GERMANY AT WORK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 162, 5 April 1921, Page 6

GERMANY AT WORK

EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS COMBINE TO REGAIN TRADE.

After an extended tour of Fiance, Belgium, and Germany; Mr. G. S. Martin, importer, of Sydney) returned to Melbourne a few days ago. "Germany is rapidly recovering her commercial position,” said Mr. Martin in the course of an interview with an Australian pressman. "There is no division of opinion on the question. The whole population is working in unison. AVorkman and master seem to have tacitly agreed to regain their pre-war commercial supremacy. .r.e transitory stages from war to peace conditions have already been passed, :.nd trade is gradually expanding. Germany to-day is a huge industrial machine. I 1 ood is still scarce, otherwise conditions have almost returned to normal.”

The elimination of the Prussian regime had ■wrought a marked revulsion in public feeling and aspirations. Mr. Martin continued. The swashbuckling bombast had entirely disappeared, and the dream of world dominion, for the time being at any rate, had given place to a devotion to hard work; All Germany was at work producing and commercialising eiery available asset in tho country. Much more important, from tho viewpoint of the present industrial unrest, was the fact, that there were no strikes. This was not to sav, however, that German workmen had forsaken their aim of obtaining better wages and industrial conditions. Trades unionism in Germany was a very powerful and active organism. When differences arose between the parties a sane course was adopted. “Shop” committees met representatives of the owners in conference and conferred until agreement was reached. Tn the meantime, tho work went on. There wore no stop-work meetings. It was realised by union leader, workman, capitalist, and manager. Ih.it production was the only hope of rehabilitating the* country, of saving it from chaos; that strikes served no good purpose, either to th? individual ot the cominun’itv; and the Germans were taking full advantage of the industrial c. iidicls which were affecting their competitors. No stretch of the imagination was needed to forecast the result if such ccrditions ns now existed in Germany were sustained for anv length of time. V hile labour unions, Governments, and pnirte emplovers in other countries were wi«r<?ling about wages, the German merchant was obtaining control of new marie?'?, and regaining the trade from which he had been entirely cut off during tho war.