The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 8, 1926, Page 2

} ~Page Two THE DAILY WORKER ARMOUR’S SPEED-UP SYSTEM IN OMAHA PACKING HOUSE THROWS MANY WORKERS ONTO STREETS (By a Worker Correspondent.) OMAHA, Nebr., Jan. 6.—The Armour Packing company have lately put in a new speed-up system at their two plants here that eliminates from one-fourth to two-fifths of the working force in some departments. With this improved machinery, combined with the speed-up system, the output of the plants has been increased and the pay- roll decreased. Which means more profit and less wages. same conditions prevail at Cudahy’s and Swift’s plants and have been in effect there for more*—— than a year. “Bees or Buzzards.” At Swift's this is known as the “B” system, This damnable outrage has been forced upon workers by the pac ef the conference board. A or company union, is composed of re- presentatives of the m gement and stool pigeons from among the work- ers, As a result of these three factors, improved machinery, speedup and the eonference board, the working condi- tions are getting as bad as those prior to 1917, which were the worst in the country at that time. There is no sign of betterment, and: thare ‘will be none until the workérs get together into a real union and do some real dictat- ing to the boss. At present the bosses are absolute emperors and the work- ets no better than slaves. Then, a , due to these changes in machines, methods and speedup the unemployment question is becoming quite serious. While there are no of- ficial figures available a conservative estimate would place the number of packing house workers, or former workers in these plants on the South Side of Omaha at not less than 2,000. Simon Legrees In 1926, This gives rise to another long standing abuse in the packing plants, petty graft of foremen. This is a form of blackmail, it is a common practice and practically all foremen insist up- on getting “ sheesh.” It resembles serfdom so closely that only the cal- endar shows the difference. The 40-hour week rule, a survivel from the concessions forced by the Butcher Workmen’s Union during the war prosp and which the pack. e nave found to be advantageous to them, th “most favored workers” also a broad avenue When the fore- jntendent sees that they ake 40 hours for the whole gang, they cut the gang so that the remainder get the 40 hours. One man the writer knows was laid off, fired more than three dozen times during last year in order to avoid infringe- ment on the 40- hour rule. Exploit Negro Workers, A form of peonage also exists in the packing houses among the colored workers especially. It works this way The owner of a boarding house pro- mises a job in the packing plants if the worker will board at his place. He will then loan the worker one or (Continued from page 1.) was to be paid, the “re- ” of the workers and the agreed on a few minor points that might affect them—they asking that in special cases certain favors be granted. Following this meeting, workers were told that instead of working 20 or s per week as at present, the “yards” would be going full blast and the “fellows will be able to make real dough,” instead of the 40-hour minimum which Armour and company pays the workers in order to keep an efficient working force intact and also to use it as a clyb over the heads of the workers in the plant. Company Propaganda. Every attempt is now being made to to submit to the 60- hour week proposition. If the com- pany succeeds in doing as it’ desires the men will become virtual slaves of the company. At present work is not going very welj’in the plant,, The workers are not able in a number of departments to make more than $20 to $25 per week under the 40-hour minimum. Under the proposed plan the conference board points out that laborers who now receive fifty cents per hour or $20 per week under the 40-hour minimum will be able to earn $30 per week om .1¢ 60-hour basis. In spreading this propaganda little is said about the loss of six hours of time and a half which would bring ‘the pay of the workers for 60 hours to $31.50 and they also keep still about the fact that when the 10-hour max- imum workday is set aside the work- ers will have to work 12 and 14 hours per day at straight time. The workers in the yards are dis- satisfied with this proposed plan. They see in it an attempt on the part of the packers to go back to the time, Wanted: A few copies of “AMERICAN IM- PERIALISM” by Jay ‘Lovestone. Food Barons Plan Longer Workday two dollars, and next morning he goes with the worker to the offices at the gate, and no matter how many are standing in line the boarder gets a job. On pay day the order on his wages to the boarding boss is col- ected and the remainder, never more than two or three dollars, is handed to the worker. On pay night there is a crap game at the boarding house, and so the two dollars goes to the boarding boss also. The worker be gins the next week by borrowing money, and so on, Part of this graft also reaches the foremen, otherwise the system could not work. The foremen are a rough, swash- buckling crew of bull-ozing slave drivers, Women on Killing Floor, Heretofore the killing gang had been exclusively the work of men, but re- cently women have been introduced to this brutalizing work also. Women now work alongside the men on the killing floor at Cudahy’s plant. The workers in the packing houses realize that the packers are more