The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 28, 1925, Page 6

nl Page Six THE DAILY WORKER. Publishda by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO, 1118 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, DL (Phone: Monroe 4712) SUBSCRIPTION RATES $2.00...8 months (in Chicago only): $4.50....6 months $2.50....3 months $6.00 per year $8.00 per year Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER 1118 W. Washington Bivd. Chicago, Iineis wooo IONS senses BuBiness Manager WILLIAM F, DUNNE MORITZ J. LOEB. J. LOUIS ENGDAHL t ®ntered as second-class mai! Sept, 21, 1923, at the Post- Office at Chicago, Ill, under the act.of March 3, 1879. SB 290 Advertising rates op application | Coal Miners Face Crisis ‘Phe coal operators have assembled their forces and are determined to revise the Jacksonville agree- ment with the United Mine Workers of America. That such a move would be undertaken by the coal barons has been evident for some time. In all the coal fields there has been a steady but unofficial revision of the agreement. Working conditions have been changed to benefit the operators and such changes have had the same result as a reduc- tion of wages—the miners dig more coal for less money. . These changes have been carried out with the full knowledge of the Lewis administration. In some instances the officials aided the coal operators to carry out the revisions. While exact figures are lacking there is little doubt that thousands of miners are working under what practically amounts to a revised agreement. In districts like the anthracite fields, where there has been mass strikes against unauthorized changes the Lewis administration has revoked charters and otherwise aided the operators. The unemployment in the industry and the’steal- ing of working conditions that is already an ac- complished fact has encouraged the coal owners to open war on the wage agreement. The miners must now fight or accept a cut in wages that is only the beginning of a series of slashes intended to wipe out living standards they have fought for years to obtain. Here is the final proof of the utter bankruptcy of the Lewis policy. He has deliberately weakened the union by revoking charters and expelling whole districts, he has urged the miners to have faith in’ the- word of the coal capitalists, he has de- nounced, slandered and expelled Communists and members of the Trade Union Educational League, the most active members of the union. He has said time and time again that the progressive miners were enemies of the union and their program of struggle the road to ruin. But it is Lewis and his payroll gang that has led the United Mine Workers of America far on the road to ruin. It is not too late to turn back. The program of the Workers (Communist) Party and the Trade Union Educational League, their call for action against wage cuts and unemploy- ment, points the way. The United Mine Workers of America face a great crisis. They are at the turning point. If they submit to the demands of the coal capitalists they will have lost the fruit of years of effort. Tt must not be. The coal miners must rally to the left wing program, they must repudiate the defeatist policies of the Lewis officialdom, they must utilize this issue to build a rank and file moye- ment so strong that both the treacherous bureau- crats and the coal barons cannot prevail against it. Street Cleaners’ Strike Continues The Chicago city authorities, like ail other em- ployers, are willing to spend thousands of dollars for scabs and police protection for scabs rather than settle with the striking workers who in this case are the men who do the hardest and most un-| pleasant of all tasks—keeping the city clean—mem- bers of the Street Cleaners’ Union. The commissioner of publie works has told the union that its members must be back to work by Tuesday or their places will be filled. This means that 2,500 strikebreakers will be recruited if the union does not surrender, It means that the strik- ing street cleaners will have to fight for their right to work at decent wages. Municipal ownership as a solution of the work- ers’ problems is urged by many refortiers. It has been a pet project of the socialist party for years. It was popularly supposed that’ ity authorities would be much more friendly to w: age earners than private capitalists. If anythitig is municipally owned it is the streets and alléys of the city of Chicago—the whole sanitary district is a munic’ ipal undertaking. The city authorities appear*“now in the same role as any other boss. They tilk glibly of strike- breakers and police as means of-whipping the strik- ing workers into line, They*have tried to divide the strikers by offering a small increase to fore- men, etc., as employers ‘always do. If and when seabs are used and the union begins to picket, the heads of the members will be broken just as if the city was a private concern, It is only a small section of the city employes that are striking. There would be a different situa- ion if the city workers were organized in a munic- ipal workers’ union and striking as a unit. There would not be such a defiant attitude on the part of the city officials nor could enough scabs be got (ogether to break the strike. If the street cleaners and.other municipal em- ployes are to cease being beggars at the door sof city Dureaucrats they must organize a union of all eity workers. Every day get a “sub” for the DAILY WORKPR! Abramovich is heré’té defend! Explaining the Sullivan Disaster The federal governmen can and does send troops to aid the employers in breaking strikes, but it has not the power to enforce safety regulations for workers. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from a statement recently issued by the department lof interior dealing with the Sullivan mine disaster. The bulletin says: “It is reported that this mine disaster, the greatest in the history of Indiana, was caused by open lights, which ignited gases in the mine. If so, the Sullivan catastrophe emphasizes the great hazard to the lives of American coal miners in the continued use of the open flame lamp in mines... ...Records com- piled by the bureau of mines of this department covering a period of 17 years, show that open flame have been the contributing cause of numerous fires and over one hundred explosions in mines, with a death toll of 3,000 men. .... Such explosions are preventable.” The bureau of mines has a number of specific recommendations for the kind of lamps that are safe and according to its statement, these recom- mendations have been given to all coal mine oper- ators. These recommendations are as follows: “In all coal mines the portable lamps for illumina- tlon should be permissible, portable, electric mine lamps. “In places where fire damp and black damp is liable to be encountered, a permissible magnetically- locked flame safety lamp for gas detection, or equi- valent permissible device, should be supplied to at least one experienced employe in each such place. “Any employe before belng supplied wth a per- missible flame safety lamp should be examined by a competent official of the mines to assure the man’s ability to detect gai “All coal mines, whether classed as non-gaseous or gaseous in any part, should be supplied with mag- netically-locked, permissible, flame safety lamps, properly maintained and in sufficient number for all inspection purposes.” Then comes a statement that every coal miner should paste up where he can read it every day: “The acting director of the bureau of mines has an- nounced that the adoption of the bureau's recom- mendations depend on securing the co-operation of the industry and the state goverment, since it is well known that the bureau has not authority to make regulations requiring the use of permissible lamps in coal mines.” In 1919 the federal government, of which the bureau of mines is a part, rushed troops into every mining district where miners were on strike if the bosses asked for them. The government issued an injunction against the United Mine Workers of America and tied up its strike funds. Yet this same government, when 51 miners are sent to their death by the coal lords of Indiana, declares it has no means of preventing a similar disaster. It would never do to interfere with the sacred right of the coal capitalists to rob and mur- der, by forcing them to use safety lamps. Our 100 per cent labor leaders claim that Amer- ican government is a “government of all the people.” Will the coal miners and the families of the victims of the Sullivan disaster believe this much longer? “Our” Efficient Navy The Huron, flagship of Morgan’s Asiatic fleet, has run aground on the island of Palawan. This evi- dence of efficiency will no doubt make Japan think twice before she makes any hostile moves. This reminds us that the navy breaks into print in three ways—when Secretary Wilbur makes a speech, when one of its ships runs aground and when it lands, marines to subdue some colonials that owe money to the American bankers. Perhaps the naval heroes have discovered a new method of putting marines ashore. Enough battle- ships have been aground lately to make this seem plausible. Maybe the new way is to sail onto an island so the brave boys can step right off without getting their feet wet. Tired Rebels We are in receipt of a letter from a comrade who says we don’t give enough credit to Daniel DeLeon and that Communist defendants should stand on their constitutional rights—whatever they are. He ends his letter with the following sentence: “There is.on hurry about me—when the workers see the need of organization and show a little horse sense I will be there with both feet.” _ , This is the negative attitude of the tired rebel who has lost what faith he ever had in the work- ing class, This is neither DeLeonism, Communism, socialism or anything but defeatism. Criticism from comrades who have this state of mind springs fromthe fact that the Workers (Com- munist) Party is a party of action. We are dis- turbers in that we make it impossible for the tired rebels to sleep until the-rest of the working class awakens, Coolidge is impartial. He is against tlie raisé the $7,500 gashouse boys handed themselves and dlso against the raise ‘the underpaid postal workers want. Was it Anatole France who said that “capitalism gives rich and poor alike the right to sleep under bridges”? A, news item in the capitalist press tells a story of the life led by Russian ezarists in Paris. Four Americans, two men and two women, Were atrested in a den by the police, There were also, arrested four Russians who were. giving an exhibition entitled “Art Spectacles.” Ninety-nine per cent of the art consisted in ‘the complete absence of clothes. Be- sides the four Amerié¢hts there were thirty-six other spectators. This, is the degenerate’ class that THE DAILY. WORKER M’ANDREW'S NEW SCHOOLS EXPOSED AS FIRETRAPS Building Gonunissioner Orders Them Scrapped That architects representing build- ing dompany interests and Superin- tendent McAndrew the economy ex- pert, were the only ones consulted re- garding new school buildings