The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 22, 1925, Page 2

U.S. MINERS’ LIVES CHEAPEST IN WHOLE WORLD Workers Here Are Also _ Greatest Producers By LAURENCE TODD (Federated Press Staff Correspondent) WASHINGTON, March 20.—Lives of coal miners In the United States are fess safe than are the lives of coal miners in any of the other large coal- producing countries, engineers in the U. S. bureau of mines admitted when questioned by The Federated Press In gonnection with the Fairmont dis- aster. But, argued a government engineer, ‘who admired the coal companies’ ef- ficiency, there’s less blood on a ton of American coal than on a ton of Bri- tish or German, because American machinery permits the mining of three times as many tons per man as does thé British system, or the German. ‘Therefore, even tho more men, per hundred employed, are killed by ac- eidents in American mines than in those of other nations, our business men must be congratulated! No U, 8. Inspection. There is no federal inspection of goal mines. State law in West Vir- ginia provides for inspection, but un- less a mine is known to be gaseous it is not inspected often, and safety Jamps are not required. Most of the gas explosions take place in these “safe” mines where safety precautions as to lamps are not taken. Generation of gas in dangerous quantities is usual- ly discovered only at the cost of min- ers’ lives. These federal safety engineers in the bureau of mines give the impres- sion that a majority of mine deaths are the fault of the individual miners, since they come from cave-ins rather than from gas explosions. To the testimony of miners that company “instructions” forbidding the miner to work where danger of a fall of rock from the roof exists, are fraudulent, and that a miner who obeyed those instructions would soon lose his chance to earn a living, the bureau people shake their heads. They in- sist that the companies are careful of their men, and never want them to risk life or limb in digging coal! Frameup Effort Fails. First claims made by the officers of the Bethlehem Mines corporation at Fairmont that the explosion in their Barrackville mine was due to a bomb dropped down the shaft, were soon dismissed by the state mine in- spector. The mine was a non-union operation, but no strike activities were im progress in its neighborhood. The disaster which has taken 34 lives was attributed to gas, which met an open flame in the shaft. se ww Dead Leave Families. BARRACKSVILLE, \W. Va., March 20.—The Bethlehem Mine company is known here as a gaseous mine. In 1907, when the mine was known as Jamison No, 7, an explosion killed ten men. Practically every man killed left be- hind a wife and at least one small child. Some of the men had seven children, and many of them had four or five children under fourteen years of age. Five Bodies Found. Five bodies have been found and two of them were brought to the top of the mine shaft. Rescue workers found the dead men far back in the left heading, near a point where fire was discovered some hours ago. The fire has been extinguished, mine of- ficials said. Twelve men were working in the left heading when the explosion took Place, and twenty-two were in the right heading. The work of rescue has not yet proceeded into the right head- ing. The bodies were identified as Walter Johnson, Willie Robinson, Willie Allston, all Negroes, and Pete Tem- pest, an Italian. Tempest is survived by a wife and two children under six- teen years of age, and Johnson is sur- vived by a wife and one small child. Allston also had a wife and two small children, living in Barracksville. Italy, Poland Place Big Orders for Coal * : . with Soviet Mines MOSCOW—(By Mail)—A series of contracts have been lately concluded by the Coal Export Co., a government trust, for exporting Donetz tuel into foreign countries. Poland has pur chased a big order of Soviet anthra cite coal, which is superior in qual- ity to coal produced in Poland. Im: portant negotiations for supplyins from 15 to 20 million poods of coa) to Italian manufacturers are nearing conclusion. Besides, a large order ir expected fiom Italian railways, which meanwhile have plaved a sample or der for some 10,000 tons. All these developments have in+ duced the Bxport Co, to substanti- ally increase its 40-million poods ex- porting plan. A DAILY WORKER subscription or two—will make a better Commun- ’ Revolt Begins in ‘The Amalgamated’ (Continued from page 1) ed a leaflet distributor, saying, “You'll get more trouble for this, and you know what I