The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 4, 1925, Page 4

NEW YORK TAXI” UNION FIGHTS POLICE OWNERS Police’ Illegally Given Control of Drivers (From a Worker Correspondent.) NEW YORK, Aug. 3, — Altho the Amalgamated Taxi Association lost| in an attempt last week to get a permanent injunction, restraining the police department from supervising and licensing taxicabs or taxicab drivers, another attempt will soon be made to test the constitutionality of the notorious Hylan police taxi vill. Officers and attorneys of the Amal- gamated conferred last night at the organization headquarters, regarding a second test case by which they hope to establish that the police de- partment has been illegally super- vising and licensing, taxicabs, since the decision of the appelate division declared the home, rule bill invalid Police Commisioner Enright is | heavily interested in the New York taxiycompanies and as a stockholder is attempting to prevent the drivers from strengthening their union. Abandon Road to Norway WASHINGTON, Aug, 2.—The inter- | state commerce commission today au- {thorized the Chicago, Milwaukee and | St. Paul railroad to abandon that part j of its line extending from Tomah to Norway, Wis., a distance of 28 miles. | Permission to abandon the line from | Norway to Babcock, Wis., was refused. hal WOMAN JAILED AT BORDER FOR RADICAL VIEWS Two Children Also Are Locked Up, Tho Ill Mrs, Matilda Weideman, Lettish woman who has been active in the radical movement, was arrested by federal authorities while coming over the border from Canada with her two children, Mrs. Weideman has been a resident of the United States and Can- ada for many years, one of her chil- dren being born here. She owns her own home in Manitoba, Canada, ahd THE DAILY WORKER she was arrested Chicago to visit r She was’ lodged Minn., when Inte: fense received wi ment., Her little sated ‘was ill, I, . immediately notified its Minnesi attorney, John R. Heino of Duluth, Heino immedi- ately went to Warren, Minnesota, where Mrs, WeidetiafOhas been re- moved with her two. children. Heino found them confined in jail, the moth- er and both children, a boy and girl, very ill. He immediately staried legal action for their release and is look- ing after their welfare. jon the way to jail at Noyes, yal Labor De- her predica- ir], the message BERLIN, Aug. 2.—Rumanian artil- lery may be called into ‘action to quell a serious fire in the Rumanian’ oil fields. The Standard Oil company asked the government to bombard the burning oil wells in an’ effort to stop the blaze. RUSSIA T ontinued from Saturday’s Daily Worker) SYNOPSIS—Industry and trade were “the subjects discussed in ‘Satur- day's installment of the official report of the British Trade Union Delegation to the Soviet Union, which is appearing every day in the DAILY WORKER. Today’s installment continues the story of how the Soviet government ‘is increasing production of oil. coal and manyfactures. Finances, and the rela- tion between state and private production have already been taken up. The report of the British trade union leaders is an exhaustive and aecurate study of all phases of life in the Soviet Union. Start reading it today. Textiles The importance of this nidustry lies in the prominent part it plays in the economic concordat with the peasants. In this case the industry suffered during the blockade from being cut off frofa its raw materials, the cotton of Turkestan and foréigh wool. 2 TEXTILE PRODUCTION (In thousands of roubles in pre-war values.) 100 per cent 174,106 109,866 (half-year). a Even in 1922 these Cotton Textile Trusts made a préfit ‘of about 300,000 gold roubles. More recent results are not. yet known, but prices have been lowered 30 per cent. Only 179 out of 210 factories are working, and at from 20 to 75 per cent. of their capacity. - Woolen and Linen These industries are more prosperous WOOLEN PRODUCTION LINEN PRODUCTION (In thousands of poods.) Consumption The high prices produced by a-reutrn to a stable currerigy produced in their turn a drop in consumption, as is obvious from the following figures:— ' CONSUMPTION OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS teh (Per head of population.) Year Year Year as per cent P¥oduct— 1913 1921-2 1923-4 of 1913 Sugar (Russian, Ib.),. 20.0 23.0 7A 37.0 Salt (Russian, Jb.).... 33.0 13.1 21.0 64.0 Matches (boxes) » 25.0 6.7 14.0 56.0 Cotton fabric (arshins) 95 38.0 25.0 3.8 Pig iron (Russian, lb.) 72.0 14.0 20.6 The Government accordingly took steps to reduce whole- sale prices, which was done with remarkable effect as follows:— PRICES OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS (Per cent of pre-war.) Oct. 1, Oct.1, * Reduction Product— 1924 (per cent) Leather ... 