EMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19126, 22 September 1936, Page 2

EMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY

PALL IN THREE YEARS

REARMAMENT AND WORKS

FIN ANTED FROM RESERVES

BERLIN. Aug. 14

An indication of the progress of Jim German Government's campaign against unemployment and of Germany s intcinal financial position is given to-day in the weekly report issued by Ihe Institute for Business Research here. This gives the following figures:- — Unemployment. —At, the end of last month there were 1.170,000 unemployed, a decrease of about 4,750.000 since Herr Hitler came to power at the beginning of 1933.

Revenue.—Receipts from taxation in 197,5 were 45 per cent higher than in 1932-35. . r , Public. Debt. —At the end oi March (his year Germany's total public, debtwas £2.750.000.000.

It is claimed that unemployment, ns a mass phenomenon, no longer exists in Germany. There is stated to be a. shortage of labour in certain trades, and districts. The. Nazi Government, it is pointed out. was determined to use every economic weapon for the fight, against unemployment. Everything had i" be subordinated to tins one.aim, and the population was called upon to make certain unavoidable sacrifices. C 660,003,000 ON WORK. 1 -’ SCI IEM lIS Lifting to some extent, the veil from the. mysteries of German State finance, the report declares that the work-creation programme was financed by short-term credits in the form of mortgages on future prosperity. This the Institutes tor Business 1 Research describes, as the use of “future reserves.’’

The increase in the. revenue, if is stated, now makes' it. possible for the programme, to be financed toe some extent from current funds. The. existence of any “secret” public indebtedness over and above the recorded Reich debt is denied.

r flie report states that there are, m addition, “merely” future short-term obligations arising from the labour programme. Of the figure given for the total public debt, the work creation programme is said to be responsible for some £650,003,000. Some doubt, however, remains whether ibis represents the toial “special expenditure” during the last 3£ years. If is possible that there is still a further unrecorded debt, to which no reference is made in the report. ATTACKED' ON TWO' SIDES

The problem of unemployment was attacked from two sides. Efforts were made to: —

Increase the demand for labour; and decrease the supply of labour on the market. To achieve the first aim the Government. undertook an expensive programme of public works. If also created employment indirectly by encouraging private initiative.

In the public works programme the most spectacular projects have been : Construction of motor roads on the Italian model, 190 miles of these being already in use, 1170 miles under construction and 4400 miles planned. Fl is stated that 12L,0C0 workers are now employed on this scheme.

Rearmament, the most costly and. ill German eyes, the most vital pari of Die labour programme. Municipal construction of public buildings and street,s and the. laying mil of playgrounds and parks. Although it is not. mentioned in the report-, rearmament, activity lias led to a neglect, of housing schemes. Nazi economists point, to the; latter as a future field for employment when, the rhythm of rearmament begins to slacken. LOANS TO HOUSEHOLDERS

Private initiative has been stimulated by, among other tilings, the advance of grants to householders. Those have been Vised for the repair of property or for its division into small dwellings for the poorer classes. To take workers off the labour market the Labour Corps, though not a Nazi movement, has been considerably extended. Some 200.C00 men, it is claimed, nro continuously employed on work ot national value, such as drainage of marshes', which would never he carried out by private initiative. Such organisations as Hie “Land Help” and the. “Land Year” perform a, similar service by taking young people of both classes out. of tile, industrial areas to work on the, land. The number of women in industry lias Lear, decreased by iho provision of marriage loans for those who give up their positions to men to get, married.

Up to Iho end: of last March, it is stated, 559,C0C such loans had been granted. This involved an expenditure of more than £25.000,000.