The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 6, 1926, Page 3

THIS PAGE Is Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the Trade Union Edacational League (T. U. B. L.) North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (R. LL, 0.) THE T.U.E.L. Represents the Left Wing of the Labor Movement. Purpose Is to Strengthen the Labor Unions by Amalgamation of Existing Unions, Organization of the Unorganized, and by Replacing Reactionary and Class Collaboration Policies with a Unified Program for the Transformation of the Unions Into Organs of Revolutionary Class Struggle for the Overthrowal of Capitalism and the Establishment of a Workers’ and Farm- ers’ Government. MILK WAGON DRIVER TELLS OF ' METHODS OF SPEEDING SLAVES; CUT-THROAT RIVALRY THE RULE In Chicago the milk wagon driver has a situation to contend with that in many respects is similar to that of a small manufacturer or businessman in the competitive field. Even tho these drivers in the industry are practically 100 per cent organ- ized, competition for more business and new business is very keen. Drive the Drivers. There are many hundreds of dairy companies in and around Chicago who distribute milk both to wholesale and retail trade. Each and every one of them has many ways and methods by which they drive their slaves for the purpose of getting business and increasing the sales to their regular trade. The rivalry which existed amongst the drivers for wholesale trade, which consists of stores such as delicates- sen, grocery and drug stores, restau- rants, ice cream parlors, and hotels, has for many years been so great that it was one of the worse evils in the milk business, both for the com- panies and the workers. Of course it is always the workers who suffered most, they, being driven on by the bosses, would use some of the vilest and dirtiest tricks to build up @ route, Who Can Be Dirtiest Wins. If a driver who has a route selling @ total of say 200 bottles of milk out of which 50 bottles or its equivalent a store or other whole- was always in danger of a stop because another one of the many other companies would come along and proprietor a cheaper price, that he might offer him an aie also, these concessions in view, the keeper would usually tell his driver that he was offered so So and that he would make a if he wasn’t given better con- wi Uy EE i -§ z in or Lose Job. selling a load as above id try his best to get his to meet those concessions, because the amount he is selling is practically figured a minimum amount and he immediately figures and with good grounds that if he loses such a stop he is in great danger of losing his job, And this surely happens un- less the man has backbone enough to let his organization handle his case which is rarely done by drivers. Now this driver may consent to make these concessions on his own account or with the consent of his company and along comes a driver from still another concern who on learning from this proprietor what has already been offered goes one better and offers in addition to pay the license, if its a store keeper, and also a cash bonus; Race Prejudice Used, In addition to this the lodge brother act is used and also the nationalist argument, as for instance, a Pole not to take from a Jew, etc. Against such tactics a worker with ) some manhood, who could not or would not stoop to such tactics, has to contend, and for many years these made much trouble for the union. The union had tried several schemes to do away with this situa- tion but without success, probably be- cause of the fact that the men, besides receiving a Scale of $45 a week, are paid a commission of sixty cents a » hundred on every hundred bottles over and above an average of 191 bot- _ {les per day for the month, which has the effect of driving many of these © slaves like mad men so that they can - earn possibly $5 to $35 extra each month as long as they last on the job, Club Stopped Speedup. These are only a few of the stunts that helped to bring about the organ- ization of the Goodfellowship Club. Up to the time of its disruption by the ‘state’s attorney this was one of the best things ever tried for the pur- pose of stopping the competition be- tween the drivers for wholesale bus- iness. v By the rules of the club one com- pany could not take a wholesale stop from another and no driver was al- lowed to serve the wholesale trade of another, this had to do not only with all busitiess served, if a new store, restaurant, hotel or anything _ in-that line opened up, it was free for all until the manager or storekeeper made his choice of all the different concerns, after that no more cut- throat business between companies or drivers ; i i i ite NAS at Rl D aI St IA I tc AN A RR a no cnn ana ALES This talk