The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1945-04-26
. COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS

Germany must make reparation fo
destruction in German-occupied coun
tries, the United Nations have dc
clared. But how this is to be accom-
|plished has not been made clear. Rus
sian talk of using forced German la
DOR for the purpose has met with EN-
phatic protest in the democratic ma
lions. In this country, the American
Federation of Labor has been to tn
fore in the opposition to such use o
German workers for reconstruction.
| In order to prevent the use of Ger
man workers as slave labor, it i
necessary that the German worker
should go abroad on a voluntar,
basis, and that they should be givel
guarantees that they will be treated
as free men, under equitable socia
conditions.
How can this be achieved? Las
lyear the American Labor Conference
IN International Affairs published al
impressive study by Professor Hans
|P. Neisser on the reparationS prob
EN-, which contains some interesting
suggestions for the proper use OF
German labor for reconstruction.
He first suggests that Germany
should defray the cost of this labor
force herself. She would be able to dc
this, he says, because otherwise she
would have to support the same labor
force at home. In other words, the
employment of part of her labor
abroad would either reduce her need
for imports or would allow her to ex-
port more. DR.. Neisser suggests that
part of the wages earned by German
labor in reconstruction work abroad
might be credited to the workers at
home.
The wage rate paid to the German
labor forces should not be below the
levels prevailing in the countries
where the labor force would work,
DR.. Neisser holds. Neither should it
be below the level paid for the same
kind of work in Germany, for other
wise there would be no incentive for
German workers to enroll voluntarily
in the reparation labor force, and
such an incentive will have to be of
fered if outright compulsion, to which
The labor organizations of the Allied
are energetically opposed, is
20 be avoided.
Such an incentive could be provid-
I'd, negatively, by denying the bene-
its of unemployment insurance to|
unemployed workers in Germany who
'efuse to accept work abroad, DR..
Neisser writes. The occupation au-
horities might also assure a SUPPLY
# German labor for reconstruction
work abroad by imposing a system of
'riorities in regard to public works
md imported materials.
DIR. Neisser proposes still other
to prevent German labor
rom being used as slave labor. Thus
lie suggests that German laborers
working abroad should continue to
njoy the social security benefits to
which their contributions to the Ger
nan social insurance system entities
hem. To avoid transplanting whole
the period for which the
yorkers enlist should be definitely
United, he says. This implies the es-
ablishment of a rotation system. The
abor force in question should be
argely recruited from the younger
and should be replaced af-
er the expiration of the contract by
mother group, selected on the same
rinciple from the same or even
ounger age classes.
The American Labor Conference on
International Affairs, which is COM
osed of recognized spokesmen of all
merican organized labor, approved
r. Neisser's suggestions In stating |,
s conclusions on them, it says:
"lf the safeguards advocated by DR..
eisser are established and their !
rict observance assured by interna- ;
onal supervision, the threat that !
erman labor will be enslaved will be !.
soided."