AND ON THE CONTINENT.

187

by prostitution—even by misery and want. Excellent service inthe cause of determining tile conditions of life of German opera-tives has to be ascribed to the inquiries—published by order ofthe Ministry of the Grand Duchy of Baden —of Woerislioffer, forthe celebrated and well-known Gommittee on Baden Factory In-spection. Even for the skilled workpeople of well establishedcentralised industries (for instance, of the chemical industry) itappears, according to these, that the most favourable result is theever scanty attainment of the physiological minimum of living.In spite of which, these communications contain—in connectionwith the information concerning other German working classes,especially concerning the known conditions of the German cottageindustrial workers—proof that sound centralised industries alwaysmake possible a relatively higher status of living of theoperatives. While for the mass of the workers in German cen-tralised industries the nourishment—mostly potatoes and ryebread—may at least scantily supply the physiological demands,that of the cottage workers shows, in comparison, an apparentwant of nourishment (see page S8 )■ I quote, as an instance fromone of the textile centres of North Germany, the following opera-tive’s budget, which seems to me, after comparison with another,to stand rather above than below the average. The family con-sists of the husband (49 years old), wife (53 years old), and fourchildren (5 to 17 years old). The husband and the twoeldest children are employed in a power weaving-mill. The manearns 15s.; the two children together contribute 7s. per week forfood and lodgings to the parents :•—

WEEKLY EXPENDITURE FOR FOOD AND HOUSE, etc.

Rye bread, second quality

42 lb.

M. pf.5 60

Potatoes

30 litres ..

1 80

White bread (small rolls, 25 grammes)

2 lb.

2 0

Wheaten flour (2nd quality)

9

0 40

Meat (Sundays only)

f ,, l

0 45

Dripping

Vegetables (peas, linseed, rice, etc ) ..

—

3 40

Coffee

—

0 20

Butter

2* lb.

3 40

Skimmed milk

G litres ..

0 60

Rent

3 20

Sick money and old-age insurance

0 65

School money

0 15

Total.

21 85

It results from what is given abo

e,

in comparison with the