Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-20
TWENTY MILLION GERMANS
are CALLED TO THE C0l0Rs
Not All Were Soldiers, but Many
Wcrc Employed in War
Industries.
TWO MILLION ARE KILLED
Upwards Of 10000 Permanently
Crippled, Is Estimate Furnished
to Alfred G. Andersen, Who Spent
Weeks in Prussian Cities.
BY ALFRED G. ANDERSEN.

sines the war isr' began eg 2o.eoo.ooo Y GER
mans have been called TO the colors
in ono form or another. Not all, OF
lof this number. 5000. 900 have been
KILLED in action and 100000 perma-
nently crippled up to the time yis-
nished me by Captain Erich Won Salz-
man. nephew OF General LudendorT.
and military critic. of the V,ossische
in company with a neutral newspaper
correspondent. I could not help feel
ing they were exaggerated. My .ques-
tho course of a triangular converse
ton about general matters Of no par
ticular import Had the captain been
doubtless turned mo over to a iirins
squad. Captain Won Salzman said he
did not know the number of men lost,
as prisoners or released from service
for other causes.
: Since that time at least 100000 more
Germans have been put permanently
the front. The drain on the population
for soldiers has been SO great that
Germany has resorted to extraordinary
the east side of Berlin and strayed Into
cemetery. There L saw the funeral
procession and the hearse being drawn
1t marched friends and relatives Of
the deceased Some were men OF
women attached tc the hearse.
Laboring people told me that at many
ammunition factories more than IS per
e esS f 81 the are They
experience has been that women had
not proved as efficient as men in most
occupations.
Members OF labor unions in Berlin
assert that women lack the physical
strength and endurance to perform
really exaetins and heavy manual tasks
In mind more than year ago, the
RetchstaE passed the so-called civil
service law as q means OF Harvesting
oil available masculine labor.
FORCED TO WORK IN
WAR INDUSTRY PLANTS
The purpose and effect Of this law
was explained to mo by. Herr Dobel,
q Socialist ReichstaK delegate. It is
tween tho ages OF sixteen and sixty
years who for any reason has been ex-
cused from military service. to accept
Once employed. the worker is not
permitted to leave his job without the
sanction OF his employer or the au-
must give notice to his boss. An in
vestigation is made to determine IL
circumstances warrant permission to
quit.
friction between the two Socialist
groups" said Herr Dobel. who him self
bS1OVSS 10 lhC majority IdCClOu.
The Independents voted against Il
IN the RetchstaG on the ground that
II deprived workers OF all freedom OF
action. Also they advanced tho Oh
lection that measures of this kind
might not be abolished after the war
But we OF the majority faction have
no such fear"
'It we majority Socialists had not
asserted ourselves, the law would have
been made far moro severe"
Another means OF rcplenishins the
German labor supply is tho "invaliden
schulz" or invalid schools" hundreds
OF which are said to exist in Germany
There permanently crippled soldiers are
restored to fitness for civilian occu-
pations.
AS soon as tho invalid Is out of the
military hospital" said Herr Dobel, she
school.
Technical experts at the invalid
school teach him TO use an artificial
hand In conjunction with n sound one
for special mechanical purposes
AT the termination OF instruction
he is examined by a government board
comprised OF equal numbers OF en-
ployeTs and workers. The board placed
him in. suitable occupation 1t also
determines his compensation based on
his capacity for work"
GERMANY CONSIDERS PLAN
TO GIVE ISyALIDS LAND
The German government, learned.
IS also working on:ia general plan Of
solving the invalid problem after the