The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-30
FIND WEAPON AGAINST STRIKE
 IN GERMANY

Stuttgart, Oct. 3o-Gernan indus an effective weapon for fighting gen era1 strikes in the Technische Nohilfe, known in Germany and Denmark as the "Red Cross of industry" As evil dence they point to the fact that the organization crushed a general strike in the state of Wuerttemb berg in five days when that state was menaced with complete paralysis of all in duStria1 activity.
 The Technische Nothilfe was or ganized at Stuttgart about a year ton of the Minister of the Interior. In normal times only a skeleton of flee is maintained which occupies it. self with preparations for an emer- gency. Wuerttemberg is divided in to 100 sub-districts, each of which has leader whose duty is to pre- pare list of volunteers able in emergency to operate all the essential industries of the community The head offices in the city are furnished with a. complete list of such volun-= teers. The active technical emer- gency managers of essential indus tries usually are named as chiefs for those industries and they presumably are non-union men. Among the vol unteerS listed are university students engineers, professors in the PoIytech- nic Institute and unski11ed workmen from every class of society.
 The central organization makes | army kitchens for the volunteers who l camp by their jobs.
 l Each volunteer is informed in ad- | vance where to report and upon the notification of a strike proceeds to that post where the Technische | Nothilfe has delivered supplies con- | sidered sufficient for the duration of l the strike. It is claimed that in a | very short time the central office
 thus can furnish an operating force for each industry.
 The general strike here was called
 as a protest against the ten percent
 tax on workmen's wages. It was ar- ranged by the communists but ad-
 hered to by the Majority Socialists.
 the more conservative labor ele- mentS and trade unions. Distribution of food ceased and gas. electric and
 water service was abandoned. The community was confronted with pos
 sib1e chaos when the Technische Nothilfe stepped in, assumed control and manned every essential post, va
 cated by the strikers, including the
 highly technical positions.
 There was some difficulty in find
 ing men fitted to aid in the heavy
 work such as firing furnaces, for few of the volunteers had been accus-
 toned to such labor, but this was The majority of the 265 men working g
 and living in gas worKs were Poly ! technic students.
 There were even union labor men | . labor leaders believe that certain in- dustries must be kept going to pre- vent the collapse of a community and , | that only the Technische Nothi1fe can
 do this. Some of the conservative la DOT leaders felt that the control of l their organizations might slip out of s their hands into those of the extreme radical elements who would tie up . all industries if it were not for the i, Technische Nothilfe. For these req sons they have made no opposition to a union men volunteering for service , | with that organization.
 C The strike began at midnight Sat. 1 urday, the volunteers were ordered t on duty Sunday morning and by Mon-
 day morning the industries were func- l tloning on the reduced capacities but l by Wednesday morning normal pro. | duction had been attained.
 r Motor trucks were requisitioned fo, the distribution of food to the vo1un teer workers and an appeal was is
 sued to labor, philanthropic and SO
 c1al organizations to aid in protecting
 the workers and property. The
 members of the Technische NothiIft
 are under obligations to carry nc
 arms.
 In less than five days the striker,
 began to return to work and as eacI
 one took his place, a member of thu
 Technische NothiIfe quit unostenta
 tiously and in less than week tn , 1 strikers were again at their posts
 Chiefs of the Technische NothiIf
 in charge of industrial plants a
 Stuttgart were carefully instructed l.
 obtain written statements as to tn
 condition of the plants when tn V strikers returned, so that the radical
 could not subsequently, practic sabotage and charge that it was tn n work of the Technische Nothilfe.