UNEMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 12

UNEMPLOYMENT IN GERMANY.

"420,000 WORKPEOPLE OUT OF WORK.. In the course of a debate in the Reichstag on November 15, arising out of an interpellation oil unemployment, Herr Molkeubuhr (Social Democrat) called attention to a statement of the v -Reichsarbeitsblatt" (the official ' 'Labour - Gazette")that , the unemployed in Germany numbered .420,000, and asked for a system :of State insurance against unemployment, which would require an annual sum of £11,000,000. Dr. von. Bethman Hollwog, Home Secretary, declared that for .the greater part the causes of the crisis..were diminishing in force, while financial.conditions had improved. -The regular" compilation of ; statistics regarding .unemploymentwas- a: difficult' matter, and was of little- use; for by tho. time the figures were available conditions had long" since i changed.- iNo praotical suggestions tor insurance against unemployment /ha„d been put forwards - , 1 \ In conclusion, the-Minister said: "It. belongs to true policy to maintain industry and the worker -in productiveness. .Our-economic, .policy ondeavours, as'far. as concorns foreign markets,-to; attain .this;. object by favourable commercial treaties, while our internal policy seeks to raiso .the-home"market: If we adhero to these .fundamental points wo . shall lessen the effects.of the crisis." . Dr. Stresemanil (National Liberal) said that if they had not'followed a . naval and military: policy they, would; be . dealing with quite another, crisis. '. v/Herr Carstens (Radical People's ; party) asked that, in the. interests of stablo economic. relations, they might have above all things stability in their foreign policy.