218 32 Foods Cadet 211 35 Building materials . 208 32 Metals ...... 177 15 Textiles 177 85 Timber 176 6 Fuel ...... 173 18 Electrical good: 160 9 Paper, . 141 21 Chemlcais 124 ‘ Oils avey 101 All products 177 The result of this has been to stimulate demand so. that factories can at present scarcely cope with it. But owing to the comparative slight control of the retail market, as yet obtained by State enterprise and co-operatives, retail. prices have not correspondingly come down. This is a point to which attention is being directed. : ' Another such point is the cost of production, which, already too high, rose during the second quarter of the year, though it came down during the third quarter. In short, Government control is being directed at present to reducing costs of pro- duction and increasing output. Electrification “ae There is a 15-year programme for the electrification of industry, which divides the country into ten regions, each with 31 regional stations giving about 114 million kilowatts, and which includes the electrification of all railways and factories. This will save haulage of fuel—in Russia a serious matter. For example, it is cheaper now to get English coal by sea for the supply of Leningrad factories than to haul it from the Don Basin. Of this scheme there are already in operation: the stations at Shatoura and Kashira supplying Moscow from peat and Ouk- tina supplying Leningrad. Work & in progress at Shatoura, Volkhov, Leningrad, Kiyelov,. Nijhni-Novgorod, and Shklerol, which stations will be completed in 1925, General Conclusion Of all the compromises on which the Soviet regime is based, the first and most fundamental was the New Economic Policy. And just as it was evident to many members of the previous Delegation in 1920 that War Communism was an experiment that must get more and more extreme until it exploded, so the present Delegation have come to the conclusion that the exist- ing economic system is not only viable, but has real vitality; sa (with restaurant. cars. Year 1923-4-ceme.'a@nsport question which is as vital a matter to th BOSTON JUDGE REFUSES TO GAG THEATRE PICKETS . . , Strike Hits Houses in 5 eae Five Cities BOSTON, July 31.—Musicians, thea- trical stage employes and moving pic- ture operators of five cities of Eastern Massachusetts are showing solidarity in a strike against the firm of Elies M. Loew. and Philip Berler which oper- ates the Strand Theater of New Bed- ford, the Capitol and Dreamland, of Lynn; the Rialto, of Lowell; the Ma- jestic, of Fitchberg and the Dorchester Theater in Boston. The strike stretches across the state line from Rhode Island, starting when the Loew and Berler company refused to reinstaté a union employe unjustly fired in its Pawtucket house. Joint strike action against all the company’s theatres was quickly taken by the American Federation of Musicians, lo- cals 193, 83, 9, 126 and 214; the Inter- national Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes and Moving Picture Oper- ators of the United States and Canada, locals 182, 546, 245, 73, 86, 131 and 134. Finding that pickets were keeping away the working people who furnish- ed most of the custom before, the firm applied to Judge McLaughlin in the circuit court in Boston for a ‘restrain- ing order to stop the above named local unions from picketing and per- suading persons not to patronize the plaintiff, from issuing cireulars, ex- plaining the strike, ete. McLaughlin turned the company down and picket- ing is going on without court inter- ference. Thru Courtesy of the International Pub- lishers Co. ODAY that it does not stunt, but can even stimulate the economic recovery that peace has now made possible. Further, that the proportion of present production to pre-war compares very well with that of other continental countries, and that the supe- rior energy and efficiency developed. by the novel machinery of the Soviet Government compensates to. some extent for the want of capital. Finally that foreign capital now supplied to Russia should give good returns to the investor and provide valuable resources of food and fuel to the consumers of West- ern nations, CHAPTER IV TRANSPORT AND AGRICULTURE Travel in the Union The traveller to Russia today will find the railway service again normal, and though some pre-war luxuries'are ‘still ab- sent, yet in punctuality and in cleanliness there is considerable _ improvement. One member of the Delegation sleeping in a coach on a remote rural branch line suffered from vyerminous “cushions, but his experience was unique in six weeks’ travel. The compromise as between Communism and” comfort takes the form of