came out when Chief Dep: ty, Building, Gom- missioner Robert ht vetoed the plans because boos TE io not comply with the fire rank jions. Knight's veto throws out plans for the eight elementary Vigan that the board has been working on for the last three months. The plans were worked up from a standard type of elementary school building prepared.by, Supt. McAn- drew’s staff of building experts. Upon recommendation jof the superintend- ent they were adopted by the board and the details worked out in the architect’s department and approved by Edgar L, Martin, supervisory ar- chitect, To make the buildings acceptable under the building ordinance, there must be two exits in each classroom and wood shops. Hxits from gymna- siums, assembly halls and libraries must lead to street, Tile partitions must be increased in thickness from four to six inches. In addition the health department has objected to the ventilating system, We venture to add that if a commit- tee were appointed on which teachers would serve many other shortcomings in the plans that sacrifice comfort and needs of pupils and teachers would be disqovered. ‘Who is to say what kind of new school buildings go ‘up in the city of Chicago. The architects and manag- ers who can see only economy of space, economy of ‘building and econ- omy of material or*the teachers and parents who are cdncérned with the comfort and the weitare of the chil- dren? el ED ‘ Labor Fakers and Priest Join’ Forces to Trick Workers (Continued from’ Page 1.) the DAILY WORK®R could be dis- tributed, he refused’ However, 100 copies were sold in the hallway. White tried to explain by“saying that the DAILY WORKER #nd the Workers Party literature ‘wottld make people “talk” and that it was “against the strike.” tpe % Really Afraid Workers Do Understand When asketl to point out where the DAILY WORKER -or®any other liter- ature of the Workers Party opposed the strike, White id not answer. He could fot answer, But he tried to dodge by saying that “people don’t understand it, and it »will be bad for the strike.” Apparently, he is really afraid‘the workers do understand the daily only too well to suit him: However, both the DAILY WORK- ER and the Workérs’ Party leafiet, “Strike Against Wagé Cuts,” have been read by many’ Workers and, far from: White’s evasive lies, they all agree that the DAIUY*'WORKER and the leaflet is the best thing for the textile workers they have ever seen. Iilinois Has More Bonus Money. SPRINGFIELD, Il, Feb--26.—The state has approximately $170,000 of the Illinois bonus fund left with which to pay pending claims, it became known here today following a ccnfer- cnce between the service recognition board and Governor Len Small in which it was decided to offer to the highest bidder, March 17, $1,650,000 in bonus bonds, the unexpended balance of the $55,000,000 bond, jssue voted by the people in 1922, the bonds are to bear four per cent interest and are payable in twenty years. Muskegon Runs Defense Benefit MUSKEGON, Migh,, , Feb. 26,—An all day labor defe: program has been arranged in , ikegon, Mich., for this Sunday, March. 1st, at Modern Woodmen’s Hall, 10,N. Terrace St. There will be spgpehes delivered aftetnoon and even: by William F. Dunne. A hox socigl will be run in the evenirig. RUSSIAN MOVIES AT GERMAN-AMERIGAN HOME KENOSHA, , WS. FEB, 28 The famous neva “Pelikushka,” a six. tory made by the Moscow Art Theater, “In Memoriam—Lenin,” showing the life and funeral of Lenin, and a Russian comedy, “Sol- dier Ivan’s Miracle,” will be shown SATURDAY, FEB, 28, from 4 to 11 Pp. om, at the German-American Home, 66® Grand Ave. Kenosha, Wis. These pictures ha the biggest crowds | York and other bigy be shown in Ken EVENING, FEB, 2: y been drawing New three showings on tha’ ening. The first will start “he m. sharp. Make sure to at Tell your friends about it. 't mise the Greatest treat in yo Ife. 3 N.Y. TEACHERS — UNIONS FIGHT NEW SALARY BILL. Gives Too Much Power to Superintendents — PEL NEW YORK, Feb. 26.—An appeal to all teachers to unite in opposition to the Downing bill was issued by Dr. Henry R. Linville of the Teachers’ Union who said it was a menace to everything the teachers have fouglit for. “THis bill nullifies the policy for which the teachers have fought for many years, namely, the control of salaries by the state legislature, & ‘Jt makes the various groups of ‘teachers the football of local Politics. This, will. divide the teachers. intd warring camps. It places them at the mercy of the board of superin= tendents, a body for the most part of Ammunition for the Workers’ Arsenal Working Yourself Out of a Job. OOLIDGE “prosperity” is a monstrous, two-faced thing feeding on misery and bitter want. It is a crass,contradietion, which every day becomes more hopelessly involved. The United States Department of Labor sent out a report last week call- ign attention to the relatively high degree of business activity, as evidenced in whole prices, in the fact that the steel industry is operating around 90 per cent of capacity, etc. but the report concluded with the rather puzzled remark that “IN SPITE OF INCREASED BUSINESS ACTIVITY, EVERY ONE OF THE BIG INDUSTRIAL CENTERS HAS CONSIDERABLY MORE UNEM- PLOYED WORKERS THAN A YEAR AGO.” The explanation of this strange phenomenon is now revealed in tabula- tlons published by two different government agencies, the Federal Reserve Board and the Department of Commerce. The Reserve Board figures were produced by Leland Olds of the F ated Press in Monday’s DAILY WORKER. They show that “the expanding needs of the country due to the} increase of population are being met largely without giving employment to the increased number of workers whow,are growing up.” The ranks of the army of more or less permanently unemployed have been swelled by 1,' 600,000 | as compared with the pre-war years. { WHAT THE CENSUS FIGURES sHow. Now let us examine e figures just: made: public in conneotion’ with the Department of Commerce’s bienniel census of manufactures for 1923: Value of manufactures (at factory. 