mean!” At Meyer Brothers on the north side, sluggers tried to beat up the left wingers distributing leaflets for the Monday meeting, but met with such resistance that they desisted. At the Meyer company on Adams and Green streets, left wingers were assaulted and scratched up in a scuffle over leaflets which the gangsters tried to seize. Threats and Assaults Fall, Gangsters posted around the Royal Tailors shop at Wells and Polk Sts. tried to terrorize the left wingers. “We'll break your heads if you don’t stop!” said these sluggers, but the left wingers stood their ground and carried out the distribution as they had a right to do, and, what is more, superior force. The terror of the sluggers was also tried at the Hirsch and Wickwire shops and before the Kuppenheimer shops on Market street, but here too the left wing stood its ground and completed the most successful shop distribution of leaflets in the his- tory of the needle trades of Chicago. Shop Workers Make Demands on Levin. Meanwhile, on Thursday night, a committee of about fifty workers from the. shop of Alfred Decker and Cohen, marched to the office of the Chicago manager of the A. C. W., de- manding that the workers who were taken off the jobs by Levin for dis- tributing leaflets published by Local 5, of the A. C. W., be promptly re- instated. But they soon realized, and one of the committee told Levin, that demanding justice from Levin is the same as demanding justice from the former czar of Russia, whose tac- tics led to the same conclusion as will be written after the name of Levin. Levin Threatens Shop Workers. Levin tried in vain to convince the members that it was very much to their benefit that he is depriving members of their means of livelihood by taking them down from their jobs, But when the workers told him that they don’t appreciate the “favor” and that he had better send the vic- timized members back to work, Le- vin told them they were raising “too much commotion” in the shops, and they would be responsible for fur, ther happenings.” In other words, Levin threaten- ed that if anyone wants to keep his, job, he should not dare to express his opinion of the present outrages or any in the future, or show sympathy with the victims of the Hillman-Le- vin-manufacturer conspiracy. Always Somebody Else to Blame As usual, Levin tried to use the bogey man of “outsiders dictating policy to the union,” that ‘the mili- tants are trying to “break up” the union, but the workers from the shop threw this back in his face, accusing him of being the disrupter by depriv. ing the most loyal and militant mem bers of the union of work and trying to drive them out of the trade. The workers in the Alfred Decker and Cohen shop are enraged at Levin autocratic manner. He said, haughti- ly: “I took them off the job. I am going to keep them off the job, unless the organization (meaning himself) orders me otherwise.” The ntembers of the A. C, W. in this shop told Levin that just as he, today, don’t like Savonovski and takes his livelihood away for that reason, so, tomorrow, he might not like some- body else; and that they were going to keep up the fight for the victims of his autocracy, because as long as this sort of officials ruled no honest and sincere worker is sure of his job. Another Coolidge Official Supports Teapot Oil Steal CHEYENNE, Wyo., March 20.—De- positions on drainage conditions in Teapot Dome continued today as the defense closed its case in the govern- ment’s suit to break the Sinclair lease on the Wyoming petroleum reserve. Dr. Foster Bain, director of the U. 8. bureau of mines, went on record as favoring the Mammoth Oil (Sinclair) lease because of “advantages it secured to the government over other pro- posals informally discussed by other oil companies.” . Bain made further remarks about some mysterious “war emergency,” and declared that “the Teapot nego- tiations were part of general war plans.” “It was stated,” Bain charged, “at a conference in Washington in Jan- uary, 1922, when the negotiations were under way, that there was a national emergency.” Bain said he did not know what this “national emergency” was. Earthquake Destroys City of 80,000 in the Heart of Asia SHANGHAI, March 20.—The city of Talifu, Yannan, populated by 80,000 persons, has been destroyed by an earthquake and fire, according to word received here today. The city, near Burma, was reported demolished in word received here. Thousands are injured and homeless and aid is urgently needed. The num- ber of dead is unknown, oS City In Flames LONDON, March 20.