The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 25, 1925, Page 4

_ Page Four THE DAILY WORKER 3,000 TEXTILE WORKERS STRIKE AGAINST WOOLEN MILL WAGE CUT (Special to The Dally Worker) PITTSFIELD, Maas., Aug. 23.—Three thousand textile workers are now affected by the strike against a 10 per cent wage cut that began Saturday In the weaving rooms of the James & E. H. Wilson Co. and the Pontoosuo Woolen Co. The strike has spread to the W. E. Tillotson Manufacturing Co., the Berkshire Woolen Co, and the N. & C. Russell Manufacturing Co. Strike committees have been chosen with authority to confer with em- ployers and lay settlement proposals before the workers. This Is the first sizable revolt against the 10 per cent cut that swept New England woolen mills in latter July and early August. 6 — Scan Council Bluffs Ballots, Plan World Radio Conference, WASHINGTON, August 23.—Ballots “ ss ; WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, — The from Council Bluffs today occupied the | united States has invited 42 other goy: ae pear hi ro or cee at is ernments to send representatives to ae Beater peeieg W. mir bladins an international radio conference to independent republican. Steck made| be held in Washington next year, it a net gain of 15 votes during the day. | V8 announced at the state depart- Twenty-one ballots, with an arrow op- | Ment today. posite Steck’s name, were challenged | by the Brookhart people, | & * Build the DAILY WORKER. Welsh Miners’ Strike Again Reported to Be Settled; Out 9 Weeks SWANSEA, Wales, Aug. 23.—The South Wales anthracite strike was set- tled today and the miners will go back to work next Tuesday after several weeks of idleness. The settlement in- cludes adjustment of the difficulties in the Ammanford area, where serious outbreaks of rioting accompanied the strike, WASHINGTON HEARS STRIKE AGAINST JAPS SETTLED AT SHANGHAI TWAstigros: uguet 23.—The strike In Japanese cotton mills at Shanghai which, two, months ago, stirred the bitterest unrest in Chi- nese history, has been settled and 50,000 strikers returned to work yesterday, according to delayed dispatches today to the department Bricklayers Locals Back Strike in N. Y. Against “Open Shop’’| NEW YORK, Aug. 23.—(FP)—The fourteen locals of the Bricklayers Union in New York are supporting the 500 members on strike against George A. Fuller Co. and T. A. Clarke Co., contractors who are employing non-union workers in other cities for nine-hour days. The bricklayers are “ready for action in defense of the nec eran cnet, LEAGUE OF NATIONS EXPDITS THE WORKERS OF: SUBJECT \OUNTRIES, WAGES GO: DOWN, LIVIN COST RISES By LELAND OLDS (Federated Press Industrial Editl . Women workers in Austrian industries’are paid ajow as 5.7c. per hour while the highest wage for skilled male labor is just (er 20c., according to a report on Austrian wage trends issued by the U. Sdepartment of com- merce, The report shows how international capital is)xploiting the wage earners of a conquered country under the receiver appmted by the league Foreign Exchange. NEW YORK, Aug. 23.—Great Brit- ain, pound sterling, demand 4.85 5-16; cable 4.85 11-16, France, franc, demand of commerce from acting commerc- jal attache, O, H. Evans, at Shang- hai. Shooting of a Chinese by the Jap- anese foreman of ‘the Nagaiwata cone cable 4.69. Balai franc,| mit) more than twoy months ago demand 4.5344; cable 4.54. Italy, lira, precipitated the strike./ demand 3.62%; cable 3.63. Sweden, 33 krone, demand 26.85; cable 26.88. Nor- way, krone, demand 18.80; cable 18.82, Denwark, krone, demand 23.29; cable 23.31. Germany, mark, no quote. Shanghai, tael, 78.75. If you want toithevoughly un- derstand Communism—study it. Send for a catalogue of all Com- union shop and eight-hour day,” ac- cording to John Gill, chairman of the International union executive commit- tee. Gill asserts that 40,000 bricklayers, plasterers and masons are ready to quit work to enforce these-conditions and that 21,000 brick and stone ma- sons’ helpers are with them against open shop and nine-hour day in any city. The bricklayers’ strike is one of of nations in the interest of the big contractors employing, chiefly in Flor- ida, other than union bricklayers. The bricklayers’ and plasterers’ unions are involved in a jurisdictional dispute over respective territories. munist movement grow—get a sub munist literatures: -¢ RUSSIA T (Continued from Yesterday's Daily Worker ) SYNOPSIS.