574 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



been fulfilled, but rather the opposite. The unemployment allotments 

 have resulted in demoralization of the workers, who prefer to congre- 

 gate in the cities and do nothing (there were 170.000 unemployed men 

 in Berlin in January, 1919) than to work at agriculture or forestry in 

 the rural districts, where there is a great shortage of laborers. The 

 eight-hour day is not suited to either of these industries, because of the 

 irregular nature of the work. Particularly in forestry is the piece- 

 work system desirable, since it allows the peasant to work in close 

 proximity to his dwelling, at times which suit his convenience and do 

 not interfere with his work on his farm. The Government plans to 

 take steps to educate the workers to realize that unduly high wages 

 will have most serious results on the working classes themselves. In 

 case of forest laborers this will be accomplished through the workmen's 

 councils, which are to be chosen in each Oberforsterei by the year-long 

 employees. High wages in forest industries will result in high wood 

 prices, which will react on many other industries. The great housing 

 shortage is not being met by new building because of high cost of labor 

 and material. A workman's three or four room house which could be 

 built for 4,500 marks and rented for 300 marks per annum before the 

 war now costs at least 12,000 marks and rents for 900 marks. Because 

 of higher cost of mine timbers, coal costs more, and the high price and 

 shortage of coal has brought fuelwood to two or three times its pre-war 

 price. All of this affects the working classes more than anyone else. 



W. N. S. 



Eberts. Die Lohnbezvcgung in forstlichcn Bctricbc. Forstwiss. Centralbl. 

 41 : 201-210. 1919. 



The forestation and betterment of 1,770,000 

 Details of acres (within a period of 80 years) in the British 



Forestry Program Isles, which now appears to be assured, is justi- 

 in England fied by the economic and military needs of the 



nation. In the words of the Ministry of Recon- 

 struction : "It was known we were paying not only for foreign wood 

 product, but also for foreign labor in fellings, in conversion, in manu- 

 factures, and in transportation. . . . The capital is already in- 

 vested, and the business should result in regular, even if small, 

 dividends. . . . The submarine depredations and the scarcity of 

 shipping gradually cut us off . . . urgent repairs had to be post- 