1923» 1921 1919 - prices .. - eaten © $60,481,185 $43,653,283 62,041,795 political appointees. Even if teachers verage number of wage i eceive an increase because of an aj ployed seenie 8,763,233 6,946,590 "9,000,059 eo schiae mayoralty campaign, whee Total wage payments * « 10,985,896 . :8,200,824 10,461,787. will prevent these same authorities from taking away what they have given?” ‘Strong support of the Kleinfeld bill prepared by the joint salaries com- mittees of teachers’ associations was announced by the New York Prin- cipals Association, the Assistant to Principals’ Association and the. Teach- Horsepower of prime movers 241,168,602 (no data) 219,518,152 *) 000 omitted. Thus relatively fewer workers in 1923 pr eetaerns considerably more ucts. Labor is steadily becoming more productive, pilling up greater and greater masses of wealth with smaller expenditure of,energy. Under capitalism this is no unmixed blessing. The markets for merchandise are limited, even in the present imperialistic epoch, and only a certain:amount of labor can be ab- sorbed with satisfactory profit to the bosses. The rest goes to swell what Kari ers’ Union. Marx called the “industrial reserve army” of unemployed, whose existence is a The Downing bill gives the board.of weapon in the hands of the capitalist to keep down wages. superintendents power to revise While the combined factory prices increased 38.5 per cent between 1921 and 1923, total wages increased only 34 per cent. That is, however, gards TOTAL wages. But inasmuch as the number of wage ners increased 26.2 per cent during this period the 1923 total wage had to be divided among 1,616,663 additional workers, which means that the individual worker received a very much smaller proportion of what he produced, | VALUE ADDED IN MANUFACTURE Even these striking figures fail to reveal the full extent of what has been taking place. A-correct measure of the actual value created by manufacturing process is not the aggregate value of products as given above (which includes the same values counted several times) but the “value added in manufacture,” namely the difference between the cost of raw materials, fuel, etc, and the factory price of the finished products. This ai ited to $25.853,151,000 in 1923 AS COMPARED WITH $18,316,666,000 IN 1 AN INCREASE OF 41.1 PER CENT. Moreover, an important part of the wes created by labor are still unrecorded in the totals; they are incorporated in the industi process it- self for the benefit of future generations. An inkling of this can be gotten from the fact that the rated horsepower capacity of engines, water wheel, electric motors, etc., used for primary power inpmanufacturing establishments, has increased 14.4 per cent as compared with the boom year 1919, SUMMARY To sum up. The figures show: (1) hes salaries every five years. The Klein+ feld bill would specifically fix definite schedules by legislative action at higher rate of pay than are now in force, If You Own Part of ; the Philippines, You Can Worry Over This WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—The Phii Ippines are “very vulnerable and could be taken away by an enemy,” Rear Admiral Hiliary P. Jones, chiet of the navy general board, today’ told the house aircraft committee. 4 “Of course, we all realize that the Philippine Islands could be taken by an enemy before America could get'a fleet there,” frankly admitted Jones. The committee previously had beet told by Brig. Gen. William Mitchel assistant chief of the army air s vice, that the Philippines, Hawai and other American Pacific poset sions, “could be captured by Japan in two weeks.” Ey productivity of labor; (2) larger output; (3) decreasing share by t ts in the product of their labor—increasing rate of surplus value, plojtation; (4) Increase of the “industrial reserve army.” ™ Substantially the same trends can ‘be noted at the present time, for the most part greatly exaggerated. That is Coolidge “prosperity.” That is cap- italism. Z DaNSs WWLeaben ign, * yogeg #4 sy? Bae Leninism:or Trotskyism? You can't understand fully.the differences in the discussion that is receiving world interest’ va sats LAs You understand fully the bick-ervund, theoretical differences and well the history of the meuelanens st of the party that has made the revolution possible. THE HISTORY OF THE ns COMMUNIST: PARTY By Gregory Pixoview < is the history of the Russian revolution written by the best quale fied person living to write such a work, This Communist classic is now running serially.in the WO! = ERS MONTHLY. It is not too late t6 begin reading it since, % = : | personalities of the Russian Communist Party—unless you know sek ‘THIS SPECIAL OFFER Satie +) werd Send your subscription in betore April 15th and’ we” will’gend. ‘you: without charge the . back numbers carrying the first three installments of the gets “york by the president) of the Communist International. : noe Subscription ’ ‘rates! $2.00 a Yea $1.25 Six Months. Pihdane nO" a rte Ue THIs ‘eouron — ae aS THE WORKERS MONTHLY “s 1113 W. 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