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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ESSEN. 235 steel and iron, tool steel, steel bars, and special steel to be used in the manu facture of motor-cars. In addition there are the firm's large private gas-works, electric light and power works, and large coal mines engaged solely in the supply of the works. The normal working day (as in all Essen iron and steel works) is of 10 hours—from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with intervals from 8 to 8.15 a.m., 12 to 1.30 p.m., and 4 to 4.15 p.m. ; but there are a number of modifications. Thus in a large number of departments in which operations are continuous (like smelting, puddling, hammer-works, Bessemer works, smithing, rolling- mills, etc.), the shift is 12 hours with intervals taken at such times as the work permits, subject to the general rule of half an hour’s pause in every three hours. For the men in the iron and gun foundries, and the gun turners, the hours are from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., with only one half-hour’s pause. Wages are paid fortnightly. The Krupp works are divided into two parts by a long road, into which most of the factory gates open. This road presents a remarkable sight when the day shift ends at 6 o’clock, with the thousands of workmen who pour along it. The spectator cannot but notice the generally clean and neat appearance of the workmen. To the supremacy of Krupp in Essen, and to the numerous philanthropic or semi-philanthropic institutions which the firm maintains, must probably be ascribed the comparative weakness of the trade unions for the iron and steel workers. Neither the local branch of the Social-Democratic Metal-Workers’ Association nor the branch of the “ Christian ” Union is strong ; and the union officials themselves admit that their progress is very slow. This is due to the facts that the Krupp firm declines to ' recognise the unions in anyway; that the majority (or at least a considerable proportion) of its workmen have been long in the service of the firm ; and, finally, that the conditions of employment are good, though there are inevitably complaints from time to time. The attacks of the Socialist Press upon the firm, and its hostile attitude to the firm’s benevolent institutions, houses and co-operative stores—which the Socialists regard as so much bribery of the workmen, or as attempts to enhance their dependence—- seem so far to have borne little fruit. The conditions in the coal mines of Essen are the same as those of the whole district ; they have recently been modified by the great coal strike of 1905 and the legislation which that evoked, though the alterations were comparatively slight. The hewers, trammers, and other underground workers have (normally) an eight hours’ shift with such pauses as the workers choose. These eight hours include all the time spent at the bottom of the shaft, but not the time occupied in the ascent and descent ; if, however, these take more than half-an-hour, the excess is now (since August, 1905) to be included in the eight hours ; the employers are endeavouring to prevent any such possible reduction of the actual hours of work by quickening the pace of the ascent and descent. For the - surface men a twelve hours’ day, with two hours of intervals, is the universal rule. No women are employed about the collieries in this district, and no youths under 16. For the underground workers overtime («.g., continuation of shifts beyond eight hours) and extra shifts are permitted, subject to the restriction that the miner must have at least an eight hours’ interval between his shifts. Wages are paid monthly ; but advances are made half-monthly, and these sometimes amount to 50 per cent, of the wages. These are for piece-work, either for the individual workman or for a gang ( u Kameradschaft ”). The following table shows the districts from which the miners are recruited in the three colliery areas around Essen :—• Area, East Essen... West Essen South Essen Number of Miners, 190“».. 14,884 19,307 14,956 Percentage from lour Eastern Pro vinces of Prussia.* P re r mTinTr f of IU 1 Percentage from German Empire. other Countries. 40*64 43*52 20*71 55*65 49*39 72*05 3*71 7*09 724 " i.e., East Prussia, West Prussia, Posen and Silesia. 29088 2 G 2

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