The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 27, 1925, Page 4

‘4 soo AC i Page Four ‘HINDOOS PROTEST BRITISH MURDER REIGN IN CHINA Offers Help to Chinese in Their Struggle SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Aug. 25— The following resolutions were unani- mously adopted in a mass meeting held at Marysville, California, under the auspices of the Hindustan Gaddar Party, August 16, 1925. Whereas, China is struggling to emancipate herself trom the same ex- Ploiting system that has robbed India for a century and a half; And, Whereas, the British imperial- ism is the leader of this exploiting system that has used Indian men and money for its own benefit to deprive one-fourth of the human race of its liberty; And, Whereas, it is in the interest of humanity that British imperialism must be destroyed in order that the world may live in peace; And, Whereas, joint action of all op- pressed humanity is necessary to de- throne tyranny; Therefore, be it resolved; “First—That we, the Hindustanees of California, in a mass meeting assem- bled, under the auspices of the Hindu- stan Gaddar Party, do hereby strongly protest the barbarous murdering of the Chinese workers and students at the hands of the British Indian police in China, and express our deepest sym- pathy for the cause of China which is the cause of us all; and we urge our fellow Indians all over the world to bring such pressure upon the British government as will compel it to with- draw its forces from China, and ‘we ask all true Hindustanees to help the Chinese people in their present strug- gle. Secondly—That the copies of these resolutions, be forwarded to the press of India, China, and the United States, RUSSIA TODAY (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 being done to Eng- land by the absence of full diplomatic relations, the union leaders stated. GIRL STUDENTS REBEL AGAINST REACTIONARIES Ministry ae Education Branded Imperialistic PEKING, China, Aug. 25—That the whole educational system of China is severely affected by the militancy of its students, the large majority of which have flung themselves into the struggle against foreign imperialism is exemplified in the brave resistance of the girl students of the Peking Na- tional Normal University against the imperialist leanings and harsh discip- line of the school authorities and the ministry of education, The rebel girls have held their school in a veritable state of siege since last May. The trouble began THE DAILY/WORKER when the studenth!! attacked their American trained {aperintendent for her disciplinary measures and reac- tionary views. Six opens were sus: pended. The girls fhen kicked out the principle and tony over the school for themselées. G The ministry of Abcation attempt ed to conciliate matters thruout July and August but thé girls stood firm. The minister of édtication then’ or- dered the school dissélved and threat- ened to cut off lights, water and food. The girls, however, with the assist- ance of male students from other schools held out. Finally a police attack on the school, which resulted in the girl students being forcibly removed, broke the siege. But the fight.is not over. The militant girls andj,the faculty have the suport of the student union and the radical teachers,for a manifesto they issued announeing that they would no longer accept the direction of the ministry of; egucation and de- nouncing its frien liness to the im- perialist powers whg.are attempting to throttle China. , \ Thru Géurtesy of the Intérhational Pub- : ‘lishers Co. IV Visit to Moscow Insurance Department The District Insurance Section is constituted as follows: Each factory elects delegates, one for each 250 employees. In factories where a lesser number is employed a maximum of three and a minimum of one would be appointed. These dele- gates meet annually and elect a management committee of 21 to control the section. The 21 then elect a managewnent execu- tive committee, which meets w eekly and is designated the pre- AMALGAMATION OF RAILROADS SWELLS BOODLE Workers Must Retort by Union Solidarity By LELAND OLDs, The possibility of laying off 50,- 000 of the 160,000 workers employed on the railroads of Canada is a feature of the plan to merge the Canadian National with the Canadian Pacific railway. This appeals especially to the financial interests backing the attempt to eliminate a well operated nationally owned system. Says the Wall Street‘Journal: “Slic- ing of labor costs, particularly oper- ating labor, would be the most im- portant item in savings resulting from merger. The Canadian National em- ploys 100,000 and the Canadian Pacific ORT OF THE BRITISH TRADE ‘THE OFFICIAL REP " 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, by a foreign Consul with ing servants. cooks, and their servants. aday. The lowest wage paid is officer being paid 172 roubles ae are peng ee eterna ' over 60,000. Payroll of the Nation: per month, railways last year was $143,242,026, and the average number of employes 98,875, making the average annual labor cost per employe $1,448. Using the estimate that the two railroad sys- tems comprising over 35,000 miles of road can be operated with about 110,- 000 