The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 29, 1925, Page 5

Workers Wr RUSSIAN COAL MINERS HAVE SIX-HOUR DAY Economic Conditions Steadily Improve By A Worker Correspondent NEW YORK, Dec, 27.—Powers Hap- good, member of ‘the United Mine Workers’ Union, who figured actively in the daring organization drive that swept successfully past the gunmen of Somerset county, Pa., in the big 1922 strike, writes. an . interesting letter from the coal fields of Kemerovo, (Kuzbas colony), Siberia. He comes to Siberia after a coal digging tour of Europe that took him into the pits of Wales, England, Germany, France, Po- land and old Russia as a worker. * Shortest Workday in World, All is not roses in the Siberian mines, what with dampness, lack of ears, and so forth, but the shortest workday in the miners’ world pleases him mightily. “Miners have a six- hour day from bank to bank (daylight to daylight),” he writes, “which seems wonderful to me after the nine or ten hours at the face and and hour or two spent in traveling two, three and even four miles from the shaft bottom to the working place, Office workers also have a six-hour day, as their work, like mining, is done in unhealthy sur- roundings, but outside workers have eight hours. ‘Underground workers have one month’s vacation a year with fuli pay, while all workers get at least two weeks. If a worker is sick or injured, he or she gets 40 per cent of wages and full doctor and hospital expenses if single, and 75 per cent if married. Miners have wash houses at the mines and are furnished with working clothes, soap and _ tools. These and many other good conditions prevail here.” Hapgood complains he can’t get enuf cars for all the coal he wants to load. He wants to get the work out to help build up a socialist country: Wages are going up but still low be cause of the country’s poverty. Fuel and housing are free. Conditions Steadily Improve. “Even now I think conditions here— standards of living, etc—compare fav- orably with those in the coal fields of the other countries where I've worked. Moreover things are steadily improy- ing here, each year seeing conditions, better than the preceding one. In the coal fields of other countries where T’'ve worked, however,—America, Great Britain, Germany, France—things are getting from bad to worse with a sink- ing standard of living, unemployment, general depression, and gloom being + the order of-the day. Here, however, there is hope for the future as things are on the upward trend. Under the new agreement, for instance, which has just been made by the govern- ment and the miners’ union, we are getting a 25 per cent increase in wages.” As for eats, they are better than the average workers’ boarding house fare in America: good cereal in the morning, pancakes and sirup. At other meals meat, potatoes, soup, many varieties of vegetables, stewed fruit, whole wheat bread. Hapgood will return to America by way of China and he will probably be Possessed with a more intimate knowledge of international mining conditions—at the coal face—than anyone one is likely to meet. Chains mh.“ Sa bs BY HENRY BARBUSSE. A dramatic story of the subjugation and opnression of mankind from the dim dawn of history until today. The whoie panorama of universal history, with men as pawns in the hands of oppressors and exploiters | thruout the ages, is un- folded in this gigantic epic. 2 vbls, 600 pp. $4.00 DAILY WORKER PUB. CO. F 1113 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago; Tlinois. © WORKER FIGHTS RAID ON UNION FUNDS. FOR EXPENSIVE AUTOMOBILES By A Worker Correspondent At a meeting of Local 76 of the International Hod Carriers, Building ‘and Common. Laborers of America a stormy debate took. place on a mo- tion to buy a car for the secretary. A petty official, one of the “good boys,” made a motion that the union purchase.an, automobile for the sec- retary ahd another henchman spoke on the motion and tried to have it include that all the business agents be given a car. Then the president took the floor and talked in favor of the amendment, His argument went like this: “If we give a car to one, we should give a car to all, and lets make them good ones.” (He was given a $6,000 Marmon a few month ag.) It was at this point that the left wing stepped in. A left wing mem- ber was given the floor and after cross fire from the labor fakirs, he