MONTHLY DEFICIT OF £3

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 210, 24 May 1918, Page 7

MONTHLY DEFICIT OF £3

GERMAN MTNETiST7NAT!T,E 'IO'LIVE ON EARNINGS. Tim cost of living in Germany lias increased to a much greater extent that in ■England, and'some revelations in (he "Borgnrboiter Zcitnng," the organ of the trade union of German miners', shows that earnings are considerably below the necessary expenditure. 'Clio family budget is published of a miner living in Wambc], near Dortmund. Tho household consi.sted of Ibe miner, bis wife, and iiw children, the eidest being 11, and earning 10s. per month. The man's average earnings woro „Cl 5 Bs. for the month, tho total income amounting In .Ela 18s. The nulla v on tho month, however, amounted lo -CIS 155.. the deficit heing Ji'l 17s. Commenting on this, a. wriler in "Die: Konjimktnr" declared that the published details showed that Ihe greatest economy was exorcised by Ihe family, and that faking extra necessaries into account "the average monthly deficit,' at the lowest cslimnto, will exceed GOs." It is not Biirprisinu, under the circumstances, to learn from tho "Berliner Tngeblatt" lhar a protest forwarded lo (he Ministry of I'\iod by tho nirschDunckcr Union of Engineers and Metal workers contained the following:— Tho metal workers are mostly engaged in munition making, and have very hard physical work, Generally '

theso workers, through physical strain and inadequate food, aro visibly collapsing. News is just to hand also of wild scenes in tho Vienna markcls on Now Year's Day. Tho "Arbeitor Zeitung," describing the' incidents, states that it was announced that 20 tons of Serbian pork would bo sold at the market at 2s. 7JJ. per lb. As-a consequence at 9 p.v,",., en tho previous evening huge crowds began to gather at tho Market Hull: Pressing, pushing, thumping, raumus shouting, shrill crying .ensued. Tlio market polioe wero ovorpowcrcd. Scarcely had the sale begun before it was stopped. "There is no more, was tho answer. Thereupon tne rampage began. Many of tire stalls wero upset. Freo figliU were started. market pales having been closed, tho lingo crowds outside continued to ■riw Tho crowd became urious. Lnml cries against U>o niuninip.tlirv nwl agaiwt «'c M".™ expressed t!:e angry feelings of Iho people. How this 20 tons \of pork was sold, or whether it vanished, is fin in. soluble problem. Criticism of the system of control is growing, and Mayors of boroughs in Germany have been prosecuted for conlravenjng'tho regulations.