instead of the approximately 160,- 000 now employed there would be a reduction of $7),400,000 in the labor costs.” Aside from the problem presented to the operating unions by this threat of wholesale layoffs the analysis is an unwitting boost for operation of railroads in one big national system |. under public control. No one ques- tions the high efficiency of the Cana- dian National under Thornton. There would unquestionably be a similar saving if the Canadian Pacific enter- ed the national system. A similar authoritative estimate of the waste of money and manpower in the operation of the huge transporta- tion system of the United States by scores of individual private corpora- tions might stagger the private com- petitive ownership advocate, SURGEONS STORE TOOLS IN BELLY OF PROGRESSIVE Burns Dicks Agency Trailed Radical : By FRAPIESA. ee (Special to The Dally Worker) LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25.—The lat- est “Weekly News Letter” of the Bet- ter America Federation quotes the following paragraphs, wri(ten by Fred R. Marvin, from New York Commer- efal: “The government, of the United States is capitalist in character and republican in form. Its affairs are directed by representatives cLosen by the people. which is even too general among those who should know better, a capi- talist government is that form of gov- ernment which permits the individual to acquire, own, hold, transfer, enjoy, devise and bequeath property—any old kind of property; a wheelbarrow, an automobile, a broken down horse, a cattle ranch, a sack of potatoes, a farm, a bank, a home, a manufactur- ing plant, or a railroad system. And a capitalist form of government, fur- ed seven members of the family, includ-|‘2¢? {8 that form which brings to Up to 100 children are now being cared for ju the same house with a staff of 48, including medical attendants. bear all its power to protect the indi- vidual in this right. That is the kind */of a government you enjoy in the The staff are employed six hours United States.” 37 roubles a month, the medical] ‘The B. A. F. sheet adds: “very sincere and loyal American The best doctors in the country, we were informed, were | Should know and remember this. And Placed at the disposal of these hospitals and convalescent homes | Pe ever ready to uphold. for children, and specialists are called in to deal with all cases Right Definition of Property. “Stripped of all misunderstanding,* Schools and universities, and literature, music and opera and the theatre were then discussed. 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 tlie position and activities of Trade Unions under the Soviet system.” 4 m Visit to the Union of Administrative and Commercial Employes. A visit to the Russian Trade Union of Employes in Soviet and administrative institutions, generally, proved to be of great * interest. On inquiry it was found that the post office employes were not included in the union, having a separate organization of their own. Clerks in various industries, such as transport, engineering, etc., are also outside this union, being attached to the union of the industry itself. The unitof the organization is the shop, office, or store committee. "These committees are formed wherever 50 or more are employed in the same establishment. Where less than 50 are employed, a shop delegate is appointed. Both the shop com- mittee and shop delegate are responsible to the branch committee for the collection of contributions, and for reporting to the branch any complaint or nonfulfilment of agreements or de- crees. The shop committee may or may not be a member of the branch committee and the same is true of the shop delegate. In small towns and villages a general committee is elected. to keep in touch with the branch and is responsible for the col- lection and remission of contributions. Every county, or prov- ince, as it is called in Russia, has a branch. These often cover a@ very large area and are much larger than the counties in , Britain. All contributions from these large areas are remitted to the branch, which administers and keeps the records forall the district. As already indicated, the branch takes all the contributions for the whole of the province or district it governs, and carries out completely the work of the union, except in special cases. The central body in Moscow takes a percentage of the branch income, varying from 5 to 25 per cent. In a few cases, where the area covered by the branch is very wide and scattered, it takes the whole of the contributions to administer it, and no percentage in this case is remitted to the central body. The contributions are paid monthly, it being the custom in Russia to pay salaries monthly, though an advance on the salary can be had, and is quite generally paid half-way through the month. The function of the union is to see that the various Labor decrees are carried out, to secure collective agreement with employers for conditions better than the decree, where same is obtainable, and generally to watch over the interests of the members in that direction. Buta very large part of the activity’ of this union, as-in most unions in Russia, is to provide rest houses for their