exposed this steal and raid on the local treasury. He exposed the lin- up for the squandering of union funds to buy fancy cars for of- ficials.,. He pointed out that they each spoke for each other and had come to the meeting prepared to put it over on the membership. He ar- gued that the membership who have to be at their jobs at 8 o’clock in the morning manage to get there without cars but the business agents who can get down to their jobs ven as much as two hours later, and are already ‘provided with mo- torcycles and cars to get around from job to job now want luxurious and fancy cars. He pointed out that that was an entirely unnecessary ex- penditure and in view of the im- pending strike or lock-out when money will-be needed. to conduct the fight ‘against the Landis award committee and the bosses: it would be criminal to deplete the treasury of its funds’ for such a purpo It was’ this" exposure that compelled the thaker* of the motion to with- draw it; but of course it will be brot up on the’ floor by these same offii- als i the'near future. It is the duty of the rank and file to'lines up behind the progres- sive elements to force the officials to spent. the, union’s: money in the interest: of: the union and not for their»personal luxuries. r reight House Nucleus May Be Small, But It Does Good Party Work By A Worker Correspondent We are.one of Chicago’s shop nuclei in a freight house, with only a hand- ful of members, but we have now had our third meeting and are distributing the Coolidge. leaflets to our fellow workers, .The men come and go, and most all of them talk about baseball, etc., but the leaflets will carry our message. We work-dong hours and the men want time and a half for Sunday work, but are not organized to get it —not yet. When the boss says, work Sunday—straight time—they accept it. Some of the workers compete to see who cam handle the biggest ton- nage so as to win favor with the boss. We have regular officers and meet- ing time and will do all we can as a unit of the Workers (Communist) Party. We are going to boost for The DAILY WORKDR and the Lenin memorial meeting among other things. era Eve day for an Eight-Hour Work Day BRUSSELS—-(FP) — A general streetcar strike every Sunday was unanimously decided on by the annual convention ‘of the Belgian streetcar workers “Whidn, representing 13,000 workers,” tin the employers comply with demiinds' for a strict $-hour day, a raise in Wages, a’ minimum wage and a pensioi scheme. RHYMES OF EARLY JUNGLE FOLK. By Mary Marcy, A splendid book of inter- esting and _ educational poems for children with 71 striking wood cuts. $2.00 Cloth Bound. — the Wor WORKER SHOWS CONDITIONS IN MINING CAMPS Bosses Ride Roughshod Over Coaldiggers By JAMES ADAMS. (Worker Correspondent.) Your stories in The DAILY WORK- ER, which I am reading every day since I am in Chicago, are the only ones that interest me. It is the only paper that awakens my interest. I don't care for the papers the “rich boys” put out. Beg Job in Mines. I used to work in the anthracite mines. Iam a miner and was a mem- ber of the United Mine Workers, Lo- cal No, 1432, The way the bosses want you to ask for a job is some- thing like this: ‘Please, Mr. Boss, have you got a job for me?” and the best way you can get a job is to take off your lid and get down on your Imee and pray to him and then he might lower himself to answer: “Al- right, come down tomorrow morning and I will show you some good places.” Oftimes there are now places start- ed and 5 or 20 miners hired there already, who have had to beat it be- cause they could not make more than $3.50 to $4.00 a day and then the danger was too great in those places. Work Long Hous, Small Pay. I am single but I will tell you a story about a poor miner in whose company-owned house I was living for a year. This miner has 9 children; 3 boys and 6 girls. The boys are all married. He has the six girls left in the house. Two of the girls are working, making from $10 to $12 a week. The father is a miner. get- ting $6.15 a day. He gets up in the morning about half past five and about five at night he was back home. When the father was not at home at five or half past five, the family was overjoyed, because it meant sixteen hours for that day at straight pay. If the poor fellow did not want to work the 6 or 7 ‘hours of the né: shift, he was told “get the hell 0 of here, if