FORESTS AND EMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY 21 



and regulations covering wages, hours, time and method of paying 

 wages, safety requirements, etc., are to be set forth in writing by the 

 Forstmeister where there are 20 or more workers. Workers are pro- 

 tected by law against unreasonable discharge. The law retains the 

 8-hour day as standard. 



Labor unions are no longer allowed to exist, but all forest and 

 agricultural workers (including owners) are automatically members of 

 the Reichsnahrstand, which as a body is affiliated with the Labor 

 Front. The aim of the Labor Front is to train all workers in the 

 National Socialist political and social philosophy, and to train them 

 in the technique of their jobs. It also carries on various kinds of 

 social work such as emergency aid to the poor and provision of recre- 

 ational facilities and vacations for workers and their families. The 

 object of the Reichsnahrstand is the promotion of the common in- 

 terests of all persons engaged in agriculture and forestry. 



Since September 1935 every worker must have a workbook (Arbeits- 

 buch) which shows his training, experience, and qualifications. With- 

 out this book he cannot be employed. 



WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS 



Wages for woods work in Germany were very low (19 to 50 cents 

 a day) a hundred years ago. The rates were increased about the 

 middle of last century, but for many years remained about 20 percent 

 below industrial wages. The State forests, like those in private owner- 

 ship, were managed primarily for profit, hence wages were kept as 

 low as possible. Most of the woods workers had no other opportuni- 

 ties for earning during the winter, and were more or less content with 

 low wages as long as they were sure of getting firewood and leaf litter 

 to bed their cattle. 



In 1912 forest workers' wages in Prussia ranged from 22 to 36 pf. 

 an hour (equivalent to 5.2 to 8.6 cents). Farm laborers got about 

 the same as forest workers — 4.5 to 9.8 cents an hour in 1914. This 

 was considerably less than wages of industrial workers, whose hourly 

 wages in 1912 were (29) as follows: 



Cents 



Wood-working industries 10.5 to 14.5 



Mining 9.0 to 18.6 



Metal trades 10.2 to 15.7 



Chemicals 10.9 to 13.6 



Building trades 13.3 to 16.9 



Textiles 9.0 to 11.2 



Railroads 9.4 to 15.2 



In the Konigsberg district of East Prussia, as late as 1891, the 

 average daily wage of forest workers was Ml. 02 (24 cents), with a 

 minimum of 59 pf. (14 cents). In 1906 wages were raised to nearly 

 the level of industrial wages, after allowing for the cheaper rural living 

 costs. In 1913 the daily rate was 40 cents to $1.07, and in 1917 it 

 ranged between 58 cents and $1.43. In 1918 extra allowances were 

 added, depending on number of children. Later, the fees formerly 

 paid to foremen out of workers' wages were paid by the State, allow- 

 ances were made for traveling long distances to work, and extra 

 allowances were given to help the workers buy their tools. 



9 Discussion based largely on Treitschke (88). A brief summary of conditions in Austria is given in the 

 Appendix, p. 51. 