members, hospitals, education, and quite a number of other social things not generally within the scope of Trade Unions in Britain. The fact that minimum wages, maximum hours, and a wide range of Labor legislation is oper- ating has set the unions free to take up and carry through work other than that which is customary in countries where the Trade Unions are of a purely industrial and defensive character, The function of the shop committee and delegates is to see that the members are paid in accordance with the decrees and general Labor legislation covering’ the members, to negotiate collective agreements or alterations in same. - If any dispute arises which the shop committee or delegate is unable to handle it is referred to the branch, which is generally able to effect a settlement, If, however, the branch cannot obtain a settle- ment, it is then referred to the National Executive Committee, and if still unsettled it is finally referred to the Minister of Labor, who has power to settle the matter. It will be seen, therefore, that in the final resort a settlement is certain of being obtained. In all unions the Communist Party exercises very great ower and influence. On inquiry it was found that the mem- ine of the Communist Party in this union was only 9 per cent. A visit was also paid to the Moscow Branch office. Here is really the same procedure as at the Central Office, except that the branch is administering for the membership, while the Central Office is dealing with the branches throughout the country. As usual, the union had a club attached to the office, but there are others also throughout the city. In addition, they have sport clubs of all kinds, dramatic societies composed of the members, study circles, the usual rest homes and sanato- riums, This union, similar to most Trade Unions in Russia, occu- pied a great deal of its time and energy in education, and it is quite clear that a tremendous influence ig being exerted ughout the country, the center of which is the yarious psi Union organizations. sidium of the section. This consists of the secretary, president, and vice-president, The city of Moscow is divided into six districts. In addition to the executive control in each district exercised by the pre- sidium, each district has three representatives.on a control committee, which is elected by the conference,:and these have the right at any time to demand a special conference, Should any dispute arise between the presidiums of the district and the control committees the Soviet has the right to’ ihtervene and give a final decision. The control committees’ ate in general terms under the final supervision of the Soviet, &~ Each factory has its own Welfare Committee. to safeguard the health of the workers. These meet ecvery/two months. From these welfare committees reports are given to the central committee and reports from the central committee mectings are given to the factory committee as representing directly the workers, «4 Benefits are paid as follows: (1) Temporary sickness causing incapacity but with. a it imta chance of recovery. Patients are examined monthly, and. as long as they are certified unfit for work they are paid the eee wage of their occupatién, day'work or peed work, , f Be (2) Permanent disablement. All accidént cases caus- ing disablement are put in a list Which is described officially » a8 the “invalids of labor.” They are also, paid full wages on the average wage received for a three, .months’ period prior to the accident, sie (3) Permanent disablement from disease. Complete disablement, 18 roubles per month; cases’ Where patients are able to give self attention, 12 roubles; Cases where the patient is able to do light work, 9 roubles per month. All industrial discases are to be scheduled as accidents under the new decree which will shortly come into:force. The unemployed are divided into two groups. Skilled men are paid unemployment benefits as follows: ‘single men, ten roubles per month; one dependent, 25 per cent increase; two dependents, 50 per cent increase; three dependents, 75 per cent increase; in addition to which other concessions, are made to unemployed workers, no charges for light and, water, tickets given for food and communal dining-rooms 50 per cent helow the actual cost price of the food. House rent charges to unem- ployed workers are also fixed at 10 per cent of the usual rent for the same accommodation. Maternity benefits are also provided for factory workers for maintenance eight weeks before confinement and eight weeks after. The benefit provided for office workers is six weeks before and six weeks after. The average wage is also paid during this period. The allowance is based on the average wage paid to the workers in their usual occupation. In addition to this there is a special clothing allowance, 16 roubles, to pro- vide the child’s outfit, and on return to work four roubles monthly are allowed for the feeding of the ch ild, and the special children’s allowance is continued. The death benefit paid is 16 roubles. r ; In cases where hospital accommodation is required special provision is made for the workers. Highty-five per cent of the hospital accommodation in Moscow is