—The official report of the British trade union delegation to Soviet Russia described the workings of foreign trade, transportation, industry, finance and agriculture in the Soviet Union. The trade union leaders concluded that foreign trade is increasing, and that in agriculture and industry the level of production is being raised. The finances have been Placed on a sound basis, the report showed. Harm is beirig done to Eng- land by the absence of full diplomatic relations, the union leaders stated. Schools and universities, and literature, music and opera and the theatre oi then disoussed. Art collections, censorship, newspapers, wall news- papers, and freedom of the press were explained, with the conclusion that ¢ “the results of education are astounding.” The report then took up hospitals, , welfare work, sanitation, birth control, abortion, cleanliness and housing, rent regulations, family life, and prisons. “The Soviet government is achieving most remarkable results in respect to public health, housing, . and the prison system,” says the report. Regarding the trade unions and labor conditions, the report states, “The Delegation were much impressed by the position and activities of Trade Unions under the Soviet system.” ap es ae aie " The whole power of Government propaganda—and only those who have visited Russia can realize what that means—is now, and for some time has been, turned on to stimulate the worker to increase his production. A Central Institute of Work educates experts in the Taylor system and other scientific schemes for improving the human mechanism in combination with the German science of bio-mechanism.. It has now a cent- { ral staff of 150 instructors all over the country, and organizes an annual conference on its subject. It hopes to float a com- a mercial company for the business promotion of its ideas and “,+~inventions. This does not arouse the opposition that it would aa where industry is still under private capital, as the workers real- et ize that any resulting profits from increased production will come back into their pockets, and that their productivity will not be increased at the expense of their conditions of life. 4 _The consequent improvement reported of late in industrial <.put has not been put in statistical form, but partial results Seem so far satisfactory. For exmaple, at the Krasny Putilovetz Factory and Diesel Factory, individual output now exceeds pre- | War, while unofficial figures return the monetary value of one | worker’s output in 1922-23 at 1,078 roubles and 1923-24 at 1,227 | roubles, or 14 per cent. more. ee x ‘ General Conclusion , & The gencral conclusion is that, just as cheap labor does not Mean cheap production, so Russia is not losing on the whole by p giving the workers such real wages in respect of housing, edu- is cation, and supplementary advantages mentioned in previous chapters, as, in the opinion of the Delegation, are in many re- spects better than those obtained by labor elsewhgre in Europe. The mining’ industries, however, are not yet reorganized up to the general standard. CHAPTER IV Co-operation Is is hard to do justice in this report to the importance of Co-operation in Russia. But this perhaps matters less, as it is that part of the new regime as to which most is known in > oa and as to which less lies are now being told than any er. Pre-war Co-operatives Co-operation in Russia before the war, benefited mainly ___ better class workers and peasants. In 1914 there were 10,785 co-operative societies with a membership of 1,400,000, and a turnover of 250,000,000 roubles, of these over 8,000 were credit and consumers’ co-operatives. The societies were non-political, but Liberal or Right Socialist in sympathy. The war with its economic pressure doubled the number of societies, raised their membership to 9,000,000 and their turnover to seven milliards. _ Co-operatives and Class War When the first Revolution broke out, the co-operatives and _the Trade Unions were divided as to the class war. The ma- jority, including the societies with mixed productive and dis- _tributive functions, and the agricultural co-operatives, were ‘against class war. A small minority, representing some of the ‘consumers’ co-operatives of the town workers, favored it, In September, 1917, a Special Congress of Co-operatives was called at Petrograd with a view to strengthening the Govern- ment against the Bolshevists, and passed resolutions against class war. Even a Congress of Workmen’s Co-operatives called in August was captured by. the Menshevists, Co-operatives under War Communism When the second Revolution brought the policy of class war to power the co-operatives refused to accept defeat, and the more middle-class societies became centers of counter-revolu- _ tion. The Communists had ,therefore, a good political reason _ for either converting or coercing Co-operation. But they had ’ an even better practical reason. For, unless they could ration _ the town population and the Red Army efficiently and econom- _ieally, they could not survive; and without the help of the co- _ Operatives they could scarcely do this. Their attempt to set up Communist centers of distribution in competition with the co- operatives was a failure. In Russia, as in our own war expe- rience, the organization of distribution proved a more difficult business than the organization of production or of war admin- tion. Moreover, we were able to use the wholesale provi- merchant and the local grocer for our purpose. ‘But the ‘) F ODAY t+ Thru Courtesy of the International Pub- lishers Co. could, and the more extreme wished to abolish not only the prof- iteering