Cost of living in German towns

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 866449027

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-93831

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Cost of living in German towns

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Stat. Off.

Year of publication:: 1908

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (LXI, 548 Seiten)

Collection:: Economics Books

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BOCHUM. 83 Poles and East Prussians in 1905 against 24*91 per cent, in 1893, and 6*79 per cent, were foreigners against only 2*72 per cent, in 1893. In the North Bochum district 34*27 per cent, were Germans from Upper Silesia, Posen, West Prussia, and East Prussia in 1905, and in the South Bochum district 31*17 per cent., against percentages of 21*76 and 23*05 respectively in 1893. The foreigners in the mines of North Bochum in 1905 were 4*30 per cent, of the whole, against 1*23 per cent, in 1893, and in South Bochum they were 2*15 per cent., against 1*05 in 1893. One-half were Austrians, more than a quarter were Italians, and the rest were mainly Dutch and Russians. The Poles, though German subjects, do not enjoy general popularity amongst their fellow-workmen. They consort but little with the Germans, and speak only their mother tongue. But in the eyes of the organised miners of German nationality their greatest fault is that they resolutely keep aloof from the German trade unions, whether Social Democratic or Roman Catholic, and combine in associations of their own. Nor do the Poles invariably receive a good name from the employers and mine officials. Speaking of them according to experience, some of these praise the Poles as workers, while others place them below all non-German workers in point of efficiency. The fact seems to be that the Pole begins life as a coal miner with all the faults of inex perience, for he is a migrant whose earlier years have been passed in the towns and villages of Eastern Prussia, but he soon settles to the work and in the end earns as much as his fellows who have grown up in the mining industry. The Poles are not, however, allowed to work alone, and to the last the language difficulty is serious, for though they learn to speak German it is on compulsion, and they do not like it. In manner of life the Poles learn much to their advantage from the Germans in orderliness, cleanliness, and self-respect ; they live frugally, and are able to save. The industries of Bochum itself and their relative importance will be seen from the following enumeration of workpeople employed in the inspected factories and workshops of the town in 1906 :— Group of Trades. Number of Establishments. Number of Workpeople. Male. Female. Total. Building ... ... ••• ... • •• Mining and smelting Metal working Machine, implement and apparatus making. Clothing and cleaning Printing, lithography, bookbinding, &c Woodworking and carving Chemicals ... Resins, varnishes, oil, soap, candles, &c Stone and earth Food, drink and tobacco Leather and paper Total ... 89 4 20 25 111 21 27 8 6 35 210 4 560 1,183 6,889 790 972 49 330 858 122 222 820 867 19 13,121 494 *9 87 3 669 1,183 6,889 790 972 543 412 858 122 225 820 954 22 13,790 The wages of skilled men in the engineering trades average _ , , „ . . _ about 30a. weekly, and those of labourers are 21a. The following is a comparative record of daily wages in this industry, extending over the last ten years, as kept by a local firm of standing :— 1895. 1900. 1905. Moulders Fitters... Turners Smiths Pattern-makers Labourers Number of hours generally worked s. d. 4 3 4 3 4 1 3 11 3 7 2 11 66 s. d. 5 0 4 8 66 s. d. 5 4 4 10 4 10 4 11 4 9 3 6 60 L 2 29088

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