—Private mes- sage received here today by cable from Shanghai said that the ruins of the city of Talifu, in Western Yun- Hen, were in flames, following the earthquake, State of Kentucky Electrocutes Two Negroes, One Saved EDDYVILLE, Ky., March 20. — Leonard Griffith and Sid Davis, Ne- groes, were executed at the western state penitentiary here today. Griffith was alleged to have killed J, V. Gross, chief of police of Gross, Ky., in October, 1923, and Davis was charged with killing John P, Johnson, at Lexington, October 28, 1923. Joe Baughman, 16, another Negro who was to have been electrocuted, received an eleventh hour stay of ex- ecution by the governor. Foreign Exchange. NEW YORK, March 20—Great Brit- ain, pound sterling demand 4.77%, cable 4,78; France, franc, demand 5.18, cable 6.18%; Belgium, franc, demand 56.06, cable 6.0644; Italy, lira, demand 4.06%, cable 4.06%; Sweden, kdone, demand 26.92, cable 26.95; Norway, krone, demand 15.41, cable 14.53; Denmark, krone, demand 18.10, cable 18.12; Germany, mark, unquot- ed; Shanghat, tael; demand 64.00, cable 64.50, CONCORD, N. H., March 20,—The New Hamshire senate, without a dis- senting vote, concurred with the house of representatives in rejecting the proposed child labor amendment. The vote in the house was $27 to 37. IMPERIALISM OF AMERICA AFTER LATIN COMMERCE England Keen Rival in South America BUENOS AIRES, March 20.—The American capitalists, who have been competing with the British capitalists for South American trade have im- ported more goods, during the first eleven months/of 1924, than has Eng- land. The struggle between the two countries for foreign trade is bitter, England has two billion dollars of ca pital invested, and has a network of banks and shipping agencies thruout the South American countries. The capitalists of America, with $200,000,000 invested, mostly in min- ing, are closer to the ports and have driven a.lasting wedge in English im- perialism’s leadership in foreign trade. Bigger Wheat Crop for Morocco Than Last Year Is Report WASHINGTON, D, C., March 20.— Increased acreage and favorable crop conditions in Morocco are reported to the United States department of agri- culture from the international institute of agriculture at Rome. The wheat acreage is placed at 2,656,00 acres against 2,332,000 acres, the final estimate for last year. The area sown to barley is given as 3,707,- 000 acres compared with 2,981,000 acres for the 1924 crop, PEAR RR Sea Tay Uruguay Workers Get Vacation WASHINGTON; D. C.) March 20.— A resolution was passed on February 5, 1925, by the national administrat- ive council whereby every adminis- trative employe of the council is oblig- ed to take an annual holiday of twen; ty days, without loss of salary, ac- cording to the United States depart- ment of labor, Housing Worse in England LONDON, Eng., March 20.—The medical officer of health estimates that the number of houses required to satisfy the needs of the Wolverhamp- fon district, at the present time, is 7,000 as compared with 5,659 in 1919, which was the figure arrived at by the housing survey of that year, IMPRESSIVE SERVICES IN CANTON FOR DEAD LEADER, SUN YAT SEN CANTON, China, March 20.—A memorial service for Or. Sun Yat Sen, head of the provisional govern- ment of South China, who died in Pekin, was held hi the Kwang- tung University. The program in- cluded one minute of silence, Speeches, music and a ceremonial salute of 21 guns. \ Officials of government, with military and naval contingents, are preparing to leave for Nanking to attend the final rites, Dr. Sun Yat Sen was the leader of the Chinese workers In thelr fight against foreign imperialism. THE DAILY WORKER POWDER TRUST STARVES LABOR IN WILMINGTON Negroes Segregated in Schools WILMINGTON, Del. March 20.— This city is but a few miles south of Philadelphia. It is largely owned and controlled by Du Pont, the pow- der king, who also controls the city and state governmental machine as well as both the democratic and re- publican local newspapers. While the Du Ponts, large and small are rolling in wealth the workers are compelled to work! long hours and at a starvation wage. Upon arrival in Wilmington the writer stopped the first man he met and indulged in a conversation with him, This is the story revealed. The man works for the street cleaning and sewer depart- ment, is an American citizen, has sev- vral children. He works 9 hours a day in good weather and receives the tarvation wage of $3.60 a day or 40 sents an hour. There are cases when men are be- ng paid but $15.00 a