156 
CREFELD. 
19 to 21 years of age, 18s. ; over 21 years, 22s. §d. ; colour dyers, from 
18 to 21 years of age, 23s. ; over 21 years, 27s. (Assistants in colour dyeing 
are paid at same rate as black dyers.) The rates are for 60 hours a week. 
Ten years ago the wages were 12 per cent, less and 20 years ago they were 
15 per cent, less, the hours being then 66 weekly. 
The colour dyers are said to be about one-sixth or one-seventh of the 
whole number. The report of the Crefeld Chamber of Commerce for 1905 
gives the following figures of workers and wages in the dyeing industry in 
its area for the three years 1903-5 :— 
Year. 
No. 
of Works. 
No. of 
Workmen. 
Amount paid 
in Wages. 
Average per 
Workman. 
1903 
1901 
1905 
36 
36 
37 
« OO 
2,659 
2,907 
£ 
139,228 
138,512 
149,152 
£ s. d. 
50 11 6 
52 5 4 
51 6 2 
Silk Printing. The following weekly rates are universal for this branch 
of the silk industry in Crefeld :—1st year after apprenticeship 18s. ; 2nd year 
after apprenticeship 21s. ; 3rd year after apprenticeship 24s. and 4th and 
subsequent years 27s. The working hours are 60 per week. 
It may be interesting to supplement the foregoing information by the 
following classification of the workers of all kinds above 16 years of age in 75 
silk factories (clerks and officials excluded) according to income groups, based 
upon the earnings in 1905 :— 
Weekly earnings- 
Groups. 
-Income 
Males.* 
Females. 
Totals. 
Percentage of 
the whole. 
Up to 8s. 
Above 8s. 
„ 12 s. 
„ 16s. 
„ 20s. 
„ 24s. 
„ 28s. 
and up to 12s. 
„ 16s. 
„ 20s. 
„ 24s. 
„ 28s. 
Totals 
89 
72 
169 
919 
790 
158 
165 
2,362 
235 
471 
937 
417 
57 
2 
2,119 
324 
543 
1,106 
1,336 
847 
160 
165 
4,481 
72 
121 
24 7 
29-8 
18-9 
3-6 
37 
1000 
Of the men probably rather more than 90 per cent, are weavers. 
Building Trades.—Coming to other trades and industries, the usual wages 
of skilled men in the building trades range from 25s. to 30s. 8d. for a week 
of 59 to 60 hours, while labourers receive 21s. 10d. It is noticeable that 
carpenters are paid rather more than bricklayers and masons, a circumstance 
attributable to their better organisation. Most of the rates in this group of 
trades are regulated by agreements. 
Engineering Trades.—The engineering and machine works occupy a 
secondary place at Crefeld and are for the most part of comparatively recent 
introduction. Formerly the silk industry obtained its machinery from Saxony, 
but now a large part of it is made locally. The Factory Inspector’s enumera 
tion of industrial workpeople given above shows that 14T per cent, of these 
fall to the machinery and metal trades. The predominant rates of wages for 
skilled men in machine works are from 305. to 35a. for a week of 60 hours. 
In this industry 14 days’ notice is still usual, and most works pay wages 
fortnightly. There are several boiler works, and a large steelworks has recently 
been established on the outskirts of Crefeld, and is making rapid progress ; though 
the latter works lie at some distance, most of the employees live in the town. 
Other Trades.—There are several boot and shoe factories of small propor 
tions, soap making is an industry of growing importance, and there are in 
the outskirts some chemical works employed for the most part for local 
industry. The usual wages of unskilled workmen in the chemical industry are 
from I85. to 2I5. per week of from 57 to 60 hours. The following retrospective 
return of hourly rates of pay has been supplied by an old-established firm of