two kinds of passenger coach, not. distin- * guished as Class II. and Class IIL, but as “soft”. and “hard.” >The “soft’’ means a carriage up to good second-class, standard for day journeys or a similar sleeper for night journeys.) “Hard” : Means wooden seats or berths. The place of a@iifirst-class is » taken by “wagon lits,” known as “internationals” di the famil- ,iar model; which run on the main lines, generally in ‘connection ‘ The running times'’re practically pre- war. Cheap excursions are run to the Cauasus _in the summer, and the arrangements for reduced | “Yes and workers are-very liberal. Fafés are mu in Bngland, and, within the Union, passenger : 2,400 100 t 2,098 100 P t, nsidered as comparing well with any Contin country. 530 220 est aso iMnike-war facilities are not yet restored in~¢ s pi 38.8 Fa ‘ 962 ~ S tween the Union and Europe. At présént the only routes ie GEO ny ett esednto the Union are through Latvia, Esthonia, or nd. The steamer connections between Black Sea ports nople are quite unreliable in winter. The.railway.routes are eliable, comfortable, and comparatively cheap—a. first-class re from London to Moscow costs about £20 andothe' journey can be done for less than half that. eit SOY Ruin of Railways = % aye But this is, of Course, only a very superficial ‘side of the e,,Union as it is to the United States. The wars—continental,,¢lass, and civil—had reduced the railways to ruin. By 1917 a quarter of the engines were broken down and the lines working were reduced from 70,000 to 52,500 versts, which againefell during 1918 to 20,000. The civil wars ruined 3,672 bridges, including those over the Volga, Dnieper, and other large rivers, 1,500 versts of line, hundreds of stations, and thousands of miles of telegraph and telephone lines—15,000 telegraph and telephone instruments being carried off by the “Whites.” Nearly two- thirds of the engines and one-quarter of the trucks were dam- aged. vg Rape of Shipping Matters were as bad with sea transport. The ‘docks and most of the ships fell into the hands of the “Whites,” who burnt, sank, or carried away all they could-—including 900 river steam- ers and 12,500 sailing vessels, barges, boats, etc. Sea shipping suffered even more. Sixty sea-going steamers, totalling 90,000 tons, were destroyed, and 300, totalling 470,000 tons, were car- ried away by the French and British forces in the Black Sea and sold by the French. More than half the total sea-going tonnage was thus lost, and the Black Sea was swept clean of steamer tonnage—a piece of piracy unexampled in modern his- tory. : ’ War Communism—Reconstruction of Railways These figures may give some faint idea of the task that faced the Soviet Government—a far greater reconstruction of all transport with far less resources than in the case of any other war-ruined people. But it was begun in 1920, a year before war finally ended, and the Delegation in 1920 were much impressed by the labors of the “subbotniki,” or v. itary work- ers, and the gaily-decked engines that were the result of their overtime. This was the period when the slogan (losung) of War Communism was “all hands to transport,” and the results of this concentration on the transport front were. remarkable. Popular energy and enthusiasm was worked by a “war propaganda,” and kept alive by daily bulletins of "ick engines cured or convalescent and sound engines reconquéred from the enemy. One of these bulletins shows that in Janifary, 1920, the total number of engines was 9,438, of which 3,883 only were sound. In November, with final peace, there were 17,799, of which 7,451 were sound; practically all the additional recaptured engines having been damaged. The number of trucks in Janu- ary, 1920, was 258,729, of which 204,983 were damaged, and in November 419,455, of which 320,309 were damaged. To give traffic a start 1,700 engines were ordered in Germany and Sweden in 1921, with 500 tank cars in Canadaiiand 1,000 in Germany! but otherwise the repair shops kept e with require- ments. At the end of 1923 there were in resery# 2,734 sound engines and 60,724 trucks, Efforts were next centrated on repairing the permanent way and bridges, nad by the end of 1921 only 12 bridges were still impassable. Ag War Communism—Shipping Reconstruction TH The reconstruction of river shipping was no. rapid. By the end of 1921, there had been repaired 1,36! rs and 1,719 vessels, and refloated 76 steamers, 593 vessels, and two af y THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE BRITISH TRADE . UNION DELEGATION TO SOVIET RUSSIA Copyright in the United States by the International Publishers Co, All Rights Reserved. Copyright by the Trades Union Congress General Council