about allowing stores to sell at certain hours is all bunk as far as the union or the good fellow- ship club was concerned, The Scabby “Illinois Co.” All companies, except the recently organized Illinois Milk Co. a scab concern which was organized for the purpose of trying to put a wedge into the organized workers of the indus- try, benefitted by this Goodfellowship Club, Since its inception none of them had to pay a store keepers’ license nor ‘pay their ice bills or make any kind of concessions. s There were cases where restaurant men and store keepers would: run their accounts into the hundreds of dollars and wouldn’t think of paying and of course the driver in such cases got the abuse from the store keeper for asking for the money and from his boss for not bringing in the money; the driver and the loss at all times being almost powerless because some- one else would always be ready to serve the places. Got the Deadbeats. ° After the organization of the ,club, all drivers and dealers from the ae. lest concern to the largest were abl to collect on these bad accounts, -a: one who never handled these ‘cock- roach business men doesn’t know what a relief that was for the vast majority of men connected withi the milk industry. Y Now that the socalled “friend of labor” State’s Attorney Crowe. .has seen fit to intervene it will again’ be a murderous kind of game between the drivers and also all the different companies, Approve Safety Services. WASHINGTON, Dec, 31.—The, in- terstate commerce commission uncon- ditionally approved automatic train control devices on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad which had been criticized in a former report. TELL OF FIGHT NEW YORK, Jan. 4.—In spite o' Kansas City’s colored ministers lined A, L. Totten tells how he went t in getting a chance to speak. When he ended, the minister told Totten to hurry to other churches with his or- ganization message because the preachers had all been asked by two white Pullman Co, agents to speak against the “two men from Moscow who are coming to stir up race strife” by organizing Pullman porters. Totten and A, Philip Randolph found that they were barred from every hall and church in St, Louis un- til they went to the colored minis- ters’ association and explained their case successfully enough to win a meeting place. Omaha proved unexpectedly cordial to the Pullman porter organizers and gave them large enthusiastic meet- ings with many members joining the union. But Chicago, the home of the Pullman Co., showed every Negro newspaper tied up by the company against the union or silent to organ- ization appeals, The Pullman Co, tried in every way to discredit the union organizers, even going to the extreme of plac- ing attractive women in their hotel rooms at strange hours. But in spite of all difficulties many Pullman por- ters joined the union in Chicago. ident B, S. Carey of the Pull- man Co, illustrates how little the new Negro and his demands for re- spect’as a man is understood, Broth- erhood organizers say. ‘ Carey told the last so-called wage conference of the portérs’ company union that of course they could never be his equal, but that they could advance. That he was Ww no SR a RE OE ne required per car produced is the point motive Industries. can do more work without decreasing manufacturing today than ever be- fore. Reductions in the number of workers needed to build a given num- ber of vehicles or parts range from 10 to 15 per cent to as much as 50 or 60 per cent within the last two years,” Shidle summarizes the ways in which management has gone about reducing the number of workers re- quired as “(1) Improvement in factory methods and installation of more la- bor saving machinery, (2) Working out of group methods of incentive wage payment which have made it profitable for the individual worker to have as few men in his group as possible. (3) Changes in vehicle con- struction designed to simplify manu- facturing problems.” Results. The results are clearly seen in the statistics of production and employ- ment in the industry issued monthly by the federal reserve board. With average. production and employment in 1919 taken as 100% the results in the first 10 months of 1925 were: Auto industry Production Employment 1919 average 100% 100% January 142 104 February 169 105 March 223 113 April 260 122 May 250 129 June 239 123 July 239 122 August 153 124 THE DAILY WORKER Page Three AUTOMATIC MACHINERY AND THE SPEED SYSTEM HAS CUT NUMBER OF WORKERS AND RAISED OUTPUT How the intensive development of automatic machinery and the speeding up of workers in the automobile industry has reduced the number of workers of an article by N. G. Shidle in Auto- Shidle says that manufacturers have cut labor costs “not thru attempts to reduce the earnings of individual workers but thru improv- ing methods of handling material and performing operations so that one man his accuracy or precision.” Fewer Workers per Unit. cai “Fewer men per unit of production”| September 198 129 he says “are being used in automotive| October 270 188 Disproportionate Increase Production in 1925 has averaged 114% over 1919 while the number of workers has increased only 21%. This means an increase of 77% in pro- ductivity of the individual employe of the industry. The average employ- ers are getting nearly half again as much production for each $1,000 paid in wages. 