middleman and provision merchant, butveven the So- cialist co-operatives. It was, however, impossible, even for them, to preach a holy war against the principle of Co-opera- tion as they were doing against that of private capitalism. Co- operation had a better and far longer record of social service than had Communism itself. It could not be abolished by de- cree, and could only be absorbed by degrees. And the question as to how this should be done divided the War Communists be- tween those who wished to keep the voluntary co-operative as- sociations and those who wished to substitute for them new obligatory communal organizations. Already in a decree of April, 1918, an attack was made on the character and constitution of the co-operatives by decreeing that they must supply non-members in the towns. And in the following August a decree prescribed that the peasants, who un- less provided with manufactures refused to sell fi od, must also be supplied by the co-operatives. .This immense task was at- tempted by the co-operatives, but not to the satisfaction of the Communists, who complained that the societies only supplied the rich farmers, who could give food in exchange, and would not give it to the starving laborers. This curious and charac- teristic criticism is very illustrative both of the Strength and weakness of War Communism. The decree of November 2nd, 1918, went a long step further in requiring that everyone must be a member either of a consumers’ commune or of a co-opera- tive. As the former scarcely existed this practically forced ev- eryone into a co-operative. . Co-operation Communalized 4 Meantime the persistence of certain co-operé utives in coun- ter-revolutionary intrigue, and the progress of the country to- wards Communism, enabled the Government to piepare its final stroke. The co-operative societies were persistently-educated by Communist agitators. By December, 1918, a Communist majority was secured on the Congress and Council of the Work- ers’ Co-operatives; and the Supreme Economic Council by de- cree of November 30th, restricted voting in co-operative affairs to the workers, thus disfranchising the greater number of its middle-class opponents. Thereupon followed the main decree of March 20th, 1919, which professed “to preserve, develop, and complete the co-operative organization” as being “the only available apparatus proved by years of experience.” But, as a matter of fact, the decree radically changed the whole principle and the purpose of the co-operatives by converting the societies , into “Consumers’ Communes.” These Consumers’ Communes were Governmental organizations for supplying, not subscrib- ers or shareholders, but the public. Co-operation was originally the voluntary association of consumers and producers for their mutual benefit and profit. The principle of the decree was a distribution of the whole country into either municipal or rural communes, in which all the inhabitants were compulsorily en- rolled in their capacity as consumers. The original co-opera- tive employes and management were taken on as Government officials and continued managing the societies’ business in so far as it could be adapted to the new conditions. In thus mak- ing Co-operation act as a Commissariat of Rationing, the Com- munists were also much influenced by fear of the use that was made of certain of the co-operatives by foreign interventionists during the critical years of the Civil Wars 1919-20-21, Co-operatives and Intervention The Entente policy of trying to make use of the co-opera- tives for restoring trade relations with Russia looked well enough. It appeared to be no more than an attempt to restore commerce with Russia without the disagreeable diplomatic pre- liminary of a de facto recognition of the Russian Government; but transactions with real Russian co-operatives could only have been realized through and by the Russian ‘Commissariats. Any other procedure looked like an attempt to transfer the eco- nomic control of external commerce, and eventugily of internal consumption, from the Government authority to organizations many of which had been and still were in opposftion to it. For in those regions occupied by reactionary armies. the co-opera- tives had served as intermediaries for supplying those armies. But there is no good in going into the darWiand long-dead intrigues by which in the end British cargoes and British capital found its way into the pockets of reactionary generals. It, is, however, satisfactory to record that last year Russian co- operatives, although they had never received these consign- ments, which had indeed been used by their enemies then in- vading them with British Governmental support, nevertheless honored the debt to their British colleagues and repaid a sum of £60,000. When intervention and Civil War stopped the co-op- eratives could be restored their full liberty, which began the mo- ment the danger was over, and even before the New Economic Policy -was introduced, Co-operatian Restored Already by a decree of September 