you don’t like it,” because there were others waiting outside for the job, but “we gave you the chance because you were married.” His pay averaged about $73.80 for a half month’s time, when there were not too many holidays. Out of his pay there goes $1.92 carfare, $8 for coal and $3 for house rent. This miner thus makes about $60 every half- month. When shoes or clothes are needed in the household they have to depend on the girls. This miner is a “lucky bird” because he’s got two girls work- ing in the family. Works in Freight House, I was working in the Pennsylvania freight house at 323 Polk street and about twelve days ago, I got hurt by one of the trucks there. They dress- ed up my foot a little and told me I could go. Three fellows looked straight at me when I got hurt, but when I came from the “doctor” and went to a sort of clerk, he told me to go after these fellows and bring them up so he could get all the dope on it. I had to go looking for these fellows in spite of my smashed toe. even tho I told him who the fellows were. When I went downstairs look- ing for these fellows, they said they didn’t see me get hurt. I begged one of these fellows to go up with me and he only did so by order of the boss there. Then I went outside and waited half an hour for a taxi in the cold. I told the clerk inside that I was not able to walk with a smashed toe.|to 5%, since there. “Go on,” he said, “are you a man? Do you weaken so quick?” I just thot “to hell with the ‘whole bunch.” The working class is certainly get- ting it laid onto them, WORKER CORRESPONDENTS _ COMPETE AGAIN TO WIN PRIZES FOR STORIES Start now sending in your stories for the next competition of worker correspondents. Prizes will be an- nounced, with the winning stories, in the full page of worker corre- ce to appear in Thursday's ie of The DAILY WORKER next week, The prizes are as follows: FIRST PRIZE.—“The Goose- Step,” by Upton Sinclair, ¥ SECOND PRIZE:—“Romance of New Russia,” by Magdalene Marx, THIRD PRIZE:——Original of DAILY WORKER cartoon, framed, from jail. movement. srs spuaaenneee HE |. L, Peretz Branch 142, W. C., Philadelphia, greets Comrade Ben Gitlow on the occassion It is our hope that Gitlow will con- tinue his work for the. revolutionary of his release OMMITTEE. kers’® Life PRIME COMPANY GOES INTO COUR FOR INJUNCTION Boston Upholsterers Tie Up Plant By S. WINOKUR (Worker Correspondent) BOSTON, Deer 27,—The strike of the upholsterersSat-the Prime plant now enters the thifd month with the | company in the-#ourts attempting to | get an injunctiondeout against the striking workers.; Mr. Rosenberg, at- torney for the bo&sbs, is desperate in| his attempt to get«the injunction as tho an injunctioh will upholster couches, chairs, ‘etd? Demand Unfor? ‘Recognition. The strike in the’ Prime plant was called in the mozfth of October, when a member of Local No, 37 or the Up- holsterers’ Union* Was fired from his | job. The union dethanded that the dis- charged worker “be reinstated. The company refuse nd a strike was called. When thé °shop~was “pulled out,” the local made a demand on the company that th''firm recognize the Upholstery Workers’ Union. Union Head Betrays Workers. This firm, whi¢hewas running open shop for a number of months at one time was a union shop. It became a non-union shop last January following the betrayal of the union by its Inter- national Vice-President Graves and the business agent of Local No, 37, who! signed an agreement with the bosses following the strike of Sepiember, 1924, that the union workers would go back to work at, the union price basis, | but* that the workers in this shop| would not have any representation in Local 37. This “betrayal of the union | by its head was thé first step that led | this firm into tie@pen shop column, Four GHops Settle, After the Priiiié plant had been on strike two daysjsa°strike was called in four other. shops, the Common- wealth, Kay,.,Kjgin and Hutcher Plants. The Kay was the first shop ,to settle and the,pther three followed within a few dayaoThese shops agreed to..-the following .demands of the union: rab: 1.;, Recognition;of the union. 2.. Strictly unio conditions. 