Evening star., 1939-01-08
Social Welfare in Germany
Gives No Aid to Weaklings
Slogan Is to Help Potentially Useful Members
of Community and Not to Coddle
Sickly
Siickly
By Lydia Van Haean Van Zandf.

aean Yam Zandf.
to prepare menus which include only
foods produced on their native soil
The principal items on these menus are
fish and cabbage disguised in various
concocted dishes.
Go In for Pig Raising.
The welfare organization has also gone
into the pig raising business on farms
located near the big cities. Every kit
chen is provided with special bucket
and garbage collections are made by
the organization. In order to vary the
garbage diet of the 100000 welfare pigs
farm and city dwellers alike are re-
quired to devote part of their gardens
or flower beds to raising pig fodder.
With its propaganda cooking classes
and pork farms the National Socialist
Welfare makes its contributions to Hit
ler's four-year plan for Germany's self
sufhciency in foodstuffs.
Since we now have practically no un-
employment in Germany" the guide
continued, I'VE have surplus funds which
are devoted to mother and child well
fare"
We inspected more maps with red pegs
stuck in them showing the location of
training centers for mother and child
health and models of vacation homes
for mothers
working mothers or homemakers, in
need OF rest away from family cares.
are sent to these homes in the country
for four-week vacation. During their
absence their work is done by substi-
tute. In the case of factory worker a
student volunteer takes her place, while
IN the home substitute worker is paid
by the welfare organization.
Children Sent to Farms.
Germany does not have big summer
vacation colonies for city children such
as we find all over Italy Instead the
Nazi Welfare sends children to farm
families for four or six weeks period.
The organization pays transportation ex-
penSes but in many cases no fee is paid
the farmer for room and board. He is
expected to take as many children as he
can and to make their free food and
lodging his contribution to the welfare
Of the nation.
I visited several of these farms near
Berlin where the children were fright
ened, lonely youngsters from Austria
Nazi leaders had decreed that the chill
dren of Ostmark must become ac-
quainted with other parts of their
fatherland.
Don't mothers object to being sepa-
rated from their children in this way?"
asked.
Certainly not" replied the young
woman who had been assigned to accom-
pany me. "They know it is for the good
of the state"
The largest part of the funds for the
National Socialist Welfare Organization
are collected during the Winter Help
Campaign when a different badge is
sold for each winter month. These are
usually made of lace, porcelain, amber
or artificial flowers, the work being
done in the homes in the distressed
areas. They cost on an average of /
cent apiece and are sold for the euuiva,
lent OF cents. Not to buy and wear the
badge of the month is considered anti
social. Failure to contribute to this and
other so-called voluntary funds are suff-
cient cause for workers dismissal. "a
competent foreign research authority
estimates at least quarter of the aver
age German workman's wage is paid out
every year in taxes and these "volun-
tary" contributions to party organiza-
tions)
Collections Made on Streets.
The big day Of the Winter Help Cam
paign is National Solidarity Day when
no badges are sold but state chiefs and
party leaders appear on the streets with
collection boxes. It Is we'll known that
individuals and business firms receive
orders telling them the exact amount
they are to deposit in q particular
leaders box. This year on National
Solidarity Day orders were given for all
Jews to keep of the streets.
If our enthusiastic American visitors
went behind the scenes of the National
Socialist Welfares Berlin display, ex-
amined their work more than superb
cially and visited some of the activities
as did they found that none Of their
agencies supply aid to those who were
born with permanent mental or physi-
cal deficiency which incapacitates them,
nor to those who have become perma-
nently disabled, nor to any person not
Of pure German blood" They serve
only the potentially useful members of
the community" The help they give is
always in services or commodities and
never in cash payments. (This method
Of commodity relief is being tried in this
country by the w. p. A. and is being
severely criticized by most professional
social workers.)
After making conscientious study of
the National Socialist Welfare work and
recognizing some constructive features
it Is doubtful If our American visitors
would still wish to see such a program
Of racial and religious discrimination and
intolerance Of physical weakness and
mental handicap applied In the United
States. 1