Crafts
There are craft workshops to the number of 200.000 in the S.H.S. King-
dom, which are distributed through the various provinces as follows :
SIR «nine. ensins ... 70.000
Croatia and Slavonia ......... 38.000
Slovenia ..........c..... ....... 22.000
Bosnia & Herzegovina ...... 20.000
Voivodina ........................ 25.000
Dalmatia ........................... 6.000
Montenegro ..................... 2.500
To 100 master workmen in the country there are about 100 apprentices,
i.e. crafts employ about 200.000 apprentices, and about 75 assistants to 100 ma-
sters, or in all 150.000 assistants. The number of apprentices is strikingly large,
but this is due to the war which depleted the number of qualified men, so that
the numbers have now to be made up. The proportion between the apprentices
and assistants, and beween them and the masters differs in the various provinces
according to the degree of economic development, those where crafts are more
highly developed and technically efficient having a greater proportion of assi-
stants and a smaller number of apprentices. Thus, in South Serbiathe number of
apprentices is extremely large, whereas in Voivodina and more especially in Slo-
venia, there are more assistants.
The wages of assistant craftsmen vary between 20 and 150 dinars a day.
The lowest are those of the unskilled building labourers, and the highest those
oftailors, printers and mechanics. But although the wages of the most highly skilled
craftsmen reach 150 dinars a day, the average is not more than 35-40 dinars.
Wages vary according to local cirumstances, provinces and towns. In some parts
or South Serbia for instance they are lower even than 20 dinars daily. The ave-
rage pay of a craft worker is less than that of an industrial labourer, because the
craft assistant is usually young, -under 25 years of age. After 25 they are usually
independent masters, and open their own workshops or seek employment in indu-
stry or large factories. The skilled labour in industry is recruited mainly from
the craft shops. This shows how important the development of the. crafts, and
the technical training, of capable master workmen is in the economic life of
this as of other countries.