7th, 1921, the co-opera- tives were allowed to resume their productive activities without restriction. By other decrees of October 26th and November 27th they were restored their nationalized factories and proper- ties, and were given the right to extend their enterprises with- out special permission. This privileged position they have thereafter retained. “if Under the New.Economic Policy the co-operatives rapidly recovered not only their old self-governing and voluntary char- acter, but also they have resumed on business lines a good deal of the work that War Communism had wanted them to do on bureaucratic lines, Thus they: are now a half-way house be- tween State and private enterprise, both in production and dis- tribution and both im foreign and internal trade.. "In developing retail trade in the countryside they have a usiness advantage over State enterprise, and they are pelloved obi te disad- OL THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE BRITISH TRADE ',UNION DELEGATION TO SOVIET RUSSIA many in various cities against certain for the DAILY WORKER. Copyright in the United States by the International Publishers Co, All Rights Reserved. Copyright by the Trades Union Congress General Council In Great Britain. been stated, admitted to- foreign commerce, and they trade wholesale in competition with the State trusts and syndicates; while they also produce, though on no ‘very large scale. But their future function in the Soviet system is to organize retail trade, both distribution and consumption. Private enterprise is tolerated largely because of its keeping the co-operatives up to the mark and on the move. Co-operatives in Foreign Trade The co-operative societies generally export and import un- der permission of the Commissariat for Foreign Trade. But two categories are exempt from this rule: The Centrosoyouz and other co-operative societies, such as Selskosoyouz (Decrees of 1921 and 1923), Ukrainian Co-operative Society (Decree of Feb- ruary 15th, 1924), and-the All-Ukrainian Co-operative Whole- sale Society, “Vukospilka” (Decree of March 5th, 1924). These may transact export-import operations with foreign co-opera- tives and with private firms and concerns. They have represen- tatives abroad for the transaction of foreign trade. The second class of co-operatives, such as Vsekompromsoyouz, Vsekoles, have representatives in the trade delegations for their export and import operations, and enjoy the same rights of representa- tion on the trade delegation as the State institutions. They al- so trade through Centrosoyouz. Growth of Co-operatives Since the New Economic Policy the growth of the Co-op- erative Movement has been steady and as follows, from figures taken from fiscal returns:— : NUMBER AND NATURE OF CO-OPERATIVES 1922 1923 1924 Per cent Percent Number Number of 1922 Number of 1922 Trading Co-operatives ...... 13,402 17,121 128 25,012 185 Industrial Co-operatives ..... 1,799 2,337 130 5,587 811 Total... ove 15,201 19,458 128 30,599 201 Other . wihieeers, 1,646 173 1,909 201 Total . vcervvacscsseseee 16,201 21,104 139 32,508 211 Membership of Co-operatives The total membership of the co-operatives is growing rap- idly. The membership in April, 1924, was as follows:— Workers’ Urban Co-operatives ... 2,297,000 Peasant Co-operatives + 2,599,200 ‘Transport Co-operative 1,000,000 Military Co-operatives Se 369,200 TOUT 1h WR oi.) vewcacey cease inde ree 6,265,400 The total membership has risen during 1924 to over 8,000,- 000. The membership of workers’ urban co-operatives has ris- en in the course of 1924 to 2,863,000—that is, from 50.8 per cent. of the total Trade Union membership to 62 per cent., an increase of 12.3 per cent. This percentage varies greatly ac- cording to place. In country towns it goes as high as 99.7 per cent. In Leningrad it is only 59 per cent. and in Moscow 50 per cent. For which the reason is obvious in the greater competi- tion of private traders in the towns. The system of collection by books and stamps is much as elsewhere. At the beginning of the year the average share sub- scription was 1 rouble 90 kopecks, and at the end 2 roubles 66 kopecks. The average in the textiles was 1.94 roubles; metal workers, 2.74; miners, 2.71. Arrangements have been made with Aznepht and other enterprises to advance 5 roubles on the workers’ pay so as to give their co-operatives a working capi- tal; and efforts are being made to raise the share subscription to 5 roubles generally. Co-operative Finance Finance appears to be the weakest side of Russian Co- operation—partly owing to such activities as lowering prices during the “scissors crisis, partly owing to new extensions as yet unremunerative. On the other hand, this has been compen- sated to them by large credits from the Budget—over 20 mil- lion roubles in 1923-24. No provision for them is made, how- ever, in 1924-25, but the 40 million roubles allowed for famine relief will probably be largely administered through the co-op- eratives. The proportion of the capital of the co-operatives owned