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german fiReactions
WORK TO EATs ORDER
'MEETS GERMAN APPROVAL
"Register for work if you want to
eat," is a policy which has evoked wide
approval from American Zone Germans.
They feel, generally, that compulsory
registration will further the much-desired
reconstruction of Germany. Restrictions
on the movement of workers from jobs
met with slightly less approbation during
la recent OMGUS Information Control
test of public reactions to Control Coun--
cil Order No. 3.
This Order, issued by the Allied Con-
trol Council toward the end of January,
requires all persons of employable age
to register at their local Labor Offices
.ieither for, work or for release from work
before a food ration card will be issued.
The order also provides that labor can
be supplied to employers only through
the Labor Office; individuals are no
longer permitted to find employment on
their own initiative. In addition, workers
may not transfer from one place of work
to another without the permission of the
Labor Office.
Favorable reaction to Order No. 3 "is
also partly due to the feeling that there
are many persons capable of work who
*are avoiding it because they do not like
types of employment which are available.
A number of related questions were also
asked to probe workers' satisfaction with
their present jobs and to discover the
reasons why employable persons are not
working.
Most persons who are employed are
satisfied with their jobs. While most
,of the non-employed explain their status
on the grounds that they are housewives
-or physically incapable of working, a
considerable minority of the unemployed
state -either that they are denazified per-
sons removed for political undesirability,
or that they'are unable to find any desir-
able work.
Three-quarters of those interviewed
say they had heard that it was necessary
to register at the local Labor Service.
At the same time, nearly half 'of those
who heard of the order can not remem-
bier what the penalty (withdrawel iof food
card) was for, non-compliance.
A large majority of the whole popula-
tion (87 percent) think the law praise-
worthy. In addition to its basic willing-
ness to accept authority, the German
public ha.s grown accustomed during the
last thirteen years to rigid control of
labior and employment conditions. Ad-
ditional reasons for this favorable .ac-
ceptance-'of the registration requirement
are brought out by the survey. Most
people (70 percent) think that there are
many people in Germany today who
though capable of working are idle be-
cause they do not like the jobs which' are
available. The public, it is clear, favors
measures designed to put these people to
work. Besides, there is the general feel-
ing that such compulsory measures will
aid the reconstruction of Germany.
Although a solid majority (62 percent)
of the public also approve the restric-
tions on labor mobility contained in the
'order, this figure is considerably lower
than the 87 percent who approve of
compulsory registration. Opponents of
the measure constitute about a fourth of
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