1 Shidle pothts out that this rapid development of mass production has altered the employer's attitude toward skill in the ‘industry. He says: “The trend toward greater labor efficiency seems to have resulted in an attitude of extreme apathy toward the ques- tion of training skilled workers. The way to relieve the shortage of skilled labor, in the’ dpinion of a good many automotive ‘engineers, is to devote more attentién to the development of labor saving’ equipment. “Speaking of the methods used to combat the labor shortage which. fol- lowed the war, EB. F, Roberts, vice- president of Packard Motor Car Co., writes that possibly the greatest ac- complishment was made toward solv- ing the problem in the enormous amount of effort and money expended in employing and operating mechan- ical equipment.” Any attempt to organize the auto- mobile industry must face this fact which cuts directly across the old apprenticeship rules of craft unionism. “WE BELONG TO WORKING CLASS,” SAYS FEDERATION OF TEACHERS “We teachers are laborers. We belong to the working cla‘ ” quotes the bulletin of the American Federation of Teachers from an address by Prof. Harry A. Overstreet of New York. “There is, 1 belleve, emerging out of the confused yet powerful idealism of our day a significant new alignment—the alignment of those who do useful work and those who live on the useful work of others, We teachers have long held ourselves Gfobbishly apart. It is time that we affiliate ourselves frankly and gladly, with the great body of. useful workers of the world.” fo3 The sentiments are as true and vital today as, when they were first delivered several years ago, the American Federation,of Teachers editor re- marks. The teachers, however, have some backward pupils in the A. F. of L., the chief of them being William Green, mi Talks with Lewis and Then Wires Al Smith Asking Intervention NEW YORK, Jan. 4. — Union work- ers of New York and vicinity today appealed to Gov. Al Smith and Mayor James J. Walker to take immediate action to bring about “a speedy settle- ment” of the anthracite coal strike— “in the interest of humanity.” John Sullivan, president of the Central Trades and Labor Council, representing 75,000 organized work- ers, sent telegrams to Gov. Smith and Mayor Walker urging them to prevail upon the miners and operatos to reach an amicable agreement. ORGANIZERS OF PULLMAN UNION AGAINST MONEY POWER OF GREAT CORPORATION f Pullman Co. agents who had all of up one Sunday to preach against the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Conductors, remarkable response to the union organization plea among mid-west Pullman porters is reported by Brother- hood organizers in their New York mass meetings. o one of Kansas City’s largest colored churches that fateful Sunday, sent his name to the preacher, and succeeded reer surprised when he found a Negro could be a good blacksmith and that he was amazed when he heard that a Negro had lectured to a white audi- ence in England. Delegates to the next company union conference, coming Jan. 12-15 in Chicago, are being elected by fore- ed votes of porters. The union men declare that not 20 per cent of the by Pullman Co, discrimination, keep- ing them off good runs, etc. At the last conférence the men were told that they had no right to discuss wages but some of the group who are now leading the brotherhood inde- pendent organization succeeded in bringing the question to the floor— only to have the Pullman Co. put down its hand more plainly against them, Over 300 new members joined the union in New York during the three day's mass meetings. More Pullman maids are coming into the* brother- hood and the women’s auxiliary of sisters, wives, mothers and daughters is growing steadily. Subway Worker Killed on Job, NEW YORK, Jan. 4—(FP)—An- drew McGeown, carpenter employed by Interborough Rapid Transit, was killed by a subway train when his foot caught in the contact shoe of the third rail as he was attempting to get out of the way, He was working on a column next to the track, deal | porters would vote unless compelled TOM MANN WRITES FOR THE DAILY WORKER FROM GREAT BRITAIN TOM MANN. Read