powerful than the state government. The state has a compensation law, but if the packers can beat the worker out of compensation for injuries they do so, using the threat that if the worker insists upon his rights under the law hey will never get a job in the pack- ing plants again. "The packers make or break the laws to suit themselves and the workers without a union, and without a labor party are helpless. Control Omaha. Unemployment, short time and low wages have had quite an effect on ousing conditions. Many workers ave moved out of town, others have noved into cheaper quarters, into one ind two rooms, At present the sign: ‘For Rent” appears on many houses, flats and apartments after being ab- ent for the last ten years. Rent, how- over, has come down yery little. It appears that Omaha is cqmpletely un- ler the domination, of the packers, the argest industry in this territory. Such xacting conditions are made for new enterprises employing many workers that they never consider Omaha as a prospective factory site. The new ma- hines, new methods and the speed-up system is reducing the number of orkers and will eventually compel re- luction in Omaha’s population, It is he new feudal system that seeks to ontrol the entire field of exploita- tion. when the packers did as they pleased —before the unions came on the scene to aid in the workers’ struggle against the exploitation that was then in vogue in the packing-plants of the food trust. Sidetrack Saturday Afternoon When the question came up in the mechanical division of the conference board of allowing the workers in the mechanical division at Armour’s plant Saturday afternoons off, the Armour Oval, the company’s propaganda sheet handed out to the workers reported that “after considerable discussion it was the opinion of all that the pres- ent arrangement of working hours is satisfactory; the employe represent- ative thereupon withdrawing his mo- tion.” When the matter of the workers on the west side loading dock losing their bonuses was taken up before the beef divisional committee, the bosses brot out that the reason the bonus was not paid was because of the “unusual num- ber working there,” and told the com- mittee that if the men expected the bonus that the force would have to be reduced, the committee agreed to refer the entire matter to the Armour and company industrial survey depart- ment for “adjustment”—which means, in beautiful and misleading language, that a number of workers would be laid off. Forget Major issu At any time that questions of leaky roofs, sloppy dressing-rooms, lack of washing facilities are taken up, they are referred to special committees of the company bosses and all is forgot- ten, Armour and company, not only uses the conference board to enable it to speed-up its workers but it also uses what is called the bonus or incentive plan as an inducement for the pack- ing-house worker to speed-up their pro- duction, The manner in which the bonus system operates and how it fools the wotker who “breaks his neck” to make ft will be explained in tomorrow's DAILY WORKER, That worker next door to you may not have anything to do to- night, Hand him this copy of the DAILY WORKER. The| Chisken Stockyard’s Workers Hail Their Fighting Daily Worker (Continued from page 1) is the kind of stuff that’s needed to wake these birds up. We need more of this.” “This Is Some Paper.” At the Halsted and 41st St. entrance to the “yards,” many of the Negro workers, who had been given a copy of the paper the first day of the cam- paign waited to get a copy of the paper yesterday morning. As a rule the workers in the “yards” have from a half a mile to a mile to get to: their departments where they work. The minute they get off the cars they rush \thru the gates and fairly run to their \department to get there in time to change their clothes, sharpen their tools and be ready to punch the time clock and start work. Yesterday morning they were not in such a hurry to pass up the “flying squad” at the gates and expressed their satisfaction with The DAILY WORKER by saying ‘This is SOME paper.” Help Needed, Help is needed to distribute The JAILY WORKER. So far the “flying quad” has been a small one. More vorkers are needed to get all of hose that enter the gates. Every worker who realizes and sees the im- portance of this task should call up Monroe 4712 and leave his or her name and telephone number and the day for which they volunteer with either Comrade Victor Zokaltis or Nancy Markoff. HORTHY RULE COUNTERFEIT PLOT EXPOSED French, Government After Big Game VIENNA, Austria, Jan. 6—Admiral Horthy, the white guard butcher of thousands of Hungarian workers and peasants who “saved” the nation from Bolshevism at the hands of Bela Kun and the soviet system, is re- ported involved along with a startling array of noblemen, officials and cabi- net ministers in a gigantic plot to counterfeit French banknotes. Seek to Save Horthy. All the government’ efforts is be- ling exerted to protect Bloody. Horthy |from exposure, even to the extent of sacrificing many of the highest nobles and officials in Budapest. The supreme chief of the govern- ment police was arrested Tuesday and barons and princes are confess- ing right .and left. Josef Pazurik, an official in the ministry of interior and his chief the Minister Rakovski, are involved, Baron Sigismund Perenyi and Count Szmrescani have joined Prince Ludwig Windisch-Graetz in jail. Noble Crooks