072《经济学家》读译参考之七十二烟囱清洁工四面楚歌－德国烟囱清扫业排斥竞争.doc

《经济学家》读译参考 Translated Edited by Chen Jilong PAGE  Page  PAGE 3 of  NUMPAGES 3 TEXT 72 Chimney sweeps under fire 烟囱清洁工四面楚歌（陈继龙 编译） Oct 19th 2006 | FRANKFURT From The Economist print edition （1）GERMANYS chimney sweeps—hallowed as bringers of good luck, with their black top hats and coiled-wire brushes—are under attack. Last week the European Commissions directorate[1] for the internal market revived proceedings against an antiquated German law that protects sweeps against competition. 头戴大礼帽、身背金属盘条刷的德国烟囱清洁工被视为能带来好运的圣人，如今却遭到了抨击。上周，欧盟委员会内部市场理事会再次对德国一部保护烟囱清洁工免受竞争的过时法律提起了控诉。 The countrys chimney sweeps enjoy a near-perfect monopoly. Germany is divided into around 8,000 districts, each ruled by its own master sweep who usually employs two more sweeps. Although this is a private enterprise, the maintenance and inspection service provided is c_______① and prices are set by the local authority: sweeps cannot stray outside their district, nor can householders change their sweep even if they loathe him. （2）This rule cuts both ways. “There are some customers I cant stand either,” says one Frankfurt sweep. 德国的烟囱清洁工几乎完全享有垄断权利。德国总共划分为大约8000个行政区，每个区都有各自的清洁工工长，这名工长通常再雇佣2名以上的清洁工。虽然这是一个私人公司，但是其提供的维护和检查服务都是强制性的，而且由地方当局定价。清洁工不能跨区服务，而各家各户即便对清洁工不满意也不可更换。这一规定两头都不讨好。法兰克福一名清洁工说：“有一些客户我也受不了。” The r_______② is simple: chimney-sweeping and related gas and heating maintenance in Germany are treated as a matter of public safety. Annual or semi-annual visits are prescribed, keeping the sweeps busy all year round. 原因很简单——德国人认为清扫烟囱及相关的燃气、供热保养事关公共安全，而清洁工按规定每年或每半年要拜访客户一次，长年都忙忙碌碌。 （3）For centuries, chimney-sweeps in Europe were a wandering breed. But in 1937 the chimney-sweep law was revised by Heinrich Himmler, then the acting[2] interior minister. His rules tied chimney sweeps to their districts and decreed that they should be German, to enable him to use sweeps as local s______③. 欧洲的烟囱清洁工曾经都是漂泊一族，这种状况维持了数百年之久。不过到了1937年，时任德国内政部代理部长的海因里希·希姆莱（德国纳粹头子）对烟囱清洁法进行了修订。他要求烟囱清洁