COMPULSORY LABOR IN BULGARIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1922, Page 10

COMPULSORY LABOR IN BULGARIA.

ENFORCED FOR TWO YEARS. At the special invitation of the Billgariau Government, a delegate of the International Labor Office of the Lea- • gue of Nations has left for Bulgaria to : examine thoroughly and report on the working of the law on compulsory la- . bor which has now been in force in i Bulgaria for two years. ! This law. which is being followed ' with the closest interest by other naj tions as a novel experiment in social I service* prescribes that Bulgarian citizens, viz., boys who have reached the age of 20 and girls of 16 and over, shall give personal service to the State (H2 months for men and u months for woiDQn). It is forbidden to leave the country or change one’s nationality before this service is carried out. During the period of compulsory service the young men live together in special buildings. They are called up simuli.taneously throughout the whole eouni try at the beginning of the year. Young j women continue to live with their ! families. | Tn 1921 about 700,000 came within the scope of the law, of whom a large | percentage did their quota of State serjvice. All classes of society were called upon. Tn one district an aqueduct was Constructed and the streets paved. In another 20.000 fir trees were planted. T)ip following kinds of work are included in a table which was issued atthe end of the year:—'Road making, motor ear manufacture, work for a furniture co-operative society, dye works, ready-made tailoring, Red Cross work, and work in State flower and plant nurseries. The duration of the work varied between 5, 15 and 20 days.