3. Improvement ef sanitary condi- tions. vee i 4. No second-hijnd aterial be used to perform work. At the Upholsterers’ International Union conventiono held in Chicago, Graves made aécusations that the Communists were*disfupting Local 37 of Boston, becaus@théy fought his pol- icy of “getting together” with the bosses and betraying the union mem- bership. wt International Refuses Help, The general exgtutive board of the international union! which sanctioned the strike has nét°given the strikers any help as yet.!“When Cohen, the international président, was in Boston, to “investigate” “the strike situation, he was asked by one of the left wingers, C, Freedman, who is also vice-president of Local 37, what he intended to do. His answer was “noth- ing.” He claimed that the general executive council could not act and that all he would do is to credit the ternational. , This was the encourage- ment given by an international presi- dent to a group of striking workers! Levy 8% As: ment. When the members of the union saw that with the “assistance,” which the president offerad that the strike could not be won» they voted an 8% } assessment which been reduced ‘ but one shop on strike, It is becaugg, of the militancy | of the young left ers in the union | |that"She strike in, with the strike?®"{Qnfident that they will win and forea, the Prime. plant | to accept all of thg, wnion conditions, Graves Myst Go! The demand that Graves must go is gaining more aj ore momentum as the left wing $s up the div- ruptive tactics t) ‘his henchman of the bosses is us: the union. One of the bitterest mts of this re- actionary is the militant fighter in the executive beard, C. Freedman. It is thanks to thg information that Graves furnished the international; it is thanks to hig, petrayals in the strike of September, 1924; it is thanks to his activities that today the Prime shop is an open shop. The member- |} ship at last realize who Mr. Graves | is, and their verdict is—he must go! | Graves, who has seen the militants | in the union gaining more and more in strength as his betrayals are brought | into the light of day, and fearing that he will soon be kicked out, of office, has announced that he will resign in| a few days. Make Fighting Unit, His announcement should not satis- fy the left wing. They should fight and work to get every union official who wants to play,,the bosses' game out of the union and make the union a real fighting unit for the upholstery workers of Boston. local on the account: it owes the in-| shop continues | R GREEN GIVES” ANOTHER TALK ‘FOR THE BOSS Class Collaboration or Anarchy, Warning NEWARK, 0.—(FP)—“We live in a country where class distinction and | class hatred can have no place in the industrial and social life,” Pres. Wm, Green, American Federation of Labor, told the Newark chamber of commerce Dec. 17. Representatives of the New- ark Central Labor union were also invited by the employer association. | Newark has one of the Baltimore & | Ohio railroad shops where the B. & O, | plan of workers intensively helping the management in return for stabil- ized employment is in force. “The organizations of labor in Am- erica have never been committed to a policy of making war on capitalism,” Green told his hosts in pleading for mutual tolerance and cooperation be- | tween aggregations of capital and or- ganizations of labor. “They have ac- cepted the existing social order.” to organize and bargain collectivel, Green asserted, but it “freely concedes to capital the right to own and manage industry and to the receipt of a fair | return upon its investment.” Em- ployers, however, who fight the unions Labor will always fight for the right | ¢ instead of cooperating with them are promoting the influence of anarchistic organizations which are seeking to gain a foothold in America, he added. | Green quoted with approval the | statement of Alton B. Parker, an attorney, made at an industrial round table conference in New York, who said, “The British Labor party is a socialist party, and so many of its | important leaders are bolshevists that it is difficult to classify them. But the | American labor movement is neither socialist nor bolshevik, thank God.” | } (Continued from page 1) eral council since 1922. Member of parliamentary committee, trades union ‘congress, 1892-1904. JOHN TURNER; associated with socialist organizations since 1884. In- timate with founders and leaders of socialist’ thought, such as William | Belfort Bax, and other pio- neers. Closely associated with Prince Kropotkin from 1886 until his return to Russia in 1917. A pioneer