A Strike

The fall of the mark has so demoralized wage values that 60,000 men employed in the Berlin metal industries have struck.

Three-cornered negotiations between the Government, the companies and the workers broke down. The Government proposed a wage of 10,000 marks an hour. The workers demanded "real pay for real work"; a sliding scale of wages based on the cost of living was urged. The Government feared it would add to the depreciation. The companies said a wage which varied each week would make it impossible to quote prices in doing business. The workers said that 15,000 marks an hour was the minimum on which a worker could live. They also demanded an immediate bonus of 500,000 marks.

Communistic elements are thought to have fomented this key-industry strike. A revolution is the hope of the Communists and Monarchists, who see an opportunity to regain power.