week by the powder magnates, . This applies es- pecially to those men who come from the farms to earn a few extra dol- lars during the out of season months. Socialist Party Extinct. The few labor unions still existing here are conservative and weak. The socialist party has ceased to exist long ago and during the last election even LaFollette polled but a few votes. The ku klux Klan is growing in power and influence while the color- ed worker is being discriminated against in every way possible. Col- ored children for instance, are com- pelled to attend separate schools. In certain theaters the colored workers are allowed admission, but to the galleries. Workers Intimidated. So intimidated are the workers of this city that they do not dare to voice their protest against the exist- ing miserable conditions. The fear of losing {the job, bad as that may be, compells many a worker to keep his mouth shut, for to find another job here is rather a difficult task. The Communists are the only live force who dare to’go against the stream and carry on the pioneer work of arousing the workers to the realiza- tion of the need of*earrying on the fight against the system in which a few roll in wealth while the toiling massés are compelled to starve. Y. 0.1. JOURNAL IS BANNED BY ROYAL BRITISH COMMAND Canadian Postal Chiefs Protect King (Special to The Dally Worker.) OTTAWA, March 20—The Cana dian government has barred The ‘In- ternational of Youth; official organ of the Young Communist International from Canada. This blow at the Communist youth comes in the form of an “Order-in- Council,” which means that a few of the higher executives made the rulling banning the magazine without bothering to have the question brot up in a legislative body. The International of Youth is the magazine of the revolutionary youth that which serves the same function for the Young Communist League thruout the world as the Communist International does for the Communist parties, Hits British Government. “The Balance of the Government of H. M., the King of Great Britain,” by Sigi Bamatter, member of the execu- tive committee of the Y. C. I. is one of the articles in the last issue of the International of Youth that probably “displeased” the high officials of the Canadian government, Other articles on fhe civil war in China and one on “The Bolshevik Anti-Militarist Work of the Party and the Youth,” probably pleased them no more. Can Get It Here. The Young Wor! League of America still receives the Interna- tional of Youth, since it has not as yet been barred from the U. S. mails. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of this magazine, so distasteful to the high officials of the Canadian gover Young Workers League, 1113 We: Washington Boulevard, Chicago. Get a sub for the WORKER from your shopmate and you will make another mem- ber for your branch, HELP! HELP!! We need volunteer help in mail- ing out 10,000 Invitations for the March celebration. and antl-Abra- movich demonstration. ‘ if you can spare, an hour or a Finland Gets Loan From Wall Street to Maintain Its White Terror Rule/. North Side Branch By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL ODAY, another European loan is being floated in this babel $10,000,000 for the fascist government of Fin- and. At the same time that publicity heralding this loan was being put into the kept press, fascist Finland’s greatest asset, the white guard athlete, Paavo Nurmi, suffered humiliation in Madison Square Garden, in New York City. The runner’s stomach went back on him towards the close of a 5,000 meter race, and he was forced to quit, leaving the victory to Willie Ritola. zs. * 8 #8 But Ritola is another white guard Finn. Both Nurmi and Ritola, however, may now retire. Their work has been accomplished. The sporting pages of the yellow press have been full of their exploits. The so-called “American public” not only knows of them, but is supposed to have developed a soft spot, in its pocket book for the Finland across the Atlantic. The finance minister of Finland, visiting these shores, said that Nurmi was worth $10,000,000 to Finland. The Finnish ruling class, thru its Wall Street connections, is now trying to cash in on this asset. es ~ * ° The big advertisement announcing the Fi h loan pro- claims that the people of Finland “are law-abiding, thrifty and industrious, and the standard of education is high.” This is not disputed. The Finnish workers were so intelligent that they established their own Workers’ Government in the days of the world war. But this Workers’ Rule was crushed under the bloody fist of a terror that is almost with- out a rival in all Europe's history. Thousands of workers were murdered outright, while tens of thousands were im- prisoned. Many of these are still in prison. Not only Com- munists, but Communist sympathizers and militants in the trade union movement are outlawed. Capitalism now rules over this graveyard of worker dead. It was to aid the cause of these capitalist terrorists that Nurmi, a worker, deserted his own class, and came to this country to exploit his prowess as a runner. The red work- ers in Finland reject him as a renegade. The brand of traitor is on his brow. But Wall Street’s loan will not save white guard Fin- land. No more than all the other loans that Wall Street is ptanning for other nation’s of western Europe will save their capitalist cliques from the wrath of the workers and poor farmers. : New west European bond issues floated in the United States at exhorbitant rates of interest only testify to grow- ing capitalist bankruptcy in this part of the world. The balance of trade pours new wealth upon the American rul- ing class. The only outlet for the surplus is investment in questionable European bonds. The Dawes plan was but the beginning of the establishment of a still greater collecting agency over all these nations. The Dawes plan for Germany will be followed by! Dawes plan for France, and then for some other country, until the break comes, . ee @ @ y It is said that) Nurmi broke in his 5,000 meter run be- cause he had overeaten from veal shortly before the race. The break under the Dawes plan in western Europe will not come because the workers have overeaten. It will come when the workers have eaten too little; when they under- stand that the Dawes plan means not only slavery, but also hunger for them, as it will. They will then refuse to toil that the interest payments on Morgan's bonds may be paid. It will then be up to America’s workers to decide whether they have had their fill of the Morgan ruling class, or whether they will march again in Morgah’s armies against Europe's rising working class. It is a good time for Amer- ica’s workers to decide now that capitalism here shall also fall in the hour that western Europe's slaves unite for the final victory. No more wars to protect the bonds of the House of Morgan! Only for the war against Morgan. FORTE-WHITEMAN AND Study Class Meets on Monday Night The study class of the North Side English branch of the party on the “A. B, C, of Communism” which has already held four successful sessions, meets again on Monday, March,23, 8 Pp. m. at the usual place at 2406 N. Clark St. All branch members and others are invited, Freight Haulings Increase NEW YORK, March 20.—American ‘railroads have handled: the greatest volume of freight ever carried by them during the first ten weeks of 1925 compared to other years, the American Railway association announ- ced here today, The 9,000,328 cars actually loaded from January 1 to March 7 exceeded by three tenths of one per cent the estimate made as to the expected re- cord total. The bulk of the increase thus far in 1925 has come principally from manufactured industry, Marx Rejects Premiership BERLIN,—Former Chancellor Marx declines Prussian premiership because of failure his efforts to form a cabinet commanding an entire major- ity. A “business cabinet” is now planned. NEW YORK.—Countee P, Cullen, young Negro poet, is elected to the Phi Beta Kappa chapter of New York University, . French Get Low Wages PARIS, France, March 20,—An in- vestigation conducted by agents of the ministry of labor, which covered 608,- 800 workers in the metal industries, of whom about one-third were employ- ed in the Paris region, revealed an average hourly wage, for adults, of 3.29 france for qualified workers; 2.64 francs for special workers; and 2.19 ) hagepay ) DUNNE SPEAK TONIGHT AT SOUTH SIDE DANCE The arrangements committee of the South Side Branch of the Work- ers Party and Branch No. 3 of the Young Workers’ League, has pro- cured Lovett Fort-Whiteman and Bill Dunne as speakers for its so- clal and dance, Saturday night at the South Side Community House, $201 S. Wabash Ave. Whiteman has recently returned from an extended sojourn in Soviet Russia, and his speech should prove of great interest to those who want to hear the latest from the great Bolshevik country. Dunne, Communist editor, fighter and speaker, par excellence, re- quires no recommendations, His talk will probably bring out many new points on the role of the Negro workers in the class struggle. Fine dance music and excellent entertainment have also been pro- vided for the night. Admission is only 26 cents, Just Like Rafael’s Efforts. PARIS, March 20.