and borrowed is as 1:21; and the present profits are not such as to promise any alteration in this proportion as much business has to be done at a loss. But capital increased from 142 million roubles to 170 million roubles in the first six months of 1924 and the total turnover from 400 million to 1,100 million. The method of distributing credits to societies has been much criticized; and there is said to be much overlapping. But a great effort is being made to bring down overhead expenses by reforms in the working of staffs. Thus Centrosoyouz central staff was reduced from 3,046 on October 1st, 1923, to 2,731 on January 1st, 1924, and to 2,459 on April 1st, 1924, and the ‘turn- over per employe has increased from 4.19 roubles in January to 7.9 roubles in March. Overhead expenses are now said to be not much higher than in Europe. Which economics have much helped in liquidating the very heavy liabilities that caused a fin- ancial crisis in 1923, during which many small societies suc- cumbed. The Centrosoyouz About six months ago, following the decrees ‘of December 30th, 1923, on the reorganization of the consumers’ co-opera- tives on the basis of volun membership, the Centrosoyouz simplified its provincial or jon. Only central,’ unions, as well State, and district co-operati ers’ co-operatives are now le for membership,” ve 9'9 be gontinued ip next ssnilb) ‘ . ’ If you want to see the Com- financiers. he figures in this report give force to British goverment data showing —_———————— FP the purchasing Poler of wages in Austria as about\one-half British wages and less thy one-fourth that in the American \North Atlantic states, In all except the \naing industry Austrian wages fai considerably short of meeting theiincreased cost of living since 1914.\ As a result thousands of worker families have been forced to lower heir standard of living. The cost Uving -is about 31 per cent abov\ prewar but the hourly wages in the\chemical in- dustry are up only 1 per cent, wages in the metal trales 27 per cent, and in the leather trades 10 per cent. Since regule+ working’ hours have been shortene( as much as 10 per cent, actual weikly earn- ings fall more than 10 per\ent short of meeting prewar standaris. Highest Wage Twenty Cents.. Maximum hourly earnings in Ans- trian industries in May, 192, were: Z Un- | Un Austria Skilled skilled skilled Hourly wages méen men women Building ...... 20.lc 15.6¢ 10.60 Woodworking . 13.2 10.0 82 Chemical ...... 12.6 10.5 6.9 Soap, ete. ..... 13.4 11.5 8.1 Asphalt ....... 184 5.9 Rubber ... 9.3 5.7 Paper ... 9.8 5.9 Leather . 180 8611.8 Textile . 8.4 Glass 17 Metal trades 15.0 ©6200 Starvation Pay. The regular week in all industries is 48 hours. So building trade me chanics get only $9.66 a week while operatives in the textile industry get only $5.18. In between comes the metal trades with $9.32, leather work- ers with $9.60, workers in the asphalt industry with $9.22 and wood work- ers with $6.34 a week to mention typical instances. Unskilled workers ‘range as low as $4.04 and $2.74 a week in the case of women. By American standards these look more like day wages than the maximum weekly pay for a regu- lar working week. Leifur Magnusson, American repre- sentative of the international labor office of the league of nations is on tour thru the middle west. He speaks on “International labor organ- }ization in relation to organized peace.” HOSE IN THE KNOW PROPHESY LEWIS TREASON John Hays Hammond Throws Hint BOSTON, Mass., Aug. 23—John Hays Hammond, former chairman the federal coal commission, told the New England governors’ coal confer- ence today that “there may possibly be a suspension in the anthracite fields for a little while, but | have a suspicion that something will happen at the eleventh hour so that even that will be avoided.” Hammond told the governors that the anthracite operators have become alarmed over the possibility of losing their market for anthracite because of the growing tendency to use soft coal for household use, adding that the union leaders are coming to realize this. This statement about “union leaders realizing” obstacles, together with his hint at “something will hap- pen at the eleventh hour,” indicates that Hammond has information that Lewis will surrender as he did be- fore. Cannery Workers in Mt. Vernon Treated Worse Than Coolies (By Worker Correspondent.) MT. VERNON, Wash., Aug. 23.—The discharge of workers who presented demands for an increase in piecework rates was followed by a strike of more than 100 women and girl pieceworkers in the cannery company here, The strike was won that same day with the demands granted and those dis- charged reinstated. Under the new rates a ten-hour shift will net an average of $2.25 dally as which formerly Another cause of dissatisfaction among the workers is the extremely long hours of work during the sums mer season. Shifts from 9 o'clock in the morning until midnight and after have been frequent. The laws in this state do not protect women workers in the fruit and vegetable canning ine Sa i