Take to Woods. Other counts, barons, bankers, merchants and officials of the Horthy government are being accused and some of them are confessing, while others are fleeing the country. The scandal is so gigantic, and has such international complications — the French government being very inter- ested in finding out what is to be done with those who plotted to counterfleit not less than 30,000,000, 000 francs—enuf to ruin the French finances. ( The French government has sent, thru its minister to Budapest, a stern demand that the most severe and en- ergetic action be taken against the plotters. This is a hard thing for Horthy to get around. Heretofore, all his crimes were against the work- ers, but now those against the bour- geoisie of France are likely to lead to his overthrowal. Japanese Imperialism MEXICAN LAW SUBJECT OF U.S. PRESSURE Coolidge Takes Some Queer Positions WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan, 6.—In an effort to put still more pressure on the Mexican government in the in- terest of American investors, much propaganda is being used by both the interests affected and by thé United States government itself, to prejudice opinion against the land and property laws of Mexico, Wants to Dictate: Mexican Law, Clauses are cited in. the laws which declare that in certain industries, corporate ‘holdings must be owned to the extent of fifty per cent or more by Mexican citizens. If foreign hold- ers wish to retain more than fifty per cent, the law would, sa it is claimed, make them take out Mexican citizen- ship. The U. S. government is fighting this by an arbitrary ruling that Amer- ican citizens “cannot: renounce” their nationality, In addition it states that even if an American citizen does so, the Washington government is still “obligated to protect him” if he is “unjustly treated. New Idea for Uncle Sam. Another provsiion requires alien owners of Mexican property to declare their ownership within a year after the promulgation of the law, under penalty of it being assumed that they acquired the property after the pass- age of the law. The Coolidge govern- ment is trying to make a case out of this by saying that the owners “might not be informed of the law.” This is a rather astonishing argu- ment for the U. S. government, which makes no exception in the application of its laws against Jabor on account of the “ignorance of the law”—which is judicially said to “@xeuse no one.” Evidently the United States is soon to make more threatening gestures to the Mexican government. As Calles is ordinarily obedient:'to Wall Street, however, it is expected he will yield when the pressure is applied, holding out as long as possitjle for political reasons. ¢ ences and team together in support of American entrance, Wilsonian democrats, in their speeches, constantly refer to entrance to the court as eventual entrance to the league itself. It is doubtful if a single vote could be found on the republican side of the chamber for American entrance into the league. The repeated refer- ences to the court as “a stepping stone” into the league are. disconcert- ing and irritating. Republican leaders have even ap- pealed to some of their democratic colleagues to discourage such refer- ences, but without much success. To senators who have written and 4 spoken at length against the league and who are coming up for re-elec- tion next November, this is embar- rassing. Klan Against Court. Another source of embarrassment and worry to republican court sup- porters is the sudden activity of the ku klux klan against the court, In states where the klan is admittedly strong politically, considerable press- ure is being brought to bear on sena- tors to swing away. The klan is avowedly starting back- fires in the home states of a num- ber of senators, whom it has support- ed in past battles, The klan weekly paper in Wash- ington is regularly appealing to its constituency to oppose what it con- stantly characterized as “the papal Loss of Prestige by the Republicans Must Help Build the Labor Party By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. ogee propaganda is being peddled thru the press to the effect that the prestige of the republican party is on the decline. It appears in some of the prominent republican organs that are attacking Cal Coolidge because of his pro- world court campaign. fn this case it is merely a weapon used in an effort to club the administration into their way of thinking, for industrial capital as against finance capital. * * * * No worker or poor farmer, who realizes his own class interests, but will applaud every attack on Coolidge and the republican administration. But that means that some way must be found this year to win the workers and poor farm- ers, who blindly followed Coolidge and the republicans last yaats for political action to strengthen the position of their class. It isn’t enough to repeat the performance of 1912, when the masses turned from Taft to Wilson, and of 1920, when the democrats were rejected for the republicans. It is not enough even to repeat the performance of 1924 when the workers and farmers deserted their own class political action to follow LaFollette into the shambles of a fake “third party.” The lesson should be well learned by this time— THE WORKERS MUST BUILD THEIR LABOR PARTY. * There was never a thinner wedge separating the repub- lican and democratic parties than at the present time. The differences between them