Читать книгу Economic Development in Denmark Before and During the World War онлайн

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The circumstances of the town labourer were by no means easy. We have precise information for 1872; and as it has been proved that during the first decade after the abolition of the guild system workmen's wages were not essentially changed, the figures we give may be taken to represent conditions as they were during the whole period from 1860 to 1872. According to the statistics available, the average daily wage in Copenhagen was 2.73 kroner ($0.73) for industrial workmen and 2.38 kroner ($0.64) for artisans. The working day was long ten to eleven hours exclusive of time for meals. The price of food was high, so that a workman, if he had a family to support, could not provide for it even the bare necessities of life. It was thus absolutely necessary for his wife and children, so far as they could, to participate in the earning ​of their own livelihood. Conditions were a little better in 1882, as shown by a report for Copenhagen. The average daily wage for an unskilled workman was then 2.37 kroner ($0.64); for a journeyman, 3 kroner ($0.80). Somewhat more might be earned by piece-workers; and as the price of food was decreasing, some progress had been made even though wages were still lamentably low. On the whole, however, it may be said that the new period had not begun very auspiciously.