The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-02-19
, COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS


Gigantic conScription of labor
throughout Europe in the service of the
German war machine has been planned
and is now probably going forward,
reliable reports say. This conscription
means strengthening of the Nazis'
ability TO wage war but is at the same
time an indication they are short Of
man power.
Reports received by the New York
office of the International Transport
Workers Federation throw light on the
situation. The reports say that 2,14O,-
600 alien workers, both men and wo-
men, as we'll as !, 100000 war prison
erS are already working in Germany.
Strenuous efforts are being made to
lure additional foreign workers into
the Reich for war production.
Nevertheless, the Transport Work
CrS' Federation comments, the short
age of man power at the service of
| the NaZis has become so great that
official German circles seriously CON
| slider Il system of labor conscription
| in all Gcrman-occupied countries Ap-
pcals for voluntary labor having proven
largely futile. main attention is now
centcred on the question of how to
exploit TO the utmost the labor of mil
| lions of workers in conquered Russian
| territory.
According to one proposal said to
nave been drafted by the NaZi Ministry
of Labor, Il Seven-fold increase in the
| numbers of deported Russian workers
is contemplated. They will be shipped
| to forced labor within Germany or
wherever the German masters may
| want to use them. No official action
has been taken as yet.
The general trend, however, is in
| dicated by semi-official press utter
anceS such as in the Allgemeine Ieitung
which states "Germany is defending
Europe against Bolshevism. Therefore
the least that can be expected is that
other European countries should aid
| Germany" The cynical attitude of the
| German authorities can be summed up
thus: Germany provides soldiers to
| fight for Europe; Europe must provide
workers TO work for their soldiers"
The plan also enviSageS the employ
mcnt of Dutch, BelgianS, Danes, and
| others from occupied countries as over
SeprS of the Russian workers employed
on land.
X X X
Among the reasons that have CON
| trihutcd To thc German failure of vol
untary enlistment of foreign labor are
| insui1iciency of food and low wages.
| When foreign workers accepted employ
ment in Germany, they We're promised
| that they would be able to send most of
| their wages back home for the support
| of their starving families. Now, most
workers complain of being underfed
| and forced to buy food for themselves
| in the black markets. Any help for
| their families is at the expense of their
| own food consumption and consequent
| " reduction of their working capacity.
Concidcnt with The NaZi conScrip-
| ton of labor goes starvation, described
| as increasing in Gcrmun-rulcd lands.
Outstanding examples, though by no
means the only ones, are Greece and
| Rclgium. where the mortality rate is
| SkN-rockcting. Raging famine and
! nlagIIe are reported to take Il daily
death toll of ! 200 human beings in
Athens alone. No figures are available
| for the rest of the country. All staple
foods have disappeared, and even tn"
weIl-to-do have no longer the oppor-
:,