His Article on This Page Today :Diesel Engines Will Put More Seafarers Among the Unemployed (Special to The Dally Worker) NEW YORK, Jan, 4, — Elimination of more labor at sea thru Diesel in- ternal combustion engines proceeds rapidly. The biggest Diesel boat in the world, the S. S. Saturnia, dis- placing 35,000 tons, has just been launched at Monfalcone, Italy, an- naunces the New York office of the Cosulick line, The new ship will need only half the engine room force that a good oll burning steamship requires and but one-third the number needed on a coal burner. It is estimated that its operating costs will be 50 per cent less than steam driven boats of half the tonnage. Diesel construction will continue with the commencement next month of the Urania, sister ship of the Sa- turnia. Two additional Diesel boats, larger than either, will be started soon, Investigation Forces Resignation THOMASTON, Me., Jan, 4 — An in- vestigation into the affairs of the pris- on was recently undertaken and the warden was obliged to resign; ;"The change is welcomed by the class war prisoners in this particular bastille, EMPLOYMENT GAINS OVER 1924; INCREASED PRODUCTION SHOWN OVER 1919 BY AVERAGE WORKER A slight increase in factory employment in November brings the total number of workers on the payrolls to the highest level of the year, according to the report of the U. S. department of labor. The total amount distributed in wages remained stationary at a figure exceeded only in March, This establishes employment in November at a level 8.3% above a year ago while payroll totals have increased 14.2%. have increased about 5%% over last+— November, Taking the first 11 months together it appears that employment in 1925 will average about 1% better than in 1924 while the total amount distributed in wages will be about 3% more than in the previous year. More than a quarter of the factories in the country operated less than full time in November while over a half had less than a full normal force of employes. Taking all the in- dustries together the average was 94% of full time operation with 85% of a normal full force, Last Nov. it was 91% of full time with 81% of a normal force, Department of commerce figures showing production in the various in- dustries in November issued simul- taneously make possible comparison indicating that employers are getting about 30% more production from the average worker than in 1919 and 14% more production for each $1 paid in wages. The figures for production, employment and total wages, shown as a percentage of the average for 1919 taken as 100% are: Produc- Employ- Factories tion ment Wages Food 101% 90% 104% Textile 107 97 107 Iron & Steel 131 89 96 Lumber 152 102 116 Leather 81 89 88 Paper 114 107 145 Chemical 191 76 102 Stone & clay 140 124 156 Tobacco 116 90 99 Automobile 225 136 179 All industries 127 97 111 Wide Variation. These figures for the separate in- dustries show wide variation in the amount of speeding up which has been achieved. The food industry ap- pears to be getting about 12% more production per worker but 3% less per $1 of wages. The iron and steel, lumber, chemic- al, tobacco and automobile industries show outstanding gains both in pro- duction per worker and per dollar of wages. In the case of iron and steel the gains are 47% in production per worker and 37% in production per $1 of wages; in lumber 49% and 31%; chemicals including petroleum pro- ducts, 152% and 87%; tobacco 29% and 17%; automobile 31% and 14%. “lS. THERE A WAY OUT?” ud (An Ugly Spectacle in Three Acts, Five Scenes.) t As observed by bi SONKYOULER. “Is There a Way Out?” or “The Golden Rule,” is a musical “caplab” (capital an@ labor) farce, originated by A. Nash of Cincinnati and greatly assisted by Sidney Hillman of New York. Staged by Rabbi Stephen Wise and performed in Carnegie Hall, Sunday morning, December 27, 1925, before the members of Rabbi Wise’s congregation, by the following talented personnel: A Rabbi... Introducer... Manufacturer Labor Leader Hesitated. I was hesitating very much whether I should go to this widely advertised comedy, performed in a synagogue, for I have not entered any for almost two decades, But my great curiosity to see the authors themselves partic- ipate in the performance was too great, too overpowering. So I went there and, I amt frank to admit, I was greatly amused by this unique, mu- sical farce, as’ so well presented by its masterful, ‘original cast. -It started with a prologue, behind the curtain, whence the voices of a well trained choir of young men and young women’ were heard, accom- panied by the organ, all, en masse, delivering a rer thru the white- winged angels, specially designated as his met ‘to receive the Sunday morning prayéts of the bankers and