of shop hours Jegislation and founder of- Shop Assistants’ Union. Official of this union from 1898 until retirement as Morris, general secretary after twelve years | n this position until 1924. Elected to general council, trades union congress, 1921; re-elected by congress each year | to 1924 for period to September, 1925. JOHN BROMLEY, M. P. A pioneer of railway trade unionism and held/ many positions of trust prior to ap-|. pointment, as branch secretary of As-| sociated Society of Locomotive Engin-| eers and Firemen, 1904, Elected or-| ganizing secretary of the union, 1910. Secretary also of conciliation boards. Elected general secretary of the union, 1914. Elected member of labor party executive, 1920 and 1921. Elected member of trades union congress gen- eral council, 1922-24. Member of la- |bor party delegation to Ireland. Three} times candidate for Barrow, elected} |1924. Prominently associated with la- | bor and socialist propaganda for many | years. ALAN A. H, FINDLAY, member of United Patternmakers’ Association since 1893, Branch secretary and In which Trotsky explodes tenses of so-called bourgeois munist Movement. ; a a" La .Wateh the Sattaday Magazine ‘Seotion for new features every week. This is a good issue to give to your fellow worker, ‘ 1118 W, Washington Blvd. (4. F. Dictatorship vs. Democracy and explains the character of the dictator- ship of the working class, Kautsky and the later social-democratic school come in for warm criticism at the hands of the most brilliant writer in the International Com- 50 cents—Cloth, $1.00 Page Five \REMEMBER CLASS-WAR PRISONERS WHO ARE INAMERICAN JAILS! (By ILL. D. News Service) 4 There are over one hundred class war prisoners in the United States % ‘ who are likely to spend the fkoliday season behind the bars, It is customary™™ to remember those victims of eapitalism every Christmas and New Year with |little gifts that cheer them in their confinement and make them realize that The International Labor Defense |they are not forgotten by their fellow workers on the outside. hereby publishes a list of class war prisoners. with the request that anybody able to do so should send them a As the different prisons have different regulations as to gifts, the mostvacceptable present is cash, which can be used by the prisoners as holiday gift. they see fit. IN FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA PRISON: Warren K. Billings, Herman Suhr, James Price, Earl, Firey, ohn) Hiza, Joe Wagner, Joe Clohess, H, C. Duke, J. P, Gordon, Leo Stark and ©. J. Sulli- van. Letters to prisoners in Folsom prison must be sent care of Warden, Represa, Cal. IN SAN QUENTIN, CAL. PRISON: Tom Mooney, 1921; J. 8. McNamara, 30704; M. A. Schmidt, 25314; H. R. Han 38114 . 38126; Rat Case ; M. 38567; Henry Matlin, 35717; James Olso! 35718; Frank Sherman, 35768; Omer Eaton, 36627; R. W. Minton, t Franklin, 3763: ames i P, Meliman, 3° Frank Cox, 37701; C. R. Kuilman, 3770 Joe Vargo, 37752; Hugo - »Cederholm, 38108; J. B. Childs, 38109; Francis: Hart, 38115; Pierre Jans, 38117; J. J. Johnson, 38118; James Lalonde, 38122; Wm. Mi ton, 38124; Geo. Roeschlau, 128; C, J. Smith, 38131; G. J. Terrill, 38132; Joe Varella, 38133; -H. Edwards, 3829: Tom O'Mara, 38293; Jack Nash, 38239: Bert Kyler, 38307; Wm. Rutherford, 38308; C. Petersen, 38360; Arthur G. Ross, 38361; Albin Bratiand, 38364; A, E. Anderson, 38376; Ivan Barnes, 38530; Fred Bamman, 38531; Roy Carter, 38533; Roy House, $8535; 'E. O. MeNassor, 3853 W. H. Wright, 38537; Ed Dawe, 3857: F.. W. Thompson, 38579; H. B. Stewart, 38794; 1. C. Allen, 39343; Wim. Bryan, 39344; L. V. French, 39345; Wm. Long- streth, 39346; John ‘McRae, 329347; Alex Nicholson, 39348; Henry Powell, |39349; R. V. Taylor, 39350; D. C. Russell, 39458; John’ Bruns, 40054, and Tom Connors, All letters being sent to San Quentin should have the number of the prisoner in the lower left-hand corner. IN ALCATRAZ, CAL., PRISON: Paul Crouch and Walter Trumbull. + IN THOMASTON, ME., PRISON: Peter Dirks, Dan Fallon, Tom Harty, |Wils Randquist, Box “A” and | Lucetta. | IN HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, PRISON: Abraham Cineros, Box 1, R. 1, Wynne St., Fm., and J. M: Rangel, Box 32, | IN WALLA, -WALLA, WASH.: Eugene Barnett, 9414; John Lamb, 9412; Ray Baker, 9413, and John Mo- | Donata. Joe Niel, P. O, Box 2, Lansing, Kansas. Jack Vanzetti, Charleston, Fm. Nicola, Sacco, Dedham, Mass., Norfolk County Jail. Batholomew Mass. hint Godslasky, Box 911; Sioux Fails, S._Dak. Pedro Paroles, Blue Ridge, St., Hobby, Texas. |O Pablo Manlapit, Oahu Penitentiary, |Oahu, T. H. Jesus ‘Gonzales, 86458, Brazoria Co. |Farm, Dewalt, Texas. Leonardo Vasquez $7245, Brazoria Ce. Farm, Dewalt, Texas, | Dominic Venturato, Lock Box 68, Lon- |don, Ohio. yEdsar Combs, 19381, Moundeville, W. a. Awaiting trial in Yuba county Jail at Marysville, Cal.: Richard, care of Arthur M. Bundy, Box 29 | * |Abd-el-Krim Agrees to * as ; Armistice If French ° A and Spain Discuss Peace PARIS, Dec. 27.