The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 8, 1924, Page 5

Wednesday, October 8, 1924 aaa THE DAILY WORKER RHODE ISLAND LABOR FIGHTS ~ BOSSES’ UNION Amoskeag ‘Union’ Took Ten Per Cent Cut By ART SHIELDS (Federated Press Staff Correspondent.) CROMPTON, R. L., Oct. 7.— Polish workers, who predomi- nate in the big Crompton com- pany velvet and corduroy mills here have voted down their em- ployer’s proposal for a com- pany® union. The company union is polite- ly called a plan for industrial democracy by Frank Rich- mond, the aged owner, and he announces that he will continue the agitation until he converts the workers to the idea. Union Fights the Plan. A stiff fight is being made against the company union idea by the Amalgamated Textile Workers’ Un- fon, which has an active local in the Pawtuxet Valley, and which recently won a strike for higher wages in the Crompton dye house. The company union Pawtuxet Val- ley employers are urging is. modelled after the pne that has just accepted a ten per cent cut in wages in the Amoskeag works at Manchester, N. H. It gives the employers final decision on all questions. Under the proposed plan the» Crompton workers would elect only one of three bodies, we House of Representatives. A settle- ment of grievances effected in the House is reviewed by a Senate, which has a majority of overseers, as fore- men are called here, and a minority of operatives. Final decision rests with the ‘Cabinet, consisting of the pwner and superintendent. , Workers in Fighting Mood. “Unless the industrial democracy plan is put thru a wage cut in this, company’s plants does not seem likely in the near future. The workers are in a mood to fight back as they did in the 9-month strike of 1922 when a wage cut was defeated. And the Crompton company is relatively busy as compared to neighboring mills of the B. B. & R. Knight. company, which have don nothing for months. The Crompton mills are on two red- uced shifts for the weavers, spinners and carders and a 54-hour week for the dyers. The dyers’ conditions illustrate the kard lot of the New England textile’ 1,500,000 WORKERS WHO EARNED MEAGER LIVING ONE YEAR AGO ' NOW COMPLETELY OUT OF JOBS By LELAND OLDS, (Federated Press Industrial Editor) Approximately 1,500,000 workers are out of a job who were earning a meager livitig in the factories in August, 1923. This is the true story of the August employment report of the United States department of labor which enabled President Coolidge to broadcast his republican optimism before the full figures were given to the public. The report shows employment 15 per cent below the level of a year ago and total wages down more than 17 per cent. expectation. The slight gain as compared@with July was below normal seasonal A gain in working time furnishes the only real ground for hope. This is represented.by an increase of 3 per——————————+ cent in the per cent of capacity opera- tion and of 1 per cent in working time. But this means nothing more than the end of inventory vacation periods which generally occur in July. The sifinificant facts are that 4 per cent of the reporting establishments were altogether idle and that the re- mainder were operating only 88 per cent of full time and 77 per cent of full capacity. That means that the faétories of the country in August were*turning out less than 68 per cent of their normal full-time output. The real situation is reflected in the table which shows for the major industrial divisions the pre cent de- crease in employment. from a year ago and the per cent of full-time capacity operated during the month of August. Employ- Pct. of ment Oper. INDUSTRY decrease ation Food and kindred products.. 7 ‘Textiles and their products 17 Iron and steel and products 22 Lumber and its products... 8 Leather and its products.. 13 Paper and printing. Chemicals, allied. products 15 Stone, clay, glass products 7 Metal products, not iron... 12 Tobacco products ..... 1 Vehicles for land transport 17 Miscellaneous 17 Such figures reflect:a depression in manufacturing’ industry which the powers that rule big business seem unable to tglk themselves out of. The important fact to be read in the table is that the manufacuring power of the country has been expanded far beyond the*ability of the people to_ consume its product. Reports indicate that the distribution of commodities is going on at a comparatively high rate. In other words with producers in indus- try and on the farms forced to accept a low return for their labor their dustry working at about three-quar- ters of capacity. Financiers are trying to tell the country that all will be well when the international situation is straightened out so that the extra quarter of the country’s’ product can go abroad to furnish capital for other peoples. But any ‘improvement’ from this