manufacturers—members of Rabbi S. Wise’s temple., Three Comfortable Seats. This was followed by Rabbi Wise’s substitute, approached the pulpit to deliver a sermon, while the judge, manufacturer and labor leader appear- ed and occupied three comfortable seats just behind the pulpit, in front of the heavy black curtain, The rabbi reads from the Prophet Amos, where he teaches morals and ethics to the children of Israel in the name of Jehovah. Again the melodious heavenly voices of the choir, after which the the rabbi’s substitute announces that the social service department of the congregation is unable to cope with the great number of applications for material relief? that come from the needy, down trodden, helpless. A Typical Ca He recites one particular case as an example, which he calls “a typical case of need,” which tells of the hus- band, a poor wage earner, having un- dergone three poperations in seven months, Confined to bed, Wife wants to become a wage earner, but is forced to take care of the sick husband and of their two-year-old child. The so- olal service department is doing ite } Assistant to Rabbi Wise ‘The Hon, Julian W. Mack Arthur Nash Sydney Hillman Choir, Angels, the Spirits of Jehovah and Christ—all invisible. best to provide clothes, rent and other necessaries to the family, whose stand- ard of living is “high,” under these circumstances, The appeal brought in a heap of green bills, so that the social service department may continue its “humani- tarian” activities. Judge Seeks “The Way Out.” Now appears the judge, who makes his brief introductory remarks, in the absence of Rabbi Wise. He explains the importance of the subject matter, the “controversy” between capital and labor, and whether there is a way out. Whether there is a way to. establish peace and harmony between these op- posing groups. “The answer of the greatest two leaders,” the judge assures the con- gregation—meaning Mr. Nash and Mr. Hillman—, “will be in the affirm- ative. Mr. Nash’s aim is the same as of this congregation—human brother- hood, which is to be achieved thru unionization.” A Student of Theology. And there appeared Mr, Nash, who performed his part in a one-hour long monologue, during which he recited that he was born in the state of In- diana, in a community of the seven- day adventists. That his education was of a religious character, having graduated at the age of 21 as a stu- dent of theology, and that later on he married and brought up children. His older boy joined the Canadian forces in 1915, while the second one joined the marines, When his sons were wounded in the world war, he delivered a prayer to god: “Oh, god, show me the way and I will walk in!” And so he came to the golden rule idea, Divine Bunk. “The golden rule is divine law!” Mr. Nash asserted at the top of his voice. During the world war, Mr. Nash continued in his speech about enlist- ment, liberty bonds, patriotic duties to the country, etc., he always preach- ed the golden rule-brotherhood ideal. “‘Universal Brotherhood of Men’ was the topic I used to speak about.” In 1918 the Nash corporation, originally formed as a $60,000 cor- poration, bought ‘a tailor shop from a certain Mr. Rice, where 29 people were employed, The system there was that of a real sweat shop, wages as low as $4.00 a week. The “golden rule” was immediately applied, and here are the results: Divine Dividends. While Mr. Rice was operating at a great loss, paying the lowest wages, we—raising the wages from fifty to as high as three hundred per cent— earned jn 1918, $113,000.00; 1919, $970,- 000,00; 1920, over $1,000,000.00; 1921, $2,077,000.00; 1922, over $3,000,000.00; 1923, $5,558,000.00; 1924, $9,245,000.00; 1925, over $12,000,000.00. Who will dare to dispute the cor- rectness of the golden rule, which handed the gold to Mr. Nash and the rule to the workers? Mr. Nash concluded very pathetic- ally: “The accomplishments achieved by the application of the golden rule is indisputable, so we finally decided to join organized labor, where we will have the opportunity to make our voice heard, work in unison with them, help them and contribute to their uplift and to the betterment of their conditions,” Then came Mr, Hillman, who ap- peared to be somewhat nervous at the beginning, but who gained complete control over his nervousness and recited: “Unity in Conception.” “I believe in democracy! The way out is very simple to answer. What is really necessary is to bring unity in our conceptions of life! To bring democracy into our life thru the workshop by means of organization. “The solution to ‘the way out’ is, in brief, the following: “1, Democracy in life. “2, Right of citizenship in dustry. “3, Participation for Workers in management. In. “4, To bring both sides to an