—Abd-el-Krim may consent to an early armistice if France and Spain offer negotiable peace terms to him, Gordon Canning, British officer, who is acting as Abd- el-Krim’s peacé émmissary, stated. Not One Communist, Mr. Green! other offices. Elected assistant gen- eral secretary, executive department, 1913. Elected general secretary, 1917. Formerly treasurer, Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades Federation for three years, subsequently appointed president, at present occupying this position. Elected to trade union con- gress general council, 1921, re-elected each year until 1924, for term ending September, 1925. A. A. PURCELL (chairman’ of dele- gation). Member, Furnishing Trades Union since 1891, MeniWér, s6cial-dem- omratic federation many years. Mem- ber, Salford Borough Council for six years. Sectional secretary, subse- quently organizer, furnishing trades. Parliamentary candidate,..West Sal- ford, 1910. Contested Coventry, 1923,- Elected 1923. Successful arbitra- tor in co-operative and other disputes. Elected to general council, trades union congress, 1919, re-elected each year. Elected by trade union interna- tional conference, Vienna, 1924, as president. » President at 1924 trades union congress. Vice-chairman, gen- eral council. Appointed delegate to of L. convention, 1925. Ac- companied the delegation to Russia in 1920. FRED BRAMLEY (secretary to de- legation). Many years actively asso- ciated with political and industrial branches of the labor movement. Sev- eral years full time lecturer on social and economic subject in ‘connection with “Clarion” newspaper. Formerly organizing secretary, Furnishing Trades Association. Appointed assist- nat secretary, trade union congress, BY LEON TROTSKY $1.75 ROTARY 9) DOWNFALL, OF GREAT BRITAL Other books by Leon Trotsky: A_ brilliant ary groupings the sham pre- “democracy,” the relation of of literature a 12,.mo. 265 pp. “THE DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING co. Literature and Revolution tion of materialist dialectics in an analysis 1917; general secretary, 1923. Served on several government committees. Member of royal commission on na- tional health. insurance and national debt commission, Advisory Delegates HAROLD G. GRENFELL, entered navy, 1883; retired in 1920 with rank of captain. Admfralty intelligence de- partment, 1904-5; Governor of Hong | Kong Naval Prison, 1907-08; Admiral- ty war staff, 1910-11; naval attache, British embassy, St. Petersburg, April 1912 to November 1917; head of naval mission to Finland, December 1918- June 1919; joined independent labor party, 1919, . Member of advisoi mittee on army, navy and pensions. A. R, McDONNELL, educated at St. Paul’s School, London, C. B, B. (Civil) Resident in Russia, 1902-1919; British vice-consul, Baku, South Russia, 1907- 1916. British military forces in Cau- casus and North Persia, 1916-19 (tem- porary major), Foreign office tempo- rary ist division clerk, 1919-23, GEORGE YOUNG, educated at Eton and foreign universities. M. V. O. diplomatic service (passing im Rus- sian) 1896-1915. Admiralty intel ligence, 1915-18. Volunteered in ranks, February, 1918 and commissioned R. M. A. August. Daily News correspond- ent thru German revolution, December 1918-August 1919. Professor of Portu- guese, 1919-1922 and examiner in Ot- toman law, London University. Joined the labor party, 1915, and accompa- nied delegation to Russia in 1920. Member of advisory council on inter- national affairs. Parliamentary candi- date, South Bucks, 1923 and 1924. Author of numerous works on foreign affairs. i WHITHER ENGLAND? | What the capitalist press says about it: ericism of present-day liter- in Russia, and @ discussion of art to life. A fearless -applica- nd art. ~~ con Aare nen NRE: PUT Na