source would be of very short duration. Economists even of the conservative school are beginning to realize that the only permanent solution is to in- crease the purchasing power of, wage earners and farmers sufficiently to enable them to buy all that they can produce working full time. Higher wages which will enable the workers to enjoy the fruits of the increased productivity which comes from in- vention represent the only way by which a chronic state of depression can be avoided. worker who is supposed to be enjoy- ing the benefits of a republican tariff and other G. O. P. legislation. The 54-hour week is part of their republican comforting. A 48-hour week law was invalidated when a republican secretary of state failed to sign. it. sayy * >; ee And the dye house’ workers’ full dinner pail, such as he can fill on an average wage of $23 a week, he has to empty in the intervals of work. He gets no time off for lunch in the Crompton mill. The dyeing machinery must be kept going, so the worker has to grab his food as he can, with- out taking time to rest or to clean off the poisonous chemicals in which he Develops Bad Cough. A typical dye house worker is pale OUR DAILY PATTERNS A SPLENDID HARLEQUIN SUIT 8778. Here is an ever popular mas- querade design—one that is sure to A JAUNTY TOP GARMENT FOR “THE BOY.” style, with roomy armscye. Ser, terials may be used for this design. The Pattern is cut in 4 Sizes: receipt of 12c in silver or stamps. 4248, Here js just the coat to make a boy comfortable and to keep him. warm. The fronts are double breasted. The sleeve is in raglan cheviot, tweed and other coat ma- 4, 6, Sand 10 years. A 6 years size requires 2% yards of 54 inch material. Pattern mailed to any address on umd frequently afflicted with a bad cough, He breathes the confined atmosphere, saturated with unhealthy fumes, and his clogged feet slosh about in poisonous liquid. Usually the dye house worker is too tired and depressed at the day’s end to consider organization. In the Crompton plants, however, they are the best organized group of workers, None of the cotton mill work is healthy. In the weaving, carding and spinning departments ventilation is kept at a-minimum while the air is kept warm and moist. The humidifiers use the Pawtuxet River water, pol- luted by the dye houses of mills fur- ther up the valley. Pulmonary dis- eases are common. Wages Very Low. When the worker gets home un- healthy conditions continue. One, two and six family tenements are rented to the workers unfurnished. Few have modern sanitary devices. The only repairs I heard of as made by the company were in the homes of Jacob and Pawl Pankiewiecz, shot up by state guardsmen in the 1922 strike. Seven shots went thru the doors. Since the striké the company put in new doors—to hide evidence of its crimes, workeg say. But there are ballet marks which remain: These are sears on the Pankiewiecz broth- ers themselves. Jacob, a father of seven, shot in thigh and ankle, and Pawl, shot in the abdomen. The average wage for all depart- ments, totaling 1,200 workers, is slightly less than $20 weekly. Rubber and Tobacco Wages for Women. TORONTO.—The Ontaria minimum wage board has fixed minimum wages of women workers in the rubber and tobacco trades in Toronto at $10 per week the first six months and $11 for the next six months. After a yea experience the minimum is $12.50 per week. In the same city the minimum for girls is $8 per week for the first six months, then $9 for six months and after that $10. The rates for smaller cities and towns are lower, the girls-ranging from $6 to $9 in all places below 5,000 population; while for the same class of place the min- imum for experienced workers is $10 per week, lowa Klan Is Split, MARION, Ia., Oct. 7. — Difficulties which are said to have resulted in the revoking of the charter of the Ku Klux FRAME-UP ON NORWAY REDS INU. 8. STYLE All Officials Indicted in Drive on Communists (Special to The Daily Worker) CHRISTIANIA, Norway, Oct. 7.—Efforts to swing the Nor- wegian trade unions solidly for the Amsterdam international have failed. Following a campaign of frame-up and terror without precedent in Norway, and which seems to have been patterned after similar campaigns against the reds in America the reac- port of the unions in the key industries. The failure of the enemies of the Communist elements wh the unions to swing the bulk of the key unions for Amsterdam ‘is surprising, due to the fact that the Communist party of Nor- way, reorganized a short time ago in accordance with instruc- tions of the Communist Inter- national, is no longer a party of unions but of the flexible char- acter prescribed by the Com- of known revolutionists. The officials of the Communist Party have all been indicted previous to a general election. : This was a deliberate