—President Pain- leve of the chamber of deputies was forced to suspend that body for a second time this afternoon when gen- eral disorder resulted from an attempt to reconvene. ’ Marquis de la Ferrenrays mounted the tribuie and demanded that Premier Herriot apologize for remarks which he said were an insult to all christians, There’s So Much Work! CHIEF REMOVED FOR 10 MURDERS Government Action (Special to The Dally Worker.) BERLIN, Germany, March 20,—So wide and deep is the anger of the Ger man workers over the murder of ten workers at the Communist demonstra- tion at Halle, that the German govern- ment has. been forced to remove the Halle chief of police from office. The police tried to stop a Commun- ist election meeting on the excuse that foreign Communists were on the program as speakers. There were English and French Communists pre- sent to tell their German fellow work- ers that under Communist rule there would be no quarrel between these countries. The Halle police chief forbid the foreign Communists from speaking, and when they resisted, he ordered the “schupo” police to fire, shooting down ten workers, two of them being women, This has caused a furor all over Germany. Now the government declares that the chief of police at Halle acted without authority, as the law forbidding foreign speakers is not in force since the revolution of 1918. Communists are planning a great demonstration at the funeral of the victims and the workers of Halle will suspend all work. Storm Leaves 5,000 Workers Homeless ° ° * in Big Mine Area (Continued from page 1.) destroyed by the storm. Utter desola- tion met their eyes. Women and Children Suffer. ‘Women and children were the worst sufferers, many being killed when their tiny homes crushed in over their heads. Arthur McLeod, a veteran miner who has lived thru several mine dis- asters, stood on a West Frankfort street and surveyed his ruined home. A single object—a player piano— is all that McLeod has left to show for his years of work in the mines, “I am an old man now,” MccLeod said. “All I had is gone, except that piano, All wiped out after me working in the mines all my life—ever since I came here from Scotland. No in- surance—nothing. I bought that plano for the old woman. She’s down in the hospital now. They won't tell me how bat she is—perhaps she’s dead al ready.” ! ~ ‘Twelve Dead In Benton. Benton, a large mining town mid- way between Murphysboro and West Frankfort, but to the north, escaped the full force of the storm. However, twelve known dead have already been listed in Benton. Three hundred were reported still missing in West Frank- fort, with 114 Known dead. One hun- dred and twenty-five bodies have been recovered in Murphysboro, with many more missing. Othello Hester, who worked in the Orient’ mine, found his wife and daughter in a hospital. He had. been searching for them for hours. Hes- ter was many feet underground in one of the deepest, tunnels of the mine when the tornado swept down on the mining town. Another miner, who worked in the Orient No. 2 mine, came to the sur. face and found his wife dead. - Dig Graves Now. One hundred members of the Unit- ed Mine Workers, local West Frank- fort, are digging graves. An official report from Carbondale sald that the total dead from the storm in Illinois alone is over is over 800, with 4,000 requiring medical treatment. A new terror, the dread specter of Pestilence, raised its head and the sanitation engineers sent into the stricken area from Chicago, wired for more aid, declaring themselves un- able to cope with the situation. The dead are piled high, and hasti- ly attended to, and add to the dan- ger of the spread of contagious. dis- eases, In West Frankfort and Mur- physboro all sanitation devices have been destroyed, and lights are not working in many towns, Cicero Workers to Dance Tonight for | Daily Worker Fund There will be an international dance and frolic tonight at Liberty Hall, 49th Court and 14th St., Cicero, under the auspices of the Cicero Workers (Communist) Party, All proceeds af ter paying expenses will be used by the Cicero branches to buy insurance policies for the DAILY WORKER, Workers from the Western Electric company, the Grant Steel works, and other large Cicero factories, as well as friends and members of the Work- ers (Communist) Party, are especial- ly invited, erman Workers Force.