have been almost obliterated. Even on the eve of the congressional elections the democrats are forced into desperate efforts to show any distinctions be- tween themselves and the republicans. On the question of the world court and the league of na- tions, the democrats join hands with Coolidge. The demo- crats can say, of course, that this has always been their stand. This stand crushed Cox in 1920, and Morgan's law- yer, John “Wall Street” Davis, went down to defeat in 1924, flying the standards of the international bankers. he democrats made no fight worthy the name against the Coolidge-Mellon tax program in the house. They will not in the senate. The democrats are making no fight for the bankrupt farmers in the corn and wheat belts, or even in the cotton belt of their own solid South. The democrats are making no fight on the tariff, show- ing how it puts hundreds of millions, if not billions, into the pockets of the great profiteers thru. increasing the cost of living of the masses. These are all issues of the past on which there was sup- posed to be a division between the republicans and demo- crats. There is none today. There is today no LaFollette “Moses” on the horizon to lead the workers and farmers into the wilderness of third party politics and against class political action. One may arise, but that is all the more reason why labor must be on the alert. ni * Every indication points to some shifting of political alignments during this congressional year. What its extent will be remains to be seen. . . * * ° The undercurrent of discontent is beginning to tap the bed rock of class action. Here it will find a firm foundation on which to build. The unanimous passage of resolutions for the labor arty by the International Fur Workers’ convention and the ternational Ladies’ Garment Workers’ convention in the east, finds an echo in the revival of*the farmer-labor move- ment in the far west. There will be many pitfalls ahead. Capitalist politics » has everything to lose thru the rise of independent working class action in the political struggle. The dollar politicians will use every possible lure to divert awakened labor from’ its purpose. They will bribe the leaders and try to poison the rank and file. Failing in everything else it will trot out the old bogey of Bolshevik control and Moscow dictatorship. They will find, however, that the workers have learned much during the past two years. They will learn that it is not so easy this year,-as in 1924, to get the workers to drop their slogan, “Forward to the Labor Party!” LOWDEN BOOSTS [Paina CAMPAIGN AT | “Ssend Over Ware FARM CONGRESS Wants to Run for Presi- dent in 1928 (Special to The Daily Worker) ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., Jan. 6. — Rather than pay wages averaging $1.75 an hour demanded by members of the building trades unions engaged on big contract operations here, em- Ployers have declared they will allow court,” and urging kiansmen to mem- Reaches Out to Seize Near Eastern Markets orialize their senators, While the effectiveness of the klan TOKIO, Japan, Jan, 6—The dispatch | Campaign may be open to doubt, it is of Japanese diplomatic and consular | 2deniably proving embarrassing to a officials to countries in the near east,|Mumber of republicans listed as the the Balkan states and Soviet Russia| W's strongest supporters, includ- will be followed by active efforts to| ims McKinley of Ilinols, open shipping lines and develop mar- Smith Threatens McKinley. kets in those countries for Japanese} Frank L, Smith, of Illinois, is cotton goods and other manufactures, | @vowedly in the field against Senator Plans have been made for sample | William B. McKinley, the Illinois fairs in the principal near eastern | action magnate, é cities, While diplomatic and consu-| Smith is one of the industrialtst lar representatives in Roumania, tools and is opposed to the world Odessa, Egyptian ports and elsewhere |oUrt. The Ilan in Illinois and many have been instructed to proceed to}! the middle west industrial states Constantinople to confer on the pos palsAara tl ried perio eae ibilit! i e needle bce sian court and the league of nations is compatible with its general character Watch the Saturday Magazine as the expression of the political dis- Section for new features every| content of the middle class business week. This is a good issue to give} men who are being ground down by to your fellow worker, the increasing pressure of big capital, ANTHRACITE NEGOTIATIONS STILL UNSETTLED BY SECRET SESSIONS (Special to The Daily Worker) NEW YORK, Jan, 6.—After conferring behind closed di for less than two hours, representatives of the operators and the 1 riking miners adjourned for lunch this afternoon still hopelessly deadlocked and apparently as far from a peace agreement as they were when they first met here nearly ten daye ag ; » (Special to The Dally Workerd LINCOLN, Neb., Jan, 6—Frank 0. Lowden, former governor of Illinois and aspirant for the presidential no- mination on the republican ticket, is here today trying to strengthen his political fences thru attendance at the four day session of organized agricul- ture that is being held in the buildings of the state agricultural college. Approximately 2,000 Nebraska farm- ers and their wives are here trying to devise a program that will aid them in solving the problems arising out of the farm crisis. Oppose Tariff. There is considerable opposition to the