move on the part of the government to hamper the party in the election campaign and since their indictment obvious at fempts to prejudice the masses against them have been made. The authorities claimed to have found dynamite placed to destroy the water supply of Aker, a suburg of Christ- iania and accused the Communists of the crime, Following this event,«the govern- ment “discovered” nineteen dynamite cartridges under the floor of the prose- cuting attorney's office and again ac- cused the Communists of plotting ter- rorism. Orders for the arrest of all the Communist officials have been issued as a climax to the persecution of the party. The attitude of the government has done much to heal thé breach in the ranks of the revolutionary movement that expressed itself in the split in the party last year. Pennsylvania Censors Change Minds About ‘Beauty & Bolshevik’ (Special to The Daily Worker) PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7.—After turning down the new Russian com- edy-dramaé, “Beauty and | Bolshevik,” the Pennsylvania state board of mo- ition picture censors reconsidered the decision and permitted the showing to go on with a few minor title changes, The picture will be shown at the Lulu Temple, Saturday, Oct. 11, and it is confidently expected that its suc- cess will be fully up to the mark set by all previous pictures. The action of the censors in almost barring the labor film greatly increased the inter- est in the picture. In every case where there is censorship opposition large crowds are attracted that would otherwise remain indifferent. In Philadelphia picture shows have always been exceptionally successful ing this feature film will do well to buy their tickets in advance at the local office, 621 York Ave, Oil Exports From Mexico. M (CO CITY.—Of the 8,772,000 barrels of oil exported to the United States from Mexico during the month of August of this year, Standard Oi! exported 2,040,000; El Aguila (Branch of Royal Dutch-Shell) 1,590,000; Royal Dutch 1,700,000; Sinclair 927,000; Mex- ican Gulf 1,020,000; The Empire 373,- 000; Texas Co. 220,000; New England Fuel 174,000; Mexican Seaboard 76,000, tionaries failed to'ge the sup-| munist International, composed : so those who want to be sure of see-| DO YOU LIVE following letter. rebel and file. We know t anxious to participate and not only to particpate, but do @éverything in your power to further our movement. Perhaps, you are not fully informed, of the present situation in the metal industry, perhaps, you do not realize the seriousness and the significance of the present movement among: the metal workers. Nevertheless we know that you are anxious and ready |to fall in line with the rest of the |rebels and help carry on the fight of jthe rank and file. | We believe, that if you are a rebel |—you cannot but answer this appeal~ jand you must answer if you desire to |consider yourself to be a part of the \left wing movement. Here is our appeal to you: Join-us—to do your duty. Join us— to participate in*the daily struggles of {the rank and file. Join us—to help 'strengthem and build a strong Metal Workers’ Union. This is your opportunity—Join us {this Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1924, 8 p. m. sharp at the Hungarian House, 350 East 81st street, between First and Second avenues. A Come to answer the roll call—if you know any progressive and rebel metal worker who did not receive sucha letter bring him along with you, but please be on time. Fraternally yours, The Executive Committee, Metal Trades Section, «Trade Union Educational League, Gustav Obergfell, Secretary. | Your Union Meeting Second Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1924. Name of Local and No. Place of Meeting. 181 Coopers, 8901 Escanaba Ave. 2 Firemen’s Assn., 64 W. Randolph St., 2 p. m. 1 Boiler Makers, Monroe and Peoria. 520 Boot and Shi Workers, 1939 Mil- waukee, A Carmen's Council, 5445 S. Ashland Av 4 Jewelry Workers, 19 W. Adams St. Garment Workers, Ladies’, 328 W. Van Buren St., 6:30 p. m. Machinists, 113 S. Ashland Blvd. Machinists, 735 N. Cicero Ave. Maintenance of Way, 426 W. 63d St. 1 Carpenters, 175 W. Washington St. Carpenters, 12 Garfield Bivd. Carpenters, Polk and Western. Carpeners, 6445 S. Ashland Ave. Carpenters, 814 W. Harrison Se. Carpenters, 1638 N. Halsted St, CARPENTERS, 1638 N. HALSTED ST., H.H FEHLING, Rec. Sec’y., 2253 Grace St. Irving 7597. Hod Carriers, 1352 W. Division St. Sheet Metal, 5324 §. Halsted St. Railroad Trainmen, 426 W. 63rd St., 7:30 p.m. Roofers, 777 W. Adams St. Teamsters, 220 S. Ashland Bivd. Teamste: (Meat), 220 S. Ashland Bivd. Tuckpointers and Frt. Cleaners, 810 W. Harrison St. Tunnel and Subway Workers, 914 W. Harrison St. Carpenters, 6414 S. Halsted St. Painters, Sherman and Main Sts., Evanston, ill. rers, 910 W. Monroe S*, 73 Sheet Metal, 714 W. trarrison S4. (Note—Unless otherwise stated all meetings ace at 8 p. m.) 759 13046 924 1922 } &4 Would Dodge Eight-Hour Act. VANCOUVER, B. C.