GERMANY. 



291 



aims were once more advanced by their author. 

 .The trade-unionists in the congress differed with 

 the advanced Socialists in regard to workmen's 

 insurance and other labor legislation. The 

 unions, which had their benefit associations be- 

 fore compulsory insurance was introduced, held 

 the opinion that Government should aid work- 

 men by subsidizing their own organizations, and 

 that if unorganized workmen could obtain 

 from the Government the same advantages as 

 those who belonged to labor organizations could 

 achieve, the interests of unionism would suffer. 

 Both parties agreed that existing legislation is 

 inadequate. The congress adopted resolutions 

 demanding the extension of insurance to all 

 workmen, its unification, the control of its ad- 

 ministration by the insured, and the contribution 

 to its costs by all classes; the extension of the 

 existing system of accident insurance, the estab- 

 lishment of a board of control composed of offi- 

 cials elected by the workmen and paid by the 

 Government; the improvement of the means of 

 preventing diseases incident to labor, full com- 

 pensation to families of injured workmen, and 

 the prohibition of the employment of women for 

 four weeks before and after childbirth; and the 

 establishment of insurance for the unemployed 

 and for the widows and orphans of workmen. 

 The Reichstag delegates of the party were in- 

 structed to consider the advisability of moving 

 a resolution in the Reichstag in favor of an eight- 

 hour day. The congress resolved to support 

 only candidates for the Reichstag pledged to up- 

 hold universal suffrage, to vote against higher 

 import duties on foodstuffs, or any indirect tax 

 on articles destined for the people's consumption, 

 and to oppose any military or naval bill in- 

 creasing the burdens of the people. The ex- 

 clusion of foreign meat was condemned. A reso- 

 lution was passed recognizing the danger to work- 

 ing men from immoderate indulgence in alcohol, 

 but declining to make total abstinence a condi- 

 tion of party membership. 



Dependencies. The possessions and protect- 

 orates of Germany over the seas, all acquired 

 since 1884, have a total area estimated at 1,027,- 

 820 square miles, of which 931,460 miles are in 

 Africa (see EAST AFRICA, SOUTH AFRICA, and 

 WEST AFRICA), 200 square miles in Asia, and 

 96,160 square miles in the Pacific. The Asiatic 

 territory consists of the town, harbor, and dis- 

 trict of Kiauchau, occupied by a naval force in 

 November, 1897, and on March 6, 1898, leased to 

 Germany by the Chinese Government for the 

 term of ninety-nine years. A protectorate was 

 proclaimed on April 27, 1898. The leased terri- 

 tory has an area of 200 square miles, not in- 

 cluding the bay, which is of equal extent. Sur- 

 rounding the German territory, which has 60,000 

 inhabitants, is a neutral zone having an area of 

 2,500 square miles and a population of about 

 1,200,000. The administration of Kiauchau is 

 under the control of the naval authorities, and 

 at its head is a naval officer. Capt. Truppel in 

 1902. The estimate of expenditure for 1903 is 

 12,528,000 marks, of which only 360,000 marks 

 are raised by local taxation, 12,168,000 marks 

 being supplied from the imperial treasury. The 

 garrison in 1902 consisted of 2.352 marine infan- 

 try and artillery. A harbor is being dredged out 

 and a mole built, 2 miles in length. From Tsin- 

 tau, opposite Kiauchau, the Germans are 

 building a railroad into Shantung to Tsinan, 

 which will thence run south to Yenchau, and 

 there meet another railroad to be built in a 

 southwesterly direction from Kiauchau. The 

 railroad will tap the coal-fields of Weihsien and 



Pashan, within 100 miles of Kiauchau, of which 

 Germans by the treaty have the concession, as 

 well as priority in all other concessions to be 

 granted in Shantung. The railroad was com- 

 pleted to Weihsien in the spring of 1902. 



In the Pacific Germany possesses Kaiser Wil- 

 helmsland and the Bismarck Archipelago, pro- 

 claimed German protectorates in 1884; the Mar- 

 shall Islands, occupied in 1885; the Caroline, 

 Palao, and Marianne Islands, purchased from 

 Spain for 16,750.000 marks and transferred on 

 Oct. 1, 1899; part of the Solomon Islands, Choi- 

 seul, Isabel, and various smaller islands having 

 been ceded to Great Britain by the convention 

 of Nov. 14, 1899; and the largest islands of the 

 Samoan group, the triple protectorate over the 

 whole group having been renounced by Great 

 Britain in the Anglo-German agreement of Nov. 

 14, 1899, and by the United States; which re- 

 ceived Tutuila. Kaiser Wilhelmsland is the 

 northern part of the southeastern half of New 

 Guinea. The protectorate, which includes Long 

 island, Dampier island, and other islands, has an 

 area estimated at 70,000 square miles and about 

 110,000 inhabitants. The number of Europeans 

 on Jan. 1, 1899, was 58, of whom 53 were Ger- 

 mans. The German New Guinea Company, which 

 formerly conducted the administration, trans- 

 ferred it to the Imperial Government on April 1, 

 1899. The local revenue for 1903 was estimated 

 at 100,000 marks, which was supplemented by 

 an imperial subvention of 722,000 marks. The 

 natural products include sago, areca-nuts, ebony, 

 bamboo, and coconuts. The coco-palms are 

 carefully preserved. Tobacco, cotton, and coffee 

 are cultivated. Copra, mother-of-pearl, and tre- 

 pang are bartered by the natives for European 

 goods. Gold is found in the Bismarck moun- 

 tains. The value of imports in 1900 was 377,682 

 marks, of which 109,624 marks represent ^ood 

 substances. The value of exports was 212,117 

 marks, of which 119,360 marks represent tobacco 

 and 65,000 marks copra. Dr. Hahl was in May, 

 1902, appointed Imperial Governor of the South 

 Sea possessions of Germany constituting the 

 Micronesian protectorate. 



Bismarck Archipelago comprises Neu Pom- 

 mern, Neu Mecklenburg, and Neu Lauenburg, for- 

 merly called New Britain, New Ireland, and the 

 Duke of York islands; also New Hanover, and 

 the Admiralty, Anchorite, Hermit, Commerson, 

 and other islands. The total area is estimated 

 at 20,000 square miles and the population at 

 188,000. There were 200 Europeans in 1899, of 

 w T hom 96 were Germans and 34 British. There 

 were 64 Chinese and 68 Samoans and Fijians. 

 The value of imports in 1900 was 1,240,925 

 marks, of which 243,769 marks represent articles 

 of food. Exports were valued at 907,282 marks, 

 of which 651,141 marks represent copra and 110,- 

 634 marks trepang. The islands were visited in 

 1899 by 132 vessels, of 37,448 tons. 



The part of the Solomon Islands belonging to 

 Germany includes Bougainville and Buka. The 

 products are sandalwood and tortoise-shell. 



The Marshall Islands consist of two chains of 

 coral islands known as Ralick and Ratack. The 

 area is about 150.000 square miles and the popu- 

 lation 15,000, including 55 Europeans, of whom 

 48 are Germans. Coconut-palm trees have been 

 planted. The value of imports in 1900 was 454,- 

 300 marks; of exports, mainly copra, 509,000 

 marks. 



The Caroline, Palao, and Marianne Islands 

 were first attached to the New Guinea protect- 

 orate. The Caroline and Palao Islands, having 

 an area of 560 square miles, with 40.000 inhabit- 