in Great Britain, J ttettient, “T907. Servo on see dredgers, while an ambitious program of new construction | royal commissions. President, was undertaken. Transport Reorganization Under New Economic Policy War Communism thus made a good’ beginning, but the in- troduction of the New Economic Policy required a complete reorganization of transport reconstruction on a business basis. Thenceforward reconstruction had to be treated as a business investment, not as an “internal front.” The transition took time | tral committee, miners’ welfare f and was first formally enforced by a decree in January, 1922. | central committee, mining examifi The operation involved a complete reorganization and consider- | board. ; able decentralization of the Commissariat which was coupled with a technical planning Commission (Transplan). Attention was then concentrated on making the railways and shipping pay | of trade unions since 1889. Fi in accordance with plans ‘for a ten years development. Steady, °f Dockers’ Union which ort progress has been made with this task and is perhaps none the | from the Tea Coopers and worse for showing less sensational results than the feverish “offensives’” of the War Communism. For example, the fuel expenditure has been reduced until it is 1.42 kopecks per 100 engine versts as compared with 1.03 kopéeks pre-war, which is not bad after making the appropriate allowances. Damage and defalcations of freight which, in 1921-22, was as high as one pood per 50,000 pood versts has been brought down to 125,000 in 1922-23, and 750,000 pood versts in 1923-24. The improve- ment of the permanent way was continued; 17,000,000 sleepers being relaid, and all temporary bridges. replaced by permanent. The reconstruction work can now be considered as practically complete, and the present task is to\\make the railways pay. This is largely a matter of making working more economical by running full loads. The average load pre-war was 66,000 pood versts, in 1923-24, it was about 22,000, in 1927, it is planned to be 33,000, i.e., half as economical as pre-war. The annexed graph shows the improvement in working conditions:— YEAR 1913 1917 The progress towards running the railways at a profit can be seen in the Budget (v. Finance). In.1922-23 the Government subsidy was 28.9 per cent. of the total expenditure, including re-equipments, etc. In the present Budget the railways appear to be paying their way. Shipping Reorganization 4 Shipping is still in a more backward condition—though in- ternal navigation seems adequately restored, and its economic efficiency is shown to be double that of 1922. In the Baltic, tonnage increased since the organization of regular services in the middle of 1922, from 785,742 poods for the first half of 1922 to 7,959,028 poods in the second half, and nearly 20 million poods in 1923. In the Black Sea and Sea of -Azov the average monthly freights which were 385,000 poods in 1921 and 990,000 poods in 1922, after the running of regular services in 1922 rose to nearly two million poods. But though this sea-transvort continues to increase it is greatly hampered by want of tonnage and construction programs are being pressed forward. One of the Delegation crossed the Black Sea in one of the Russian regular service to the Straits and Syria and found the steamer clean and comfortable. .. General Conclusion ' oy It seems clear that the reconstruction of Russian railway transport is fairly complete and that railroads haye been put] mocratic federation many years. But that want of capital may delay profit-| ber, Salford Borough Council for & on_a paying basis. able developments; and has already delayed, to the great. dis-| years. advantage of foreign commerce, the reconstruction of shipping| 1etly organizer, furnishing and.the restoration of the steamer communications between the Union and foreign ports. ; ~ AGRICULTURE i Russian Agriculture and the Reviution : < Russia Ys an agricultural country. Of the population 90| Year. Blected by per cent. is agricultural. The pre-war export was three-quar- ters agricultural products, the import two-thirds for agricultural requirements. All the same, until the Revolution, the position of the, peas-| American labor convention; 1925. They only owned one-third of the land, | companied the delegation to Russi and that mostly the worst, and the landlords kept them in a} 1920. antry was deplorable. state of semi-serfage, Besides, of the land owned by the peas- farmers (kulaks) who were continually reducing the middle- sized holders to small holders and the small holder to a laborer (batrak). Nothing was done to put the’peasantry in actual possession of the land until the Bolshevist Revolution. private property in land; (2) fixing standard holdings in ferent regions, and (8) abolishing rent and hired labor. 