—The lumber bosses are working tooth and nail to postpone the operation of the 8-hour day legislation which is to go into ef- fect in British Columbia, Jan. 1, 1925. The latest move to annul the legisla- tion is the compiling of lists of work- ers working more than 48 hours weekly and to press claims that they should not come under the provisions of the act because they are either “temporary exceptions” to the provis- ions of the act or “exceptional cases” ;to be permanently excluded from the jlegislation.. There are in all approxi- mately 35,000 workers in this province who will be affected by the act. Cop Guilty of Attacking Girl. Indirect confirmation of labor union charges that Chicago policemen were brutal and offensive in their treat- ment of girl pickets in the dressmak- ers’ strike of last spring is seen by unfonists in the conviction of Thomas Guilfoyle who attacked a girl in the city hall while he was still om the Chicago police force. The jury con: victed/him in five minutes. The sen- tence will be 1 to 14 years in prison. Guilfoyle appealed. ARE YOU A METAL WORKER? IN NEW YORK : CITY? ATTEND THIS MEETING! y metal’ worker residing in New York City will please read the It is for your special consideration: To the Metal Workers Who Are Rebels: You are a metal worker and a rebel. you must actually participate in the everyday struggles of the rank t you are very+ To be a militant—to be a true AMERICAN GOLD IS FINANCING PEKING TROOPS Flashlight Thrown on Chinese Situation (Special to The Dailx Worker) MOSCOW, Russia, Oct. 7-—-M. Mel nikov, chief of the far eastern depart- ment of the Soviet foreign office, throws an interesting flashlight on sinister forces at work behind the scenes in the present Chinese con- flict. He lays considerable responsi bility at the feet of the United States government, which, he s ing the Chinese war for its own ends. “Definite proofs that American goy- ernment gold is behind the Peking group in the present struggle is nat- urally impossible to supply,” said Mel- nikov. “But every known fact points in that direction. Anglo-American in- vestments and enterprises are all wrapped up in the progress of this group, and Americans only support it. “For proof of participation of Amer- icans in the struggle we need only to point to the fact that the foreign negotiations in Peking under Anglo- ;American leadership have agreed to maintain peace in the central capital, thus enabling Wu Péi-fu to withdraw troops from there and fling them into the battle line. In effect, that is the same as if the United States directly moved troops into line.” Russia’s Position. In explanation of Russia’s position towards China, Melnikov made the fol- lowing enlightening diagnosis of the Chinese situation: “Fundamentally, the present Chin- ese conflict is a struggle between Jap- anese interests on the one hand and British and American interests on the other. As Great Britajn and the United States possess greater re- sources than does Japan, they prob- ably will win. “While the Russian people have sympathy with certain Chinese groups, and say so, the. Soviet government takes no part. We stand by the pro- vision of our Chinese treaty, which we mean to observe. The Chinese must fight out their domestic differ- ences between themselves. It is their business to settle their internal dis- putes without foreign intervention. For Complete Independence. “Russia stands for the complete in- dependence of China and complete freedom from restrictions upon that independence, whether thru the main- tenance of foreign exterritorial rights or by other means. Admittedly the condition of China presents many dif- ficulties for other countries. The weakness of the central government makes it difficult to secure respect for treaty. provisions in the outer prov- inces. We know this to be a fact, for it is true of our own treaty with China. * Still, foreign intervention would only do harm. “At the beginning Chang Tso-lin de- clared himself against the enforce- ment of parts of our treaty, including thé problem of the Chinese Hastern railway. Now he has changed his views entirely. However, we have to maintain some relations with Chang Tso-lin, for he is the real ruler over a great area consisting of three outer provinces which border for a long dis- tance on our country. “How far Japan supports Chang Tso-lin we do not know, but it is com- mon knowledge that Japan is permit- ting him to use the South Manchurian railroad for the movement of his troops.” MITCHALL’S INTERNATIONAL ORGHES {RA Union Music Furnished For All Occassions * Write for appointments to M. MITCHALL, (Teacher of Saxophone) 1640 W. Congress St. Chicago, III, the POLICE CZAR OF PATERSON I SHOWN UP Workers Party Calls His Latest Bluff (Specia' to the DAILY WORKER) PATERSON, N. J. Oct. 7.