OF hundreds Of miles.
Wages In Germany.
Just before the war the normal
wages in C%hemnltz, Germany, were'ap-
pro1imately these;
From SO to SO a week for masons,
plumbers, painters, and bricklayers
81 to 80 for plnsterers; about $3.50
for gas filters; SO to 80 for mechin'
lists ST to SO for holders; about the
same for pattern makers; SO for sad
dlers.
Transfers worked for about a dol.
lar a day. In the textile trade wages
ran from so to 81 a week, and un'
skilled men generally received less
than 81 n week and seldom more than
So. Municipal employees drew from
their local governments 81 to 50 q
week.
Wages In Berlin were about 20 pei
cent higher; also living expenses.
II Is something Of n shock to the
American mechanic when he readi
such figures aB these. Here in oui
glorious America the contrast wal
amazing at that tlme-and would b.
again In peace times. But In war al
opportunities for comparison arr
wiped out. reproduce below som
Now York wages In 1910. four year.
before the beginning Of the war. II
AnlN hOtut VI ANtnU WuHNn NNtN "
least 10 per cent higher. I gathered
the facts from oficial sources anC
they are correct.
You may compare New York will
Berlin, though Of course you mus
heavily discount these American
dgureB when you apply them Il
smaller communities. You must als'
take OFT similar percentages when yo'
compute German wages in the smalle
towns.
In New York then. p~lasterers wer
getting $3.50 a day, and plastereri
laborers got 1928; cement and con
crete masons. So, and their laborer
So; granite cutters. 50; boiler makers
50, and their helpers $3.50; electricn
workers, $3.50; steam filters. 50, AM
their helpers SO; painters, 81; ashes
tos workers. $3.50. and their helper
$3.50; elevator constructors, So; sta
tionary engineers, $3.50; portable an
holsting engineers, $3.50; cabinet
makers, So; decorators and gilderi
B4.60i ~ironworkers, s.; slate roo
{ ers 50.
d Long Hours Of Toll.
In Chemnltz about this time new
paper competitors received somethln
like s14 a week. In New York IN
union scale at that time on mornin
! newspapers was 381 a week, Will
bookwork paid s21. At the time m
agures were gathered. In 1918. new