The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 22, 1924, Page 5

Friday, February 22, 1924 HERMAN BASLER TELLS MISERY OF | GERMAN WORKERS 50. Per Cent Jobless; Children Tubercular Herman Basler, member of the Berlin Executive Committee of the International Workers’ Aid, is in America for a series of conferences with the Frie of Soviet Russia and Workers’ Germany, as well as with other American workers’ or- ganizations, He was interviewed last night by a representative of the DAILY WORKER and gave a highly illumin- ating picture of the conditions under which the masses of the German people now live. He also brought with him motion pictures of German misery which will be incorporated in the coming F. S. R. film, to be called “Russia and Germany.” Organiza- tions desiring to book the picture can do so thru the National Office at 32 ‘Wabash avenue, Chicago. Millions Unemployed. “When I left Germany more than half of the industrial workers were unemployed because of strikes, lock- outs, or the general industrial depres- sion. Unemployed benefits amounted to so little as to be meaningless, The benefit for an entire week, in many cases, would not buy a loaf of bread. The worst pictures of German hunger now entertained by the Amer- ican publie are 100 per cent under- drawn, Only the most energetic ac- tion on the part of the working classes of the whole world can save miltions of German men, women and particularly children from a miser- able death,” he said. He went on to tell of his work in investigating actual cases of misery that came before the workers’ relief crganization. “Statistics don't mean much to Germans who must figure the price of bread in trillions of marks and who have time after time met price increases of over a hun- dred per cent, But actual cases by the dezens were found that revealed misery beyond description. For in- stance, the only bread winner in a family of eight is a 16-year-old boy, | employed as a messenger in the Reichsbank at a weekly wage of 2.59 marks, about 65 cents. In this fam- ilv two of the children are invalids, Every morning the boy must travel on foot for three-quarters of an hour because he cannot afford carfare. His only food consists of a plate af soup at noon, Last Christmas their piti- ful meal, bought at the Bank Co- operative, cost them three weeks’ wages, so the following three weeks the whole family had to exist on the few pennies unempioyment subeidy granted the mother by the govern- ment. “ Hide Their Poverty, “This is just one case, and by no means the worst. The people go to any length to try to hide their Fatt erty. We saved one little girl from starvation only because other chil- dren had heard her repeat to herself, over and over again, ‘I wish I were dead.’ Clothing ig patched and darn- ed until it cannot be any further, and even then I have seen little girls hold their hands over unmendable holes in their dresses to keep them from the eyes of their friends. A doctor in one of the schools reported that in the severest winter weather 16 per cent of the chillren had no shoes and 14 per cent were without underwear of any description, Is Class begins Sunday, March continues for nine consecutive Sundays at : } ‘SOVIET TECHNICAL SCHOOL | 1902 W, DI Enrollment Fee $1.00 for Full Nine Weeks’ Course CLASS OPEN TO ALL Send names and addresses to Workers Party, Looal Office, Lit Given At Admission 25 Cents REGISTER NOW Workers Party Sunday Morning Class, in History of American Labor and Socialist Movement Musical JOHN REED BRANCH of the Young Workers League SUNDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24 WORKERS LYCEUM, 2733 Hirsch Boul. Speaker: ROBERT MINOR All Proceeds for THE DAILY WORKER TOLEDO, OHIO—NOTICE THE LABOR DEFENSE COUNCIL (Toledo Branch) WILL HOLD A MASS MEETING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 8 P. M. 2004 CANTON AVENUE Send in Your News The Daily Worker urges all members of the party to send in the news of their various sec- tions, Every Party Branch should appoint its own correspondent and make him responsible for the news that ought to be sent in to The Daily Worker. The Party Page should be the livest page in The Daily Worker. Help make it so. A I] mail to the Editor, The 1640 N. Halsted Worker, St., Chicago, Ill. there any wonder that of 1,720 chil- dren examined by city doctors in Tegel-Berlin 27 per cent were found to be tubercular and 48 per cént suf- fering from acute under-nourish- ment? “One of the doctors engaged in this work said to me: ‘It is a singu- lar and humiliating admission from a doctor, but I must say that ‘Justice’ is not the only authority that is blindfolded. The doctor who is in- structed to pick out ‘the worst cases for excursions to other countries should also be blindfolded whey time comes to make the choice, for each and every one of the children de- serves and needs support, vacations and help.’ 15, Look Like 10. “The youth who are leaving the schools all show the effects of years of malnutrition. Girls of fifteen have the retarded growth of childrén of ten. In Gelsenkirchen 58 per cent of the youth seeking work are cer- tified only for ‘qualified tasks’ because of their weak physical condition. Of course, they accept any kind of work they can get. In Berlin alone 24,000 and in Munich 20,000 yoyth are un- employed. .The results are easily imaginable. I recall the case of one girl, Kaethe F..17 years old. She lived in miserable conditions in a poverty-stricken home, finally left to work as a servant, At the end of November she lost her place, failed to find another, slept in the Munici- pal Home where her clothes were | stolen. In seeking work she took | grippe from exposure, and in due | time was discharged from. the hos- | pital with a certificate to the effect | that she wag in need of special care | —but with nothing but the certifi- | vate. The doors of her home were | #losed against her, they had enough mouths to feed. She went to the streets as a last resort. Warm Meal Each 2 Days, “The International Arbeiterhilfe is unable to do all it would like to do to help these poor unfortunates but we are doing all we can. Not more than one warm meal a day can be given, and in most cases only one ‘warm meal in two days. Yet the thousands who receive this help from their fellow workers gre touchingly grateful. That this meagre help should be so important to the Ger- man workers “shows more. clearly than anything else the depth of their. misery, Teachers, upon questioning the school children, declared that most of the youngsters could not re- member when they had had their last warm meal. “In. addition ‘to the food kitchen the I. A. H, has opened a number of play: rooms and libraries to shelter children from cold and remove them from the worst influences of street life. We also distribute ‘Liebesgaben’ from the workers of Holland and Switzerland and needy families and the beginning to send groups of children out of the e¢ountry for | vacatiqns.” Basler will speak at several meet- ings arranged by the Friends of Sov- iet Russia during his few weeks stay lin this country. 2nd, 10:30 A. M. sharp, and VISION St. EGR MINION NN NII ID Entertainment By the the Commencing 6 P. M. | ton, 11,9 Z| Railway THE DAILY WORKER RAILROADS GOUGE U. $. PUBLIC FOR BILLION IN 1924 Biggest Profits Since 1916 Banner Year By LELAND OLDS (Staff Correspondent of the Federated Press) Railroad profits for the year 1923 amounted to approximately $1,000,- 000,000. The total figure given out for Class 1 carriers by the bureau of railway economics is $977,543,590. This représents a return of 5.75 per cent on a valuation of $17,000,000,000 ee ......___"_”” Page Five eae ae sams BUSY TONIGHT? Volunteer workers aré needed at the office of THE DAILY WORKER Phone: Lincoln 7680 and say you'll be up tonight to help THE DAILY WORKER 1640 N. Halsted St. emcee reece ae Landlords’ Greed, Not House Lack, Will Raise Rents When rents ars raised in May it oe omen which exceeds by several billion dol- lars the actual money invested by the owners, Such profits mean that stockhold- ers of 16 railroads operating 40 per cent of the mileage in the United States will get more than $10 profits on each $100 share of stock. While profits of more than 6 per cent will remain for stockholders operating over 52 per cent of the total Class 1 mileage of the country. The profits of 1923 have been ex- ceeded only once in the history of American railroads, That was in 1916 when the owners squeezed out $1,- 040,084,517 by holding down wages and neglecting upkeep. The break- down of private management posed attributable to deterioration of road- bed and equipment which resulted made it necessary for the govern- ment to take over the roads in 1918. $8,494,363,242 Is 10-Year Profit. This year’s profits bring the total for the last decade to approximately eight and a half billion dollars as shown in the following table: Profits Available for Owners of Class 1 Carriers. 1914 . $ 673,104,933 1915 . « _ 854,825,430 1916 . + 1,040,084,517 1917 , + 934,068,770 1918 . 906,500,000 1919 . 906,500,000 1920 . 789,000,000 1921 . 615,945,600 1922 . 776,880,592 1923 . 