HAMBURG.

253

viz.,  405.  2d.  per  week,  while  labourers  engaged  in  other  building  work  receive
32s.  1  g?.,  which  is  the  rate  for  glaziers,  plumbers  and  fitters.
Oil,  Rubber  and  Margarine  Industries.—Employment  for  a  large  amount
of  unskilled  labour  is  found  in  oil  and  rubber  works  in  Hamburg  and  Harburg,
at  several  margarine  factories,  the  most  important  being  at  Altona,  at  chemical
and  asbestos  works,  and  in  numerous  timber  yards  and  sawmills.  There  is
little  difference  in  the  rates  of  wages  paid  in  these  groups  of  industries.
Unskilled  men  begin  at  from  16s.  to  18s.  per  week  and  advance  to  21s.  and  22s.,
while  better  men  can  often  earn  24s.
Cigar  and  Cigarette  Industry.  —  Both  at  Hamburg  and  Altona  a  large
number  of  workers  of  both  sexes  are  employed  in  the  cigar  and  cigarette  trade.
There  are  a  few  small  factories  in  which  the  actual  manufacture  of  cigars  takes
place,  but  this  is  in  the  main  a  house  industry,  and  the  factory  workpeople  are
employed  in  sorting,  packing,  box-making,  labelling,  &c.  The  home-workers  are
either  employed  directly  by  the  manufacturers  or  they  work  for  “  middlemen  ”
(“Zwischenmeister”),  some  of  whom  have  as  many  as  15  assistants,  though
most  have  only  one  or  two.  The  earnings  of  the  home-workers  vary  greatly
according  to  individual  dexterity  and  the  quality  of  the  cigars  made,  but  in
general  the  rate  earned  per  hour  ranges  from  3\d.  to  4\d.  for  men.  working
independently,  rates  equal  to  from  17s.  6d.  to  21s.  3d.  per  week  of  60  hours,
comparing  with  30s.  usually  earned  in  factories  by  sorters.
The  Clothing  Trade.—Another  industry  employing  a  large  number  of
workpeople  of  both  sexes  at  home  as  well  as  in  workshops  is  the  clothing  trade,
of  which  Hamburg  is  an  important  centre.  In  the  workshops  tailors  earn  from
27s.  to  30s.  per  week,  the  lower  figure  being  the  minimum  established  by
agreement,  but  in  busy  seasons  their  earnings  are  higher.  The  earnings  of
home-workers  fall  much  below  these  rates  and  are  unfavourably  affected  by  the
growth  of  the  “  middleman  ”  system.
Glass  Bottle  Industry.—Glass  bottle  blowing  is  an  important  industry
at  Altona  and  also  in  several  small  towns  outside  Hamburg,  like  Bergedorf,
Geesthacht,  &c.  Glass  workers  in  the  country  often  live  in  factory  dwellings,
to  which  a  little  garden  ground  is  attached,  paying  from  £5  to  £8  10s.  for  two
living  and  bed  rooms  and  a  kitchen.  Many  Danes,  Swedes,  and  Norwegians  are
employed  in  this  industry.
The  Brewing  Trade.—  The  wages  of  the  brewery  employees  are  regulated
by  an  agreement.  Brewers  began  in  1905  with  a  minimum  weekly  wage  of
30s.  rising  after  five  years  to  a  maximum  of  33s.  ;  coopers  began  at  31s.,
rising  in  two  years  to  32s.  ;  draymen  had  25s.  and  26s.,  and  in  addition  2s.  per
day  for  food.  Free  beer  is  given  to  the  workmen  without  restriction.  The
practice  of  living-in  has  been  abolished.
Harbour  and  Dock  Labour.—The  wages  of  harbour  and  dock  labourers  are
likewise  to  a  large  extent  regulated  by  agreements,  mostly  of  a  general
character,  though  a  few  agreements  between  special  firms  and  their  workpeople
also  exist.  Several  keenly-contested  disputes  have  drawn  the  harbour  labourers
closely  together  during  recent  years,  and  it  is  estimated  that  of  some  17,000
men  of  all  grades  at  least  12,000  are  organised.  In  considering  the  rates  of
wages  given  below  it  should  be  remembered  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  intermittent ­
  work  even  in  busy  seasons,  and  that  there  are,  moreover,  two  recurrent
slack  periods  of  about  six  weeks  each,  from  the  end  of  January  to  the
middle  of  March,  and  from  the  end  of  June  to  the  middle  of  August.  The
busiest  seasons  are  spring  and  autumn,  when  work  at  good  wages  is  abundant.
During  the  past  three  years  (1904  to  1906)  the  trade  of  Hamburg  harbour  has
been  abnormally  active,  and  comparatively  little  slack  time  has  been
experienced.
The  largest  group  of  harbour  men  are  the  stevedores,  who  number  about
5,000,  and  have  a  good  name  for  steadiness,  smartness,  and  efficiency.  The
wages  agreement  current  in  October,  1905,  fixed  the  rate  of  daily  wages  at
4s.  Qd.  for  the  loading  and  unloading  of  ordinary  merchandise,  5s.  Id.  for
chemicals  and  cement  in  sacks,  and  5s.  4d.  for  ores,  pig  iron,  loose  corn,  salt,
guano,  sulphur,  salted  hides,  turpentine,  gambier,  and  camphor.  On  piecework
higher  earnings  were  made,  and  there  is  at  times  much  overtime.  A  full  day