reserved for the workers whe suffer from diseases of occupation and other disabilities, : leaving 15 per cent for the use of others, in addition to which provision is made in rest houses on a scale which provides ‘accommodation for 37,002 persons for two weeks in each year. There are also children’s rest iiouses and. welfare centers main- tained for the use of workers’ chlidren. supplied with expert care and attention absolutely free, ony Vv Visit to Convalescent and Holiday Homes Py The Delegation visited a convalescent amt holid:y homé near Moscow. Eighty per cent of the beds ued for children in this home are reserved for the children of ‘Trade Unionists. We found expert doctors and nurses in attetitance carefully attending to the cases of children suffering from various kinds of deformity, in many cases severe consumption of the bones. The equipment of this home is very satisfactory, and the cases we inspected showed that all that could be done to bring the children back to normal health and to cure the ravages of consumption was being freely placed by the Soviet authorities at their disposal. The children are also given special instructions for the pro- duction of their own toys, and we inspected seyeral interesting examples of their childish. attempts to make dolls, to build small wooden doll houses, to make and print their own hooks, and in many ways to interest themselves during their period of con- valescence. We were particularly interested in a copy of the hospital newspaper, which the children themeelves produced. We were informed that 25 per cent of the health funds of the State are v devoted to. what is described a8 health defense at the welf: centers provided for children, 1 diets are also arranged’ suitable to each case under thd supervision of the doc The Helis used for thisl purpose was téfinerly occupled ' when special complications arise. The doctors are assisted by medical students drawn from the ranks of the workers ‘and peasants, and we were informed that under the new regime 60 per cent of the medical staff is drawn from the ranks of the workers and peasants. We made inquiries as to whether there is a shortage of medical supplies and drugs, and we were informed that in the Moscow Department there was no shortage and the same now applied to all Russia generally. “The necessities for hospital purposes were now being imported from France and other coun- tries. X-ray cabinets had also, been purchased from Germany. The only drug about which there is any difficulty is quinine, This is in great demand for malaria, but there is, however, no embarrassing shortage at the present time. We also visited a rest home for adults situated in the same grounds. The house used for this purpose was formerly ten- anted by one woman and her daughter, with servants for their attendance. It is now used for housing up to 50 workers at all times for rest and holiday purposes. The discipline regard- ing habits of those taking holiday rest, with regard to feeding, exercise, and food, was very strict. One special regulation insists on those taking holidays retiring to bed each day from 2 to 4 after lunch. Ai On making general inquiries Tegarding the provision of such rest houses and hospitals for children, we were informed that prior to the Revolution, 85 per cent of the medical service of Russia was devoted to the service of 5 per cent of the popu- lation, the remaining 15 per.cent. to 95 per cent of the popula- tion. This information was given by the President of the Mos- cow Branch of the Medical and Sanitary Workers. The equipment of all these establishments was most strik- ing; in the living rooms the beautiful furniture, carpets, and pictures still remained. It was evident that the greatest care of it all was taken by the workers. During the visit to Russia, the Delegation visited many such rest houses and sanatoria, all in perfect state of cleanliness and upkeep. At Kislovodsk, the great health resort in the Cau- casus, the Delegation dined with the inmates and remained with them for the whole day. VI The Association of Mine Workers in Russia The Association of Russian Mine Workers includes not only coal miners, but iron ore miners, manganese miners, and salt mines, and all other mining industries, The hours of getters and fillers were six hours, including winding time; except by special agreement hetween the Miners’ Association and the administration, which does not in any case exceed 15 per cent of the full total of getters and fillers em- ployed: And then they can only work up to eight hours, includ- ing winding time; except on a Saturday, when they work six hours, including winding time. Surface workers’ hours are eight hours per day, except Saturday, which is six hours, including meal times. In other words, they have a 46-hour week, including meal times. In abnormal working places, which inchide wet places and bad roofs and floors, or any other disadvantage, the men work less hours, down to three in some instances, and are paid wages not less than when working under normal conditions; in other words, it is recognized that these places mean harder work for the workman, and he is paid not less than he would earn under normal