997,543,500 | MN ae $8,494,363,242 The huge profits of 1923 were made in spite of an unfavorable turn at the end of the year due toe the minor business depression which be- gan in June. Net earnings at $69,- | 580,967 in December were nearly $10,000,000 below those of a year ago. The gross revenues for December showed a decline of $19,212,804 as compared with the carriers’ receipts during December, 1922. The Com- mercial and Financial Chronicle con- siders this decline in gross as a clear indication of the extent to which business fell off during the last half of the year. It forecasts stil] further contraction of railroad revenues dur- ing the coming months, Pennsy Made $45,000,000. Railroads which have made big profits during the. year include the Pennsylvania with $45,000,000, the New York Central with $46,180,000, the Southern Pacific with $40,628,000, the Atchison with $40,785,000, the Union Pacific with’ $38,503,000, the Baltimore’ & Ohio with $22,054,000, the Great Northern with $18,000,000, the Illinois Central with $15,485,000, the Burlington with $20,375,000, and the Southern with $15,000,000. These figures represent profits remaining after all the demands of bond hold- ers and other money lenders for in- terest have been fully met, ° 19 Per Cent Profit. The Atlantic Coast Line has done the best by its stockholders with profits equivalent to 19 per cent, Union Pacifie and Atchison have earned approximately 15 per cent on their common stock. While reports from other important carriers: show the following returns to their com- mon stockholders: New York Central, 17.2 per cent; Nickel Plate, 16.6 per ; Chesapeake & Ohio, 14.9 per Baltimore & Ohio, 12.9 per St. Louis Southwestern, 14.6 cent; cent; per cent; Illinois Central, 13.5 per cent; Reading, 11.9 per cent; South- ern Pacific, 11.8 per cent; aye 0 cent; Louisville & Nas ville, 11.7 per cent, and Pennsyl- vania, 9 per cent, Railway Shopmen Meet in Montreal in 3 Conventions (By The Federsied Press) MONTREAL, Feb. 21.—Three con- ventions of railway shopmen will, meet here a March ion 4, imployes Depart: it, American Federation of Labor, opent {ts cenvention on March 24. Some ites are expected to attend, Z| and the meetings are expected to last about one week, Immediately on the close of. the Division 4 gathering there will be conventions of the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Railway fed- erations. The C. P. R. body is hold- ing its regular biennial meeting. In the case of the C. N, R, the federa- tions of the constituent roads are only now being merged into one federation for the entire government system Division 4 will have the wage webs up pee revision, werd the gen- eral policy o nization on this orange wil be threshed out, The C, P. R. federation is expected to take up int jue: rer of en iar At present the Angus are wuting the work rather than laying .men, while in outside shops the practice of short time is in vogue. An effort may be made to have a uni- form practice in this regard thruout the system, will not be because of a shortage of house; it will be because landlords think the tenants will pay the in- crease, said the Tenants Protective league. For three years, says the league, there has been going on the greatest building boom that Chicago has ever seen. Enough houses have been built in that time to more than take care of the increase in popula- tion There were 18,837 bungalows built during the last three years and 10,488 flats and apartments built dur- ing the same period. New Indianapolis Paper Has Earmarks of the Ku Klux Klan INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 21— The Daily American, a morning news- paper, will make its apearance on Indianapolis streets, about March 15, Milton Elrod, former editor of the Fiery-Cross, K. K. K. publication, an- nounced today. John Reed Branch, Young Workers League. The John Reed Branch of the Young Workers League will hold a Literary Dramatic Evening on February 24, 1924. The following features will be presented to the audience. Two acts of the play “About Chil- dren”—by the great Jewish writer, Peretz. Also musical numbers by the Young Workers League orchestra from Englewood. The following mem- bers of the Freiheit Dramatic League will make up the cast for the play: Comrade Nozchick, Comrade Clara Rubinstein, and Comrade Gorenstein. At the Workers Lyceum, 2733 West Hirsch Boulevard. Tickets 25c. The concert. will begin at 6:00 o'clock. And don’t forget,—the profit will go [#0 the DAILY WORKER. Power Plant In Fox River. A, $500,000 Hydro-Electric Gen- erating Plant and Dam will be jerected at Dayton, Ill., on Fox river, by Fred D, Breit, Ottawa, Ill., it was Said here today. Power generated by the plant will be purchased by the Tllingis® Power ‘and Light Company. Under an agreement with the con- cern, the plant and dam must be in operation April 1, 1925. Baby Born in Snow Drift. . NEW YORK, Feb. 21.