Evening star., 1938-10-02
Farm Labor Scarce
in Germany
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.


food, and yet certain fundamental social
forces have created a shortage In farm
labor, which, in turn, has to some extent
at least slowed production in the Reich.
1t Is true that, under the totalitarian
system Of government in effect there,
large numbers of individuals have been
placed In labor battalions and set to work
on farms under what borders on penal
conditions. Nevertheless, this system has
not been wholly successful because it is
not practicable to take a city-bred indi-
vidual and make him an efficient farmer
or even competent farm hand in brief
time. One must be bred to the soil to be
able to turn to the sort of intensive culti-
vation which must be employed in Ger
many.
It has been part OF the Nazi program,
especially Of the celebrated four-year
plan, to produce enough food in the
Reich to relieve any necessity for i'm
ports. This has been in large measure
tria has helped in this direction, but still
complete achievement has not yet been
realized. And part Of the reason is the
farm labor situation.
One must go we'll back to discover the
reasons for the present situation. Ger
many must be classed among the pre-
eminent industrial nations and the
march from the rural regions to
the cities has been going on there
just as it has elsewhere. Berlin, the
greater Berlin including its industrial
suburbs, now has population of nearly
100000. Hamburg has 100000. But
every one knows the names of such cities.
Take one of which relatively few Ameri-
can newspaper readers have ever heard.
1t is Duisburg. Obscure in international
significance, it has grown to be city of
quarter of million.
Then, too, there has been almost no
reform in land tenure over most of Ger
many. 1t was expected at the time Of the
erection of the German republic follow
ing the armistice, that far-reaching
reforms would be instituted that the
great estates would be broken up
and way provided for the peasantry to
acquire small farms of their own on
favorable terms. A slow start was made
in that direction, but it died aborning.
Indeed. under NaZi-ism, the trend has
been in the opposite direction. The old
Junker class is very much in the saddle
and has been SO for some years. The
present regime wants to perpetuate this
situation and has gone so far as to make
1t unlawful for family of long lineage
and ancient occupancy Of wide estate
to ALLEVIATE more than a small part of it.
Indeed, loans were arranged to rehablli-
tate some Impoverished noble families
who were prepared to sell out to the new
rich or in small lots to peasants-so they
could re-establish themselves and remain
on the great estates holding them intact.
1t seems an odd thing to report in this
year of grace, but in Germany today the
farm laborer occupies position not so
very far removed from serfdom such as
existed centuries ago. In special report
on conditions received by the American
Bureau Of Agricultural Economics ap-
pears the statement that there exists in
Germany "a certain traditional limita-
ton OF the personal freedom of the farm
laborer." There is world of significance
in that restrained official utterance. In
Quiry shows that farm hand on q big
estate Is not expected to leave It save
with particular permission. He is expect
ed to observe certain hours and conduct
himself according to strict regimen.
This Is not part Of the new NaZi-ism;
1t Is an amazing survival Of medieval
farm labor conditions. It Is needless to
say that men from the cities, even in
times when work has been scarce there,
have been slow to put themselves under
such system 1t also goes without say
ing that those in that state of life, who
have gumption enough, have escaped to
the cities when opportunity offered.
Employment of alien farm hands for
seasonal work, particularly at harvest.
started 20 or 80 years ago. During the
World War, of course, this came to a
stop, as did much else in Germany, and
after the armistice, because of the great
masses of unemployed, foreign labor was
kept out so that Germans could have the
work and the pitifully low wages that
recompensed 1t. Even before the war the
wage scale paid these seasonal foreign
workers was we'll below that paid the
German hands and the latter wage
would seem low, indeed, to the lowest
paid American.
Il &A
At first 1t was thought that, with the
labor camps organized under the Nazi
regime in which men and women were
forced to work. the farm labor problem
would be adequately taken care of. That
it has not been is we'll evidenced by the
fact that, beginning in 1882, the aliens
were once more brought in. About
So 900 year were admitted for the har-
vest labor up to 1896, but then the num-
bers were increased to 100000 and while
definite information is lacking on the
instant situation it has been estimated
that 100000 alien farm workers have
been required this year. OF course, as
soon as the seasonal task is finished these
workers must get out of the country.
Germany has been a leader in many
kinds Of social reforms. When there was
strong Socialist party there . great
many sociological reforms were instituted
but they were applied this new report
shows, to the cities. The farm laborer
was neglected. This is in sharp contrast
to the Scandinavian countries, where all
manner of social legislation has been
enacted to improve the position Of the
rural worker.
Housing is special problem. The
Junker landlords have not been forward
in keeping the peasants dwellings in re-
pair and many are reported to live in
scarce-tenable huts. In Holstein and In
Westphalia there has been housing re-
FORM In those more enlightened prov
inces the peasant has an opportunity to
acquire small place for himself and he
Is assisted in building or improving his
dwelling. Those regions appear to be
the exceptions and 1t must be remem-
bered that GERMANY is a big country