44

AACHEN.

Taking  wages  at  Berlin  as  100,  wages  at  Aachen  are  represented  in  the
building  trades  by  79  for  skilled  men  and  by  70  for  labourers  ;  in  the  engineering ­
  trades  by  96  for  skilled  men  and  87  for  labourers  ;  and  in  the  printing
trades  by  88.
A  considerable  amount  of  miscellaneous  work  of  an  industrial  kind  is  done
in  the  homes  of  the  poorer  classes  at  Aachen.  Spooling  finds  light  employment
for  many  men  and  women.  Cigar  making,  from  tobacco  leaf  supplied  by  the
employers,  employs  a  large  number  of  women,  though  often  amid  conditions
which  would  be  all  the  better  for  systematic  regulation,  for  the  work  is  done  in
rooms  which  serve  both  for  living  and  sleeping.  The  folding  and  gumming  of
needle  cases  is  another  home  employment.  Children  of  school  age  may  also  be
seen  in  many  tenements  busily  engaged  in  threading  hooks  and  eyes  upon  cards,
in  sorting  needles,  and  in  hammering  off  the  glass  heads  of  fancy  pins  which  have
been  spoiled  in  course  of  manufacture.  The  mother,  who  superintends  the
operations  of  the  little  workers  seated  on  the  floor  or  around  a  table  by  the
window,  will  tell  you  that  work  is  conscientiously  restricted  to  three  hours  a
day,  but  the  assurance  is  given  apologetically  rather  than  convincingly.  The
■earnings  of  these  children  are  insignificant  ;  the  sewing  of  three  cards  of  48
pieces  each  (24  pairs  of  hooks  and  eyes)  is  remunerated  at  the  rate  of  half  a
farthing.
Housing  and  Bents.
The  most  striking  fact  which  an  investigation  of  the  housing  conditions  of
Aachen  brings  to  light  is  that,  while  the  rents  of  dwellings  are  relatively
low,  nearly  half  the  households  of  the  town  live  in  tenements  of  one  or  two
rooms.  The  census  of  December,  1905,  showed  that  there  were  82,143
dwellings  in  Aachen,  and  that  of  these  4,395,  or  13  7  per  cent.,  were  dwellings
of  one  room  ;  10,301,  or  32'0  per  cent.,  were  dwellings  of  two  room»  ;
7,045,  or  21*9  per  cent.,  of  three  rooms  ;  3,681,  or  115  per  cent.,  of  four  rooms  ;
2,215,  or  6*9  per  cent.,  of  five  rooms  ;  1,437,  or  4  5  per  cent.,  of  six  rooms  ;
and  3,069,  or  9'5  per  cent.,  of  more  than  six  rooms.  Assuming  three  rooms  to
indicate  a  standard  of  accommodation  consonant  with  due  requirements  of  health
and  morality,  it  will  be  seen  that  only  54  3  per  cent,  of  the  dwellings  reach  that
standard.  "

The  detailed  analysis  is  as  follows

District.

Number  of  Dwellings  of

One
room.

Two
rooms.

Three
rooms.

Four
rooms.

Five
rooms.

Six
rooms.

Over  six
rooms.

Total
Number  of
Dwellings.

la
16
1  c
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Totals  .

591
1,233
1,215
38
661
48
411
67
86
45

4,395

1,045
2.G50
1,758
140
2.427
224
1,349
208
319
181

82(X
1,374
1,049
171
1,550
295
993
234
360
199

10,301  I  7,045

481
655
469
123
709
225
397
195
275
152

3,681

261
383
255
125
342
254
192
145
176
82

192
233
209
106
164
154
89
91
140
59

434
351
280
380
232
511
172
413
176
90

3,824
6,879
5,235
1,083
6,085
1,741
3,603
1,353
1,532
808

2,215

1,437

3,069

32,143

Confining  attention  to  working-class  districts  only—or  those  at  least,
in  which  working-class  families  predominate—the  conclusions  are  still  more
striking  There  are  four  such  districts  (16,  l c ,  3,  and  Õ  in  the  official
regster),  and  their  aggregate  dwellings  at  the  last  census  numbered  21,802.
Of  these  dwellings  only  46  per  cent,  were  of  three  or  more  rooms,  nearly
08  per  cent,  were  of  two  rooms,  and  10  per  cent,  were  of  one  room.  A
classification  of  784  purely  working-class  dwellings,  made  for  the  purpose
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