Montana labor news., 1934-11-29
ABROAD CAN TALK
By o

BRUSSELS. Up Halt-adozen
people were riding in a third-class
compartment Of a German train bound
from Cologne to Brussels. As it ran
toward the Belgian frontier, the Nazi
member of the group held forth Wig
orously on the rebirth of German ma
tional life, on the virtues Of the Leader,
on the frightened outlook, on the i'm
mense decrease in the figures of unem-
ploment.
| was more or less familiar with the
unemployment figures, so | ventured to
raise some questions. The Nazi an
swered them, glibly and with evident
authority.
While this part of the discussion
was in progress, the train left Aachen
and crossed the frontier into Belgium.
The customs officers came and went;
passports were presented and ap-
proved; the special Nazi police Of
ficer with his red arm band and black
swastika ceased to make his rounds. A
German worker, who had sat silent in
a corner of the compartment through
out the entire discussion, shook him
self, leaned forward and said:
Il know something about this unem-
ployment question, and now that it is
no longer necessary for me to hold my
tongue, l want to say something"
He took the floor. He had his facts
in hand and talked we'll. He pointed
out first that those who had been
pushed off from public relief rolls onto
private relief rolls were no longer
registered as unemployed; that young
men who were being sent from the
cities for a year of hard labor in the
fields were also %uncounted; that the
increases in employment about which
so much talk was going the rounds
were merely increases in the army
in the military reserves and in work at
munitions factories.
In his opinion, if these exceptions
were noted, the actual gains in indus
try and trade would provide for less
than half a million OF the six million
reported as unemployed when Hitler
seized power.
The Nazi could not meet these facts.
He took another line.
at least" he said, "the worker is
better off under the present regime
than he was before"
Better off" exclaimed the worker.
rs a man who dares not open his
mouth to speak ever well off? But"
he added, Il will not insist on that
point. Take any group you like-take
Ruhr miners, for example"
All right" the Nazi answered.
Lets take the miners, Aren't they
we'll Off"
They argued it out, point by point.
They argued that a miner with fairly
steady work makes about 90 marks a
month (about $3.50. OF this, %unemploy-
ment insurance, old age and sickness de-
auctions and dues in the Labor Front
consume about IS marks ($375), leaving
rs marks ($18.75). OF this, at least Is
marks ($3,75) must go for rent. And
that leaves 90 marks ($15) to buy food
and other necessities of life for a
month. Finally, it was argued that if
the miner had a family, with no other
breadwinner, the family would be lucky
to get margarine, let alone butter, to
eat with their bread. AS for meat, they
would have it rarely, and only the
cheapest cuts. The food of the family
would be potatoes, meal and bread.
"And how does this wage compare
with the wages Of 1880 and 1872" the
worker demanded. Again they argued,
and agreed that it was little better
than half as much.
Then the worker pointed out how
prices had mounted, especially in the
last few months. With falling wages
and rising prices-what was left, the
worker asked. Only economic slavery,
he answered, slavery under which, if a
man opened his mouth to protest, he
was clapped into a concentration camp
and his family left to starve.
"We1l, and how much better are
things in Moscow" the Nazi ques-
toned.
Never mind Moscow" the worker
answered. 1--WE are moi talking about
Moscow, and anyway they are we'll
able to take care of themselves there,
We are concerned with Germany and
the German workers-their falling
standard of living, the increasing in
dustrial slavery, the loss of every or
g~anization and every means of protest
except one-underground revolution
airy work"
The Nazi did not answer the argu-
ment. He had no answer.
AS the train pulled into the Brussels
station, the German worker turned to
the Others in the compartment.
cat any rate" he said, abroad l can
talk. And we have plenty to saw"