The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-05-13
German Arstocats Ruined By Fall OF Mark Labor For Three Ce

tive ability. When | called upon her she was surrounded by goods of ali kinds, made by the x-aristocrats, and, as we looked over them, we'll dressed but woe begone ladies, young and old, came in bringing the work they had done and carrying away the material and orders for other work to do. During my stay 1 looked over the stock in trade and made some purchases to take home as presents. The things are exquisitely done and the amount of labor upon them in comparison with the prices charged is pitiful. l bought two lace doilies, made by hand with fine linen thread. Each was twice as large as q dinner plate and as delicate as cobweb. The price was not quite 50 cents, and the woman who did the work received 80 cents each. Miss Ramingen told me that it takes at least 10 days to make dolly and as 1 look at mine l am sure this is an underestimate. l have had one photographic ptnning it on the back of the black dress of my typfst, to show my friends what it is like. It measures IA inches in diame- might almost be called museum piece. l am ashamed to own it when 1 think that the woman who made it could not have earned more than 10 cents a day.
 
 The ladies were anxious to sell, and I bought a number of other articles of various kinds. I bought six pairs of baby shoes for my little grandson, aged months, at price that could not have netted the maker more than cents pair. They were of fine white wool, trimmed with blue, and were crocheted by hand l bought for my little granddaughter. who was born in Paris just five months ago, beautiful sheet of fine netting to spread over her cradle. This article lies before me as l write. It is four feet in width by five feet in length. l is edged with silk thread and dec orated with great lilies of white silk em broidery running four inches deep around the edges. The work Is all by hand. and I am told that the woman put two weeks, continuous labor upon 1t. Nevertheless it cost me just so cents. and half of this must have been- Included in the material. There is also some sentiment connected with this quilt. It is the work of Baltic countess who had a great es- tate at LatVia. where she lived in luxury until the new government of that republic confiscated her proper ty and gave the most of 1t over to the peasants. They left her 1oG acres, but if she sold that today it would be for Latvian money, which is worth Io ilicIc lHdH lHe currency neTe III Berlin.
 When the countess came to Ger many she had considerable money, but she invested 1t in German bonds which she thought as good as gold. All this has vanished with the fall of the mark. At her home not far from Riga she had large country house, and her entertainments were famous Today she lives in little furnished room in the heart of the city and thanks God when the sun shines so that she can save on the light by which she does this exquisite work. Think of trying to sew al the rate of 40 cents a week, one-half of which must so for the materials on which you are working, and you have the condition of this titled lady who made the quilt for my baby granddaughter. i,O0O stitches For n Cent
 Among the other things shown me at this store, inside the gorgeous palace of the Kaiser, were some lady,s handkerchiefs of fine cambric. about as big as a sheet of notepaper roll hemmed with thread of different col ors. l bought 30 at a cost of less than dollar. and l venture each has at least 1000 stitches in it's beauti-s iul border. The price l paid was about cents apiece, and I feel guilty and mean as 1 look at them. Never thtltSS, l pdlu lWlce what the woman asked when she spread them before me and she was delighted. I doubt If any woman who is reading this could do the work on one of these 3-cent handkerchiefs in the space of SIX hours. Still, the prices are such that the labor cost could not have been more than l cent.
 barOnesses Making Sweaters.
 cannot speak of all the beautiful things made by these reduced gentle women and of their ridiculous prices. but l must say a word concerning the chief business which, just now, is the Knitting of sweaters. Thousands of ladies' sweaters are being turned out Tor the department stores and whole sale dealers of the German capital The sweaters are of the finest wool or silk or mercerized cotton. They are long, full-sleeved and of a fashion able cut. It takes a fast worker at least three days to make one, and the price she receives in marks at the current rate of exchange is only 10 cents. Imagine the most refined and pest educated old lady you know. who has spent her life in luxury and per haps been society leader working three days for a dime and you have one phase of this home industry.
 The sweaters are sold by the de- partment stores at high prices. One can buy them there or he can pur- chase the wool or silk and have them knit to measure al the cost of the lapor. have a friend who has just ordered two which reach from her neck to her hips, embracing her ca pacious 46 bust. She Is to pay less than 75 cents apiece and she will nave them eight days from now. Sup pose you buy some wool and pair of knitting needles and make yourself a garment of similar kind. It will not compare in beauty with the work Of these ladies, but 1t will show you how much each of them does for two nickels.
 Moreover, tho work must be done by experts and the unskilled have to ne trained before they can make any thing worth selling. The Housewives league has skilled teachers, some of whom come from the wholesale and retail firms which give the orders. and the applicants have to learn Just htw to make the garments SO that they will sell. The amateur often has to pull out her knitting many times before her labor Is salable. There is one expert lady who, by working half the night. Is able to turn out a sweater in two days, but the gas light cuts down her profit.
 As to hemstitchins, the pay for handk erchief with six rows about the edges Is cents, and only those who have good eyes can do that work at all. have four lace-trimmed hand kerchiefs. the tag upon which states that tho woman who made them worked 36 hours The selling price of the four was less than S2.
 Of course, the women cannot live on such wages. They barely exist and I am told that now and then one dies on the job. This recalls another ha irtf