The New York herald., 1921-08-21

ness and then with the works-council
he decides which men can best go.
Usually here the question of who can
stand walking the streets is considered
as much as the individual efficiency OF
| the workers. Young, unmarried men
| leave places to older men with families.
Manufacturers have tried here and
there to sidestep the works council us
| ing the tactical method. common In
America, of declaring a lockout, and
only letting back those who accept the
new reduction. These tactics. however,
| have led to serious riots so that owners
generally much prefer compromise solu-
| tions.
| The Government has voted hundreds
| of millions to meet the unemployment
peril They tried one method. since
proved unsuccessful, which consisted In
| giving large orders to firms which
agreed to employ large number of out
of works. One of these was a large car
works. the Ambi Company, which
showed a willingness to assimilate un-
| limited numbers OF workers as long as
| Government orders and advance pay
ments were coming IN. With these the
| company paid dividends but turned out
| repaired cars in inverse proportion to
each new invasion of unemployed. They
| stepped on each others toes. There
was only one tool for each three men,
until finally the workers themselves
asked to have the employment office
closed. The Government, though pleased
with the hospitality of the firm, was
| finally obliged to investigate how far
cars were being repaired. and finding
disorder here. to give the orders else
where.
| The Government also had a number of
factories, but these We're so uneconomi-
cal through political abuse that soon af-
| ter the pressure of war demand ceased
these were turned back to private own
ership. There are still Government
owned mines. but these cost much more
to exploit than privately owned ones,
having been made homes for superfluous
officials.
How Unemployed Are Employed.
| The one way Of using the unemployed
which has given good results has been
organizing them into gangs for road
work, for reclaiming waste land. and us
| ing them for outside work generally.
Over 100000 are now employed in this
way.
There are several established princi-
pies The work must be of distinct
public utility The worker is paid by
piece work or at premium above low
| fixed minimum. The pay given unem-
| ployed must not be more than half the
| total cost Of the enterprise The pay
! also must not be high enough to
| threaten market rates. That the worker
may not be tempted to remain out or
regular Job. contracts are for but four
months or less. Land cultivation and
house building are open fields for this
| labor, because the absence Of profits is
| to-. 20 aTnft tu1
The out-of-work earns in this way
about thirty cents a day, half of the
average daily wage in Germany now.
have seen some of the roads and
cheap houses built by this labor and
| find the work entirely satisfactory. II
Is notable that these conditions of labor
are exactly those opposed by the Ger
| man trade unions, who condemn on
principle piece work and premium labor.
In this case. however. they have ad-
nlitted them. because they recognize
| that public works wtho some such
control at time of political demoraliza-
ton would degenerate into general
waste. and. furthermore, they prefer
| that the men earn something to having
| thousands more walking the streets and
| living on scant Government and trade
| union pittances.
The German trade union leaders are
big factor in German industry repre-
senting ten million organized workers
They, too, recognize that man out OF
work to-day Is a Bolshevist tomorrow.
They know that unless he is given a
chance to make a livelihood he Is likely
to turn not only on the employer, Ext
upon his trade union. Only this week
! 1900 unemployed stormed the trade
union house in Berlin. badly beating up
one of the leaders who refused to meet
! their demands.
The Germans. however. hope TO avoid
| political disturbance from unemploy-
ment through further perfectionment OF
the existing system of regulating labor
| throughout the entire country and
through organization Of the unemployed
for essential public works.