New-York tribune., 1918-05-05
German Workers Complain
OF Wars Heavy Burdens
Wages Rising Prices and Fixing Maxma Has Failed
to Check Cost of Living While Pro1teers
Wax Fat War Proceeds

(The follo1Ui,,g article Uas trans
lated from the weekly journal of the
German Social Democratic party,
"Neue Zeit," for the RevieaU of the
Federal Bureau of Labor Stats
tics.)
4 are increasing masses of the
nation becoming aware Of the
fact that these same masses-skilled
and unskilled workmen, salaried en-
ployes, government officials, etc.-have
to bear the costs of the war and in
part are being reduced to extreme
poverty, while other circles of the
population derive great profit from the
war and enormously increase their in
come and their wealth. Among these
latter are not only the large con-
tractors of war supplies and industrial
magnates who during the war have
obtained millions over millions from
lation, but commerce and agriculture
have also greatly profited from the
war. The large subscriptions Of war
loans by these circles, the unprece-
ings banks, the extensive lifting Of
rural mortgages, etc., furnish the best
proof Of this fact.
Prohteering
Not Only Trouble
I do not mean to assert that the ac-
emulation of immense wealth in the
hands of few is solely due to the
profiteering tendencies of the fort
unate owners of this wealth, that it is
solely the fruit of shameless exploita-
tion and fraud. In some cases this
may be true, but in general this devel-
cpment has naturally resulted from
the essential nature of capitalism and
the present-day right of ownership, as
we'll as from the isolation and fnan-
cial condition of Germany. This de-
velopment is based on the facts that
one part of the nation has in its hand
the means Of production required for
the entirety Of the nation, that an
other part owns the land which is to
provide nourishment for the entirety
and that at present this land does not
produce as much as is needed to sus-
tain life in the usual manner, and,
finally, that consequent to our isola-
tion from the worlds markets we can
not supplement this deficit from
abroad. These combined facts put in
a much greater measure the non-pos-
sessing classes at the mercy of the
possessing classes and render them
much more tributary to the latter than
was the case in normal times.
The possibility for such enormous
profits as have been witnessed during
the war was given through the con.
tinuous upward trend of prices since
the outbreak Of the war. The govern
ment is partly guilty for this increase
of prices, in so far as one may speak
of guilt in the development of eco
nomic matters. Not only has the gov
ernment through extensive circulation
Of paper money contributed to the de-
probation of German currency and
thereby lessened its purchasing power,
but also at the beginning Of the war
it paid fabulously high prices for war
materials in order to accelerate the
adaptation of industry to war needs.
This, it is true, brought about the
transition of German industry from a
peace to war basis, but at the same
time it had the effect of making that
part of industry which is not en-
ployed in the production Of war ma
terials want to reap the same profits as
the war industry proper.
Government Not
Willing to Act
Under the pressure of the consum-
ing masses of the population the gov
ernment has in some measure counter
acted this endeavor through the fixing
of maximum prices; but it has done so
unwillingly and only proceeded against
the worst excesses in this respect.
This procedure is in itself entirely
comprehensive. The government
needs money for the conduct of the