The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-11-04
GERMAN CASE
IS HOPELESS
Finance Minister Resigns.
Economy Not Being Prac-
ticed--0ther Notes.

Conditions in Germany have becom,
80 hopeless that DR.. Wirth, miniLter O.
finance. rendered his resignation DR.
Wirth offered several reasons for THU
resignation, the principal one OF which
Frankfurter zeitung. that disposition
was made OF state funds without his
being consulted, and he found II i'm.
possible to cover these promised pay
inents, increases of salaries, etc. Also
ne Is alleged to have stated that the
present financial status cannot con-
tinue. Great economy Is necessary.
which IL not being observed. and some
genuine effort should be made to collect
the 'Reichsotopfer." that Is. the state
need sacrifice" a tax on private for
tunes, especially war fortunes, and on
excess profits. Qt has been stated
elsewhere that these taxes were not be-
Ing collected because Il was feared that
the sudden withdrawal OF 80 much can
ital would cripple many industries.
Differences Of opinion seem to have
arisen chiefly between DR.. Wirth and
the railroad and postoffice administra-
lions. The minister of finance has be-
come discouraged. not SO much because
of the constant increase OF wage scales
as because Of the number Of useless
employees who are drawing salaries or
wages from the government railroads
and the postoffice and other govern
ment Offices. The railroads alone now
have between 100000 and 100000 need
less and superfiuous employees ON their
payrols, and the unheard- of deficit, OF
$4,000, 600, 900 marks per year arises
chiefly from this cause. The recent
attempt by the labor unions to bring
against the 10 per cent. government tax
on wages, to be collected by employers,
failed because Of the action Of the rail-
road employees, whose very existence
depends upon the prompt payment OF
taxes. N
One reason perhaps why the govern-I
nnent retains such large numbers In It's
employ. The F'rankfurter Zeitung
notes that most Of these superfluous
employees were only engaged after the
to discharge large numbers OF them
might also be a dangerous measure ow-
ing to the already large number OF the
unemployed, number which Is con-
stantly and steadily increasing. DIR.
Wirth's action in resigning. although
accepted, is to be commended. since
only thus could the earnestness of the
problem be made manifest.
Labor Is inefficient.
: Under the heading OF UNFRAMED
Labor the same journal calls atten-
ton to the difficulties which face the
great number Of discharged soldiers
who were just out of school when the
war began and are now only not
skilled in any practical form Of labor,
but have not the habit Of steady work. |
They are restless, dissatisfied. and |
many of them are physically below |
normal. They are easily induced to |
join the most radical groups Of the |
laboring classes, and they frequently |
become smuggers, Illicit dealers in |
foodstuffs, etc. Many of them were
employed in the munition works at the |
inflated wage that was offered for such
work during the war. and are now un-
willing to 'work up from the bottom
in any recognized Industrial calling.
Others who are just now leaving !
school are impatient of the years OF
which make the skilled
workman because the wage scale is so
imperfect that, without skill these
young men can, In many cases, earn
almost as much as the
skilled workman. Consequently many
place their boys to work at
unskilled labor so that they may im-
earn a mans wages Such
conditions add very materially to the
general financial disaster
The gloomy tone of DR.. Wirth's mes