understanding before a_ strike breaks out. “6. Labor to participate in legis- lation. “6. To do away with sabotage in the industry.” Hillman and the Angels. Mr. Hillman bowed at the pulpit and retired, whereupon the rabbi ap- peared and delivered a solemn sermon in ancient Hebrew, accompanied by the choir,’ organ and the invisible angels, It was a remarkable farce indeed, and I'm thankful for the opportunity presented, where I had the occasion to see the authors of the golden rule play the golden roles ao realistically, Per capita weekly earnings LONDON LETTER FROM TOM MANN TO U.S, LABOR Talk and Trouble of British Labor Told By TOM MANN. LONDON, Dec, 22—(By Mail) —New Year’s greetings to all our American comrades from the workers of Eng- jand. May the workers in both coun- tries become increasingly class con» scious in 1926, whether we be of the ancient British the Anglo-Saxon, the Teutonic, or Latin peoples or indeed of any other origin, may we demons strate our capacity to learn the great lessons of life and apply them, Internationaly considered the para mount question that has occupied at tention in this country the past few days has been Mosul. Once more the posing as world’s adviser has brot more territory under British control. The country with the well known name Mesopotamia, now under the name of Irak, is under Brit- ish domination and the adjacent coum try of Mosul is to be administered by Britain also with the approval of the league of nations. The real attraction to British capi talism is the fact that there is of] in this region on a large scale and this is the chief explanation of Britain’s concern for this area. Already more than £200,000,000 (two hundred mil- lions of pounds) have been spent by the British government in this area and the lives of many sacrificed, The Locarno pact has been celebrat ed in many quarters, it is in fact a pact against Soviet Russia, a combine- tion of capitalist governments to shrewdly foster a policy detrimental to Russia and to isolate and boycott her and ultimately fall upon her and destroy her. Small hope they have. The next world war will much more likely find several other countries ready to throw capitalism to the dogs and run the countries with workers’ governments, The Housing of the People. There is a shortage of a million houses in Britain at present. The people have a decided preference for brick houses and many are under con- struction, but very few in comparison to the urgency of the demand, and several engineering firms have made specimen steel houses which they strongly advise should be adopted. The government has devided to sup port the building of steel houses altho an enormous majority of the workers when consulted are opposed to the steel houses on the grounds of dite comfort, inadequacy and unsightli- ness. The attraction to the govern ment is apparently that very little skilled labor will be required to erect such structures and metal workers will get the bulk of the work and very few building workers will be employ- ed. It is the avowed intention of the building trades workers to insist up on rates of wages being paid on the steel houses being the same as paid to the members of the Building Trades Union; failing this they will deter minedly oppose their construction, The Railwaymen’s Award. The award of the national wages board in the matter of railwaymen’s wages is causing increasing dissatis- faction among railway employes, Again the readiness of the union of- ficials to advise acceptance of bosses’ terms is creating serious dissatisfac- tion and many branches of the union are turning down the award. This may result in the rejection of the award and renewal of the struggle. The engineers’ unions (machinists) are still collaborating with the bosses, utterly lacking in the necessary mili- tancy to conduct a fight for decent conditions. The talk at present among these is that of “How to get the 8-hour day” generally operated. What is really urgently needed is a substane tial reduction of working hours in the industry to the standard already en- dorsed by the Trade Union Congress, i, e., the 44-hour week, “Progressive Minc-” Off the Press with a Left Wing Program The first number of The Progressive Miner appears with the new year. It is a 4-page monthly intended to fur- ther the program of the “Progressive Miners Committee of the U. M. W, of A.” The program as printed in the initial issue calls for higher wages with a weekly minimum guaranteed, shorter hours, unemployment benefits, further unionization, nationalization of mines, an alliance with the railk road and transport workers and other demands. The paper is published from 7020 8. Chicago Ave., Ill, at 50c, a year. Alex Reid, a mem. ber of the Illinois Mine Workers, iq editor, % i a ea