The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 13, 1926, Page 3

THIS PAGE fs Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the Trade Union Educational League (T. U. 8. LL.) North American Section of the RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (R.L LU.) THE T.U.E.L. Represents the Left