—A baby was born in a snow drift today after the sedan in which its father was hurrying its mother to a hospital had been hit by an express train. Both mother and baby, the for- */mer with a dislocated right elbow sustained in the crash, were report- “doing splendidly.” Axman Is Killed. DULUTH, Minn., Feb, 21—James Bilinski, Aurora, Minn., who decap- itated Emil Larson Cook Minn., lum. berjack, with an axe, was shot and killed by a sheriff’s posse following an argument. Bilinski mutilated Larson’s body, then severed his head, authorities said. Millionaries Stick Together. NEW YORK, Feb, 21.—Frank Munsey, owner of the New York Herald, the Sun and the Globe and the Telegram and Mail has issued a statement calling upon the public to save the Mellon tax plan, from de- feat, He “gered President Coolidge ‘will veto the Garner Bill. | Asks New Deal in Hollywood. ""” LOS ANGELES, + Feb, 21.—- Herman L Roth, Hollywood attorney, convicted of extortion Monday, will appeal thru his attorney for a new trial, when he comes up for sentence before Judge Avery, Ki Up Tax Debate. WASHINGTON, Feb. 21.—Pros- pects of tax reduction’ this year were more remote today as the house, after adopting the Garner democratic substitute for the Mellon plan continued its discussion of the tax bill. Another Movie Tragedy. Death by accident was the verdict of a coroner's today in the ease of Mrs, Lillian H. Calvert, known to the motion picture world as Lillian Drew. The actress died from the effects of » in error, according to the jury. The End of a Prodigy. Or ee es we. ‘eb. Li A , the hope of a prow father po eS who revelled advanced thought on religion, sociol- ogy, was held in the Clearwater jail y, with the murder of his parenis is two sisters. Prohibition Hit Again, Prohibition enforcement received another blow here today when for the third time the courts ruled that the city would not license and there- fore control “soft drink” parlors. tly I i wh SHINGTON, ag spe Frank Vermont end Greene, wen iiglyinproved® CHICAGO WORKERS PARTY STARTING STUDY CLASSES Course Gives 9 Lectures for $1.00 How the present-day labor and so- | cialist movements in this country have developed out of native Ameri- can conditions, will be taught to all who are interested to learn, in a study course to begin Sunday morn- ing, March 2, under the direction of the Educational Department of the Workers Party, Local Chicago. Stud- | ents will meet every Sunday morning | at 10:30 sharp in the assembly’ room of the Soviet Technical School, 1902 | W. Division St. The course will | cover a period of nine consecutive | weeks and will consist of a survey | and interpretation of the history of the American. Labor and Socialist Movement. List of Lectures. An outline of the lectures follows: 1, Class Structure of Early American Society and the Begin- nings of a Labor Movement. 2. During and After the Civil War; the Knights of Labor and Its Predecessors. 8. Decline of the Knights of Labor and Rise of the A. F. of L. 4. Emergence of a Socialist Movement. 5, Western Federation of Miners and the I. W. W. 6. Evolution of the, A. F. of L. 7. Labor, Socialism and the Im- pertalist War. 8. Socialist Party, Left Wing and the Formation of Communist Parties. 9. Development of the Commun- ist Movement, and Contemporary Working Class Parties. Register at Once. In addition to the lectures, there will be systematic questions to the pupils. Tuition for the entire course of nine weeks is $1.00, paid in ad- vance. Those who wish to register should send in their names and ad- dresses at once, to the office of the Workers Party, 166 W. Washington St., Chicago. Classes are open to the general public as well as to meni- bers of the Workers Party. The present course which the Party is conducting on “Revolutionary Tac- ties,” concludes next Sunday. Th final lecture entitled, “The Commun- ist International,” will be given by Arne Swabeck, district organizer of the Workers Party. Boguslawski Soloist in Chicago Symphony at Special Concert By ALFRED V. FRANKENSTEIN | is published daily in Moissaye Boguslawski, pianist of |3 was | ¢ the Chicago Musi College, soloist with the Chicago Symphony orchestra at a special, extra-season | ¢ concert on the evening of February 19. The concert opened with Weber's |% everture to “Der Freischuetz”. A good piece of romantic music is this, full of delightful sentimental tunes, and weird melodies, suggestive of the |¢ superstition with which the opera is % concerned. 