conditions, é For a decision as to what is an abnormal place, the officials at the colliery and the workmen’s representatives try to settle. Failing that, it goes to the wages committee first, and failing a settlement there, it goes to a committee called the “conflict committee,” and the payments are retrospective from the date when the worker alleges that his place became abnormal. f There is a minimum wage fixed by the Minister of Labor, but this is not satisfactory to the mine workers, and the custom 1s to fix by special agreement a higher minimum which is regu- lated by the cost of living. During the existence of such an agreement for wages the workers can ask for an increase should any sudden jump take place in the cost of living. And the wage that is established for the period of agreement cannot be lowered, but it can be in- creased as stated above. If the administrators and the Associa- tion of Workers fail to agree, they can 4x up an arbitration court of their own, but failing a settlement by this method, they can go to an arbitration court appointed by the Minister of Labor, whose decision is final. The getter only gets the mineral and has nothing to: do with the filling of same, This is done by a Separate person, and the getter has no responsibility for this cular person. The percentages of getters to the total number employed are 18 per cent; 40 per cent are other underground workers, and 42 per cent are.employed on the surface. et They generally work two shifts of coal getting, but about \one-third of the’pits only work one shift, and there is no extra pay for work in shifts on days and afternoons. But those em- Curiosuly enuf, Marvin, the New York Commercial and the B. A. F. do not know the difference between products of labor and property. Legal- ly, property is paper title to some- thing of value. It is apart from the object to which it gtves ownership, Philologically, property is theft. It is that which is made one’s own. To appropriate means to steal, and was used in that sense by property class journals until Lenin triumphed in Rus- sia. Philosoph{cally, as proven by P. J. Proudhon, property is the theft of Products of labor from the producers. Americans know less of the lan- guage they use than any other People. Not more than one in 1,000,000 knows what such words as “radical,” “con- science,” etc; mean. That is why they are duped so easily. “You know what I mean,” is their favorite phrase when expressing opinions, ri The Word “Bolshevik.” Fred R. Marvin, New York Commer: cial writer, hada namesake in San‘ Francisco, a printer, member of the Pressmen's Union. This Fred Marvin publicly avowed that he was a Bolshe: vist. According to the Russian imperial dictionary the Russian word Bolshe- vist means one who believes in ma- jority rule. In the time of the czars it was applied Principally to Ameri: cans by Russians and usually with contempt. The government of the United States was called “Bolshevik” because it was understood to be a rule of the majority. Of course, the United States govern- ment is not Bolshevik. It is capital- ist. The United States is ruled by 20,000 bankers and their pals. As the B. A. F. plainly says, this government is of the capitalists, by the capitalists, and for the capitalists. Why mince words? le Marvin Suppressed. But Fred Marvin, the printer, called himself a Bolshevist in the popular meaning of the word. Attention of the Burns Detective Agency was called to his obstreperous conduct, This institution did a lot of work for the B. A. F. Detectives followed Marvin and Te- ported his movements. When they completed their service the confiden- tial agents of the “better” organiza- tion acted. Those agents operated thru the restaurants, hotels, ete., pat- ronized by Marvin, The hunted man became sick. He may have been handed a dose of Pto- maine poison by a waiter or some- thing else by a chambermaid. When he went to a hospital the confidential agents followed him and conferred with those in charge. Marvin underwent a surgical opera- tion. He was atrociously cut and was lucky to be able to get out of the hospital alive, My Escape and Sequel. He went to Portland, Ore., and se: cured employment. But he did not recover hii health. An examination revealed a growth in his bladder, the seat of his former trouble, Another surgical operation was recommended, The surgeons were astonished to find in Marvin a rubber glove, a sponge and one or two other articles, souvenirs of the San Francisco oper- ation, These things were most prob- ably for the purpose of identifying the work of the San Francisco surgeons— clever ch: indeed. removal of the foreign substances so scientifically inserted into his anatomy, Marvin ; f his health. It is likely that the ‘San Francisco surgeons are still expecting their stipends. a Words, Words, Words. The Better America Federation, in @ recent confession, said: “We do not injure lawabiding citizens,” As it takes upon itself the privilege of de- ployed on night,work get an extra payment of one-seventh of a. shift. va) ‘i . (To :be continued in next issue.) i rack ysiin + neneees ‘elding who are law-abiding, it admits that it injures those considered by it a8 not law-abiding, pens}