— The Workers Party has become a major issue in the strike ofthe silk workers here. Chief of Police | Tracey, in closing the halls of |Paterson to the strikers, de- clared that his action was based jupon the fact that H. M. Wicks, fof the Workers Party, had been delivering objectionable speeches. The intention was to make it appear that the Work- jers Party was an obstacle to the {conduct of the strike. | In order to force a showdown Workers Party instructed Wicks to insist that he be with- drawn from the list of speakers by the. strike committee and thus put squarely up to the chief of police the closing of the halls. The strike committee, in special session, and after long debate, agreed to the proposition and issued the fol- lowing statement: “While the committegafeels that its rights and the rights of free speech have been violated by the chief, we realize that our main task at this time is to win the strike and we cannot stop to engage in a fight that would detract from the main issue. “We want it distinctly understood that the action of the committee was a the request of Wicks and hot initiated’ by anyone else.” This statement was published in the Paterson Call on Thursday morn. ing, and the committee selected to call upon the chief of police and de- mand the opening of Turn Hall. The committee ‘discussed the matter with Tracey for several hours, but was un- able to get any satisfaction. Tracey declared that he would not open the hall, thus proving conclus- ively that his object is to break the strike, and that he was using the at- tack upon the Workers Party as a subterfuge in order to demoralize the ranks of the strikers. The newspapers have been carrying screaming “headlines day after day to the effect that it was Communist par: ticipation in the leadership of the strike that is responsible for Tracey's ‘ action. The action of the party in voluntarily withdrawing Wicks as a speaker is considered a_ strategic move of the first magnitude because it exposed the real motives of the chief of police. Strike Committee Acts. The emergency committee met and discussed the latest develpoments and decided to demand that the chief of police open Turn Hall or Wicks would speak at a meeting to .be ar- ranged somewhere in Paterson in de- fiance of the closing orders of the chief. Wieks himself issued a state- ment to the public and the strikers regarding his, attitude in which the history of the strike, his own partici- pation in it, the attitude of the capi- talist press and the illegal activities of the police are given in detail. He declares it is his intention te carry on the fight for free speech in Paterson and he has, the full support of the Workers (Communist) Party of America and the Civil Liberties Un- ion in this struggle. Fight Continues, A hall for a huge mass meeting is to be secured at an early date and prominent speakers will be on the program. It is planned to wage a campaign for free speech and free as- semblage that will settle once and for all the question of the rights. of the masses in Paterson. Meanwhile the picket line remains unbroken and the silk bosses are be- ing taught a lession of workers soll- darity that they will never forget, Heave the Brick Back! Send 12c in silver or stamps Yor our UP-TO-DATE. FALL & WINTER 1924-1925 BOOK OF FASHIONS, NOTICE TO PATTERN BU rt please and to be very comfortable. It can readily be developed and is suitable for many kinds of materials, Calico, cretonne, chintz, muslin, cam- ba satin, and crepe are good for Klan in this county and the removal of all officers will be discussed here tonight at a meeting of more than 3,000 members of the independent Klan, formed following the split with the parent organization. The dissen- tion is said to have resulted from ef- forts of the Iowa domain of the Klan to swing members of that organization behind W. J. Burbank, Klan guberna- torlal candidate. hips " Child Is Eldctrocuted. ROCK ISLAND, Ill, Oct. 7.—War- BARN YOUR COMMUNIST MER. | ren, 16 months old son of Mr. and Mra. IT STAMP BY GETTING A NEW|Arnold A. Brasch, was dead here to- MEMBER FOR THE PARTY AND | (day as a result of placing his tongue 10 ' live electric light socket which from @ wash- UNCLE WIGGILY’S TRICKS = The light 4s “Wait a minute, Nurse Jane” | tis model. a ‘The Pattern is cut in 5 sizes: 6-8, ( \ and 10-12 years for children, 14-16 ‘ years for misses, and 38-40; 42-44 ‘inches bust measure for adilts. A ' 40-12 year size requires 5% yards of 27 inch material for the suit, and % yard for the cap. A 38-40 inch size requires 8% yards of 27 inch material for the suit and % yard for the cap. Pattern mailed to any address on receipt of 12c in silver o1 not