FORESTS AXD EMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY 31 



for sustained-yield forestry must be based on an economically sound forest popula- 

 tion, attached to the soil, not on a gypsy horde of wood cutters and adventurers 

 or on portable sawmill operations. 



Realizing that the tendency to desert forest work for the towns is 

 likely to assert itself again when prosperity returns, recent adminis- 

 trations have undertaken to do more than has been done hitherto in 

 the way of establishing settled workers on the forests. Although 

 the workers might be forced to stay away from the cities, they would 

 not make willing workers under such conditions. It is deemed 

 preferable to make the worker feel that the forest is his home, hence 

 the policy of leasing him land for a long term and helping him to own 

 his house. It has been suggested that such leases be made practically 

 hereditary (40). 



Funds were made available in 1935 by the Reich's Labor Ministry 

 for the construction of forest workers' dwellings. The policy is to 

 build these in groups so that several families will be together, in places 

 where the workers, with the help of their families, can raise part of 

 their food in their spare time and thus save enough to pay for the 

 houses. In Brunswick, for instance, plans were under way in 1934 for 

 building 100 houses, at a cost of about RM5,600 ($2,240) apiece; these 

 were to be paid for, including interest and amortization, at the rate 

 of RM24.80 (about $10) a month (1, v. 16, p. 970).^ 



According to instructions (22) issued by the Reichsforstmeister in 

 1935, a typical worker's house contains a combined living-room and 

 kitchen, two bedrooms and space for another in the attic, and space for 

 a cow. Each worker is to have at least 4 morgen (2.5 acres) of land, 

 except that a permanent worker (practically full-time) may be given 

 as little as 2 morgen, provided the forest administration certifies that 

 it will make more land available if he ceases to be a permanent worker 

 and needs an additional 2 morgen. 



The Reich lends up to 90 percent of the cost of land and buildings, 

 at 3 percent interest plus 1 percent amortization, but not to exceed 

 RM 1,500 on the house, RM 700 on the land, and RM 300 on inven- 

 tory (tools, equipment, stock). Workers who already have enough 

 land and equipment may borrow up to RM 2,200 on the house. A 

 commercial first mortgage up to RM 2,000 is allowed in addition to 

 the Government loan. It is planned to build State-owned houses for 

 forest workers in the future only in special cases. 



SOCIAL INSURANCE 



Since 1914, sickness, accident, invalid, and old-age insurance has been 

 compulsory for agricultural and forest workers in Germany. For 

 sickness insurance the employer formerly paid one- third, the worker 

 two-thirds of the premium, but since 1934 they have contributed 

 equally. The employer pays the entire premium for accident insur- 

 ance, and both employer and employee pay one-half of the invalid and 

 old-age pension premiums, to which is added a contribution from the 

 Government. Accident insurance covers all workers, even those not 

 employed directly by the forest owner, unless they are covered by 

 some other insurance organization; the other forms of insurance apply 

 only to regular workers directly employed by the owner or forest 

 manager (26). 



During the period 1926-34 the Prussian State Forest Service paid 

 an average of nearly RM2, 560,000 (over $600,000) a year for workers' 



