HELPING THE WORKLESS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13386, 12 September 1905, Page 3

HELPING THE WORKLESS.

GERMAN METHODS. Tho question, o[ dealing mill tlio unemployed op unemployablo is becoming so aeuto that any publication descrintivo of experiments that have actually been made in tho liopo o£ solving it will bo eagerly studied. A report to tho Board of Trade by Mr D. F. Schloss, officially issued lately, on "Agencies and Methods for Doaling with tho. Unemployed in Certain Foreign Countries," deals with schemes that have been, or avo being, tried in Germany, Austria. Switzerland. Franco, Belgium, and Holland. In ono direction or another tho projects adopted seem almojt infinito in their variety, but, generally speaking, they rcsolvo themselves mainly into thrco classes:— (1) Insurance against unemployment. (2) Labour colonies, and (3) Labour registries.It is in Germany that schemes for insuring against unemployment havo met, with tho largest measuro of success, no doubt because there tho trades unions havo taken tho matter in hand. Tho _ rules of tho (Social Democratic) Federation Metal Workers (membership 160,141) provide, for instance, that after a qualifying period of membership of 52 weeks a member has a right to claim unemployed pay, which is pavablo as from tho second week of unemployment, and continues for a maximum period of 60 days. In other unions tho principlo is tho 6amo, though tho detaita may vary. "In tho first three months of 1904. tho winter quarter, 48 trades nnions, having a membership of 446,712, paid £22,560 in this way to their members. Tho method may not differ much from that adopted by English trades unions, and it leaves untouched the great mass of unskilled workers and others who havo not joined a union, g t But then comes in tho municipal Oflioe for Insurance against' Unemployment," and wo may tako that adopted by the city of Cologne as an example. In order to insuro with tho office a man must bo at least 18 ( years oE age, mart, havo lived for at least a year in Cologne, and must not suffer from permanent incapacity to work. 110 must pay a weekly premium, payment of which must commeneo as from April 1, and must continue for 24 weeks. Tho payment in 1903 was 3id per week lor unskilled workmen and 4£d per week for skilled workmen, and no ono must bo more than four weeks behind in his payments. In return tho insured workman receives when out of work, for not more than eight weeks in all, a daily amount, which is _2s for each of tho first 20 days (nothing being paid for Sundays), aild then Is on each subsequent day. These payments begin on the third week day after tho date on which the man has reported himself as out of work. Whilo out of work a man must report himself to the offico daily, and if work is offered he must tako it, provided that its nature and rato of pay be as far as practicable similar to what lio had been getting whilo in work. But ho oannot bo asked to lake a plaeo vacant by reason of a trade dispute; and ho is not paid in rospeefc of unemployment caused by illness or infirmity, or by his own fault, or by a trado disputo. During tho year 1903-1904 insurance contracts wero concluded at Cologne with' 1624 persons, and of these 1164' notified themselves as unemployed in the course of the year. Only 1105, however, drew the allowance, varying in amount from a sum less than their premium (Ss 6d) up to 68s. Financially, how does tho scheme work out? Taking tho figures for 1903-1904 wo get tho following results; — Grant from municipality .. ..£IOOO 0 0 Subscriptions of members ... .. 1000 11 5 Honorary members .. 152 3 0 Interest .. .. .. 209 0 G

£2421 14 11 'Allowances to unemployed and other expanses , : .. 2204 H' 2 £2204 14 2 Balance on year.. 217 0 9 Mr Schloss's comment upon it is that if tin's insurance scheme were to bo regarded as ai'business proposition it would have to bo pronounced a failure. Only part of *ho amount paid has been covered by tho premiums received, and but for the subventions from the municipality, the office could not fill its obligations. Then for the benefit of the unemployed German workman travelling in search of work the public authorities maintain a very claborato : system of " relief' stations." As illustratinfr. what this means, the rules of the 'Westphalian Federation of Relief Stations arc cited. These provide that every itinerant not possessing more than Is in cash and unablo to obtain work in tho locality, may be considered as'"without means." Such a man is helped in various ways.. But it is necessary that he should obtain a " pass " which tho authorities may stamp, showing that ho has not refused any work in tho locality, that bo has duly performed the work required of him at tho relief station; while the hour

of .his departure and tho name of . the next station to which he proposed to travel would likewiso bo entered upon the pass. In going from ono station to another tho holder of tho pass may occupy only a reasonable time consistent with distance, and refusal to ficcept suitable work offered would disqualify from nid. • Thus, by a, small payment, .or equivalent work in wood chopping, stono breaking, etc., .a man is holpcd along from place to placo till ft-ccoptablo employment is found. Mucl'f, howovor, depends upon disciplino, so that tho' unduly idlo tramp may not bo encouraged. 'Should tho workman' beocuno weary in soaroh of work, ho may tako Tfifugo for a more or lea; prolonged period in ono of tho 33 "Labour Colonies" provided. Tho first of these was founded by Pastor von Bodolschwingh in 1882 at Willielmsdorf, near Bielefeld, 'iii Westphalia. The .colony reoeives' able-bodied ,meii in distress - (notdipsomaniacs), and seeks to set them upon their feet again. Funds are obtained from grants by provincial governments tho municipalities, donations and subscriptions, collections in ohurches and house-to-houso collections, this network of s industrial Tefugos being undor the control of tho Gorman Labour Colony Central Board.' Jn. 1903 tho average number of admissions per month was SS9.

| Tho number of men who, having been in h "Labour Colony" once, seel; veadmission, is considerable, and so' also is tho number of thoso who make a stay of over a year. Tho work provided at the colony is largely that of cultivating -the land, with road maleing. Tho food is very plain, arid tho waircs, after maintenance, worl: out at only a few pence per day, Usually two out of tlireo . persons admitted have suffered . imprisonmnent, and the return on the work is far from meeting the cost of, the colony. Thore are also corresponding colonies in towns, notably in Berlin. But, on the whole,' no very hopeful view is taken of the " moral improvement" effected in the men.