Fordney-McCumber tariff and Low- den and his gang of political shysters will have a hard time exlaining how they can support the republican party and at the same time strive to relieve the farmers of burdens imposed upon them by the tariff. Lowden is striving in every way to gain prestige among the farmers in an effort to secure the republican party nomination for 1928, which he lost in 1920 because his agents were caught buying votes and otherwise indulging in corrupt practices in Mis- sourl, After that talk with your s mate—hand him a copy of The DAILY WORKER, It.will help millions of dollars in building activ- ities to be tied up, according to state- ments made by officials of employers’ organizations today, upon _ being served with notice of the new scale, Master masons announce that they will flatly refuse to pay the new de- mands, intended to become effective April 1, and employers in other trades are planning to follow the masons, Hoover Wants American Monopolies. WASHINGTON, Jan. 6,— Foreign governmental monopilies of raw ma- terigls will cost American consumers $1,200,000,000 in 1926, Secretary of Commerce Hoover told the house in- terstate and foreign commerce com- mittee. Hoover was the chief wit- ness in the ¢Committee’s opening in- vestigation into foreign monopolies, SATURDAY IN DETROIT! A Most With Music by THE YOUNG RED GUARD A string orchestra of red youth, , 16 yours of age. ¢ “Vecherinka” it UTH SLAV WORKE 7 E. FERRY AVENE, DETROIT, No. 3 and assisted by Women’s HORNE SAILS INTO HOOVER OVER RUBBER Sharp Digs Given to American Monopolies LONDON,.Jan. 6 — Sir Robert, Horne, member of parilament and former chancellor of the exchequer, has published an article In the London press decrying the howl being raised in America by Secretary Hoover and others concerning the British rubber ‘monopoly as “ungenerous and unJjust- ified.” Says All Treated Alike. “I am puzzled,” Sir Robert says, “as to what disadvantage the Amer- ican consumer and manufacturer thinks he suffers from, He is paying exactly the same price as his British, French, and Italian competitors. The British manufacturer has not gained st the expense of the American. In the world's markets they are on an ‘bsolutely equal footing. “This indeed is understanding the case because the United States is much more prosperous than the other nations and it can afford to pay the increased price better than the others. If it is true that they bear a greater total burden on’ account of their con- sumption, it is also true that they make greater total profits.” What About Cotton? “T confess that my compassion is not moved when I contemplate the position of those in America who pro- fess to be injured by the present price. I have seen some Jeremiahs in the Firestone company, but when I look at the report of this company I find that the net profits have risen from $7,000,- 000 in 1922 to $12,000,000 in 1925, 1 will wait for more pathetic figures than these before I am wrung with pity, “When I turn my gaze from Amer- ica to England, I see conditions which move me more deeply. I have not heard the suffering people of Lanca- shire utter denunciations of those who have been charging high prices for cotton. They have accepted their fate as brought about by conditions they could not control.” Inhabitants of Glass Houses, Shad Robert closes his article by say- "i “I would say further that those are not in @ position to complain who erect tariffs which interfere with our trade to @ much greater degree than the rubber restriction could possibly effect theirs. Nobody denies the right of the American government to man- age its tariffs as it chooses, but when complaint is made of the action of the British government it should be kept in view that are interfering with the natural flow of world commerce to an infinitesiree! degree compared with that which characterizes the trade policy of America.” see Inquiry Starts Tuesday. WASHINGTON, D. GC. Jan. 6 —The house commerce committee expects to begin its investigation of the alleged monopoly‘of crude rubber by British colonial governments this week. Secretary Hoover is expected to be the first witness. Current Events (Continued from page 1) the evil spirits with which the priest was afflicted were not alone doing tn- jury to the holy man but to all those who came in contact with him. “We meant well” said one of the peasants to the judge “and we are sure that the vicar will be grateful to us.” No doubt the ku klux klan will attribute the priest’s punishment to me cause from which ministers of ‘the gospel suffer occasionally, at the hands of those whose preserves they poach. ne tee (E mythical “caar’s daughter” who is alleged to have escaped execu- tion during the revolution is said to have made her appearance in a Ber lin sanitarium, Whether the czar’s daughter lives or not is of little con- equence. The recurrent publication of such ghost stories is one indication of the hopelessness of the Russian monarchists’ expectation of getting back to their lives of ease and graft. In. the meantime Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaevitch and Grand Duke Cyril are quarreling over the right to a throne which is now frequently used by presiding officers at Communist congresses, Worker Correspondence will make The DAILY WORKER a better paper send in a story about your shop. JANUARY 9 Home Cooked Food Dancing Games And the Best of Fun HOME, hh Unusual bya Club Rosa Luxemburg