1919, 96 per cent..of the land was in the hands of the peasantry, and 414 per cent. under communal exploitation. ~ (To be continued in next issue) — + mentary elections. Elected for ] Chinese Traitor ds Life; General Strike Spreading to Amoy, HONG KONG, Aug. 2.—An acute situation is reported to have arisen ih Amoy over the shooting on Wednes- day of a Chinese merchant who! was known to be friendly to the British. A Chinese secretary of the muhcipal ‘ council was wounded at the same time. A general strike is believed to be in- evitable in Amoy and a stringent’ boy- dot is being maintained. A British gunboat has left for Amoy. i Deneen for World Court.) °° + SWAMPSCOTT, Mass., August 2i— Hope for American entty into: the World Court thru Senate action atthe next session was held out here by Senator Charles S. Deneen, | répub- lican of Illinois who left for Chicagp after having spent a night at White Court with President Coolidge. #~ | “Who Is Who” in the _British Delegation | HERBERT SMITH, J. P. Ninetesn years president Yorkshire Miners’ deration. President, Miners’ tion of Great Britain since 1921." iter- national Miners’ Committee. Mem! 6 of school board, West Riding (Yor county council and other public for many years. Member, parlis ary committee, trades union congt 1913-16, and general. council, 1928- Appointed J. P. in.191b. Member, eee BEN TILLETT, general Laborers’ Union established in, 1887. A pioneer of trade union movément | nationally. Contested several’ Remained dockers’ general secre until amalgamation to Transport, General. Workers’ Union. Now. secret- ary of Political and International De-, partment of Amalgamated Union. Member of trades union congress gen-. eral council since 1922, Member of parliamentary committee, .. trades, union congress, 1892-04, 5 4 eee Aes 04 JOHN TURNER, associated with socialist organizations since 1884.’ If- timate with founders and leaders ‘of socialist thought, such as WilHam Morris, Belfort Bax, and other! pio- neers. Closely associated with prince Kropotkin from 1886 until his retufh to Russia in 1917. A pioneer of shop ” hours legislation and foundér of Shop Assistants’ Union. Official of, this union from 1898 until ab general secretary after twelve ‘yéai in this position until 1924. Blected:to general council, trades union congress, |, 1921; re-elected by congress each to 1924 for period to September, 1926. eee eae JOHN BROMLEY, M. P. A pioneét of railway trade unionism and held’ many positions of trust prior to 4p pointment as branch secretary of Aé- sociated Society of Locomotive Bagin- eers and Fireman, 1904. Elected of- ganizing secretary of the union, 1910. Secretary also of conciliation boards. Elected general secretary of thé union, ;, 1914. Elected member of labor party executive, 1920 and 1921. “Blected member of trades union congress gén- eral council, 1922-24. Member of la- bor party delegation to Ireland. Threé times candidate for Barrow, ele 1924, Prominently associated with la- bor and socialist propaganda for many years, eee ry ALAN A. H. FINDLAY, membér of United Patternmakers’ Associati since 1893. Branch secretary ani other offices. Elected assistant gén- eral secretary, executive department, 1913. Elected general secretary, 1917. Formerly treasurer, Engineering ahd Shipbuilding Trades Federation three years, subsequently appoint president, at present occupying ‘this position. Elected to trades union: On February 14th, | organinzing 1918, an Act socialized the Jand by (1) abolishing in principle} Trades Association, Appointed jif-| ant secretary, trades union co By 1917; _-}idonal health insurance and natio debt commission, x gress general council, 1921, re-elée! each year until 1924, 'for term ending September, 1925, ‘ see i A. A. PURCELL (chairman of 4élé- gation). Member, Furnishing Tt Union since 1891. Member, socii Sectional secretary, Parliamentary candidate, West — ford, 1910. Contested Coventry, 1! 24, Elected 1923, Successful tor in co-operative and other dis; Elected to general council, ti union congress, 1919, re-elected trade union ini tional conference, Vienna, 1924, president. President at 1924 | union congress. Vice-Chairman, eral council. Appointed de! tp *{ FRED BRAMLEY (secrtary to dé ant, a large and growing proportion was in the hands of large|!@s#tion). Many years actively as elated with political and ind! branches of the labor movement. eral years full time lecturer on and economic subject in conn with “Clarion” newspaper, secretary, general secretary, 1923. on several government committ Member of royal commission ot ,