1g Following this was the third sym-| phony of Hugo Alfven of Stock-| holm. This ig one of the finest sym-|% phonies of recent years, full of a/ wild and rushing reckless joy. It has) % a beautiful slow movement of dif-| 4 ferent character, It is a lyrical sec-| % tion, producing the mood of serene|¥ exaltation of a great and noble art : work, e 1Z Then Mr. Boguslawski played with the orchestra a serenade and allegro by Mendelssohn. This is a_ nice enough eomposition, but it fares ill b comparison with the Alfven 5s; phony. Where Alfven is great, ; delsschn is merely pretty. ig Felix Borowski, also of the Chi-|% + 9°Pgyen phonic cago Musical College, conducted the| 4 second performance this season of his} ¥% poem “Youth”, which| 4 ‘won a prize at the Evanston music| ¥ festival last spring. There seems much in common between the spirit of | 4 the Swedish symphony and Borow- ski's poem. The same joyous pulse of life animates both, but Borowski’s work also has a beautiful lyric sle- ment, es Boguslawski concluded the pro- gram with Liszt’s tremendous first concerto. Here he revealed himself a5 a thoro and musicianly pianist, tho his interpretation of the great and. almost savage music of Liszt showed nothing impressively original. Bogus- bye Boe called out nay Ler an yed two encores. is regret- table that local musicians of such ability as Boguslawski and Borowski appear seldom in public concerts. How Mk | of your shop-mates read THE DAILY WORKER. Get one of them to subseribe teday. The Radical Inn The place where yeu can enjoy an interesting discussion while havi a special Mrs. Smith’s own cooke meal or drinking a Russian Tehei- nick (pet) of tea with Mrs, Smith's own home made cake. Arrangements for services for par. ti organizations and minal wal gs made at any time. Mrs, Smith's Tea Room 1481 8, SAWYER AVENUE ' Phone Rockwell 0202. PASS MOTIONS FOR UNION PROGRESS, Return of Howat and| | | Dist. 26 Chiefs, Demand (Special to The Daily Worker) baistes MEADOW LANDS, Pa. Feb. 21.1} COHEN & HORVITZ |—A huge mass meeting of miners,} Well Known sponsored by Local 4917, U. M. W. of Insurance Salesmen Sotodesteteetetetedectetntetetete MAX BLOOM'S RESTAURANT 3546 ROOSEVELT ROAD Telephone Crawford 2450 ¢ 2 Srerraeetectopecdontreteteteetet TOS+ oetenteetesteatetetesodenet | A., of Tylerdale, Pa., and supported |by the Progressives, was held here on Feb 17 for the purpose of getting the facts of the I f nternational Con- vention in true light before the rank and file of the U. M. W: of A. and to pass judgement on resolutions drawn up by progressive delegates presented at the next District 5 Con- vention. to be About 350 miners, mainly Progres- |sives were present. The gown artists” undaunted | humiliating defeat at the Interna- tional Convention, showed _ their sinister faces, hoping to cause dis- ruption and ultimately breaking up the greatest assemblage of miners for a long time, witnessed in this section. Fine spirit was displayed when young Pat Toohey flayed the Lewis machine for its hypocritical stand on the newly proposed Immigration Laws supported by Secretary of “Labor” James J. Davis. This was too much for the “100% patriotism” of the Klansmen present. They started to hoot and jeer and cause general dis- turbance. But they didn’t get very far, for this time they were not par- ading in the dark with their fiery cross, but were at a mass meeting of infuriated miners who were reaay to back up their hate for these tools of the bosses with strong fists, a thing the cowardly Kluxers profound- ly respect. Resolution presented by the Pro- gressives ranging from appointive power of organizers, Nova Scotia, reinstatement of Alex. Howat, etc., were passed with a roar that surely must have reached Lewis no matter where he might have been. i} ALL TH i THAT’S | “Night- in their } Office: 737 W. Roosevelt Road Phone Roosevelt 2500 Harris Cohen, 2645 Potomac Ave. 8. M. Horvitz, 1253 N. Hoyne Ave. | People are judged by the books they read. All the best books, old and new, can be obtained from Morris Bernstein's Book Shop, 3733 West Roosevelt Road. Phone Rockwell 1458, Stationery, Music and all Periodigals. Come and get a Debs calendar fr Res. Phone Crawforl 0331 Violin Office Phone Rockwell 0112 Teacher HENRY MOSS ORIENTAL JAZZ BAND Music Furnished for All Occasions Members American Fed. of Musicians 1215 S, LAWNDALE AVENUE Chicago, Ill. PITTSBURGH, PA. DR. RASNICK DENTIST Rendering Expert Dental Service for 20 Year 645 SMITHFIELD ST., Near 7th Ave 1627 CENTER AVE., Cor. Arthur Bt. Phone Spaulding 4670 ASHER B. PORTNOY Painters PAINTER! Estimates on 2619 MILWAUKEE AVE., CHICA! E NEWS: WORTH | READING America’s Great Labor Newspaper THE DAILY WORKER . Our growing host of friends are telling the world about us. Our enemies are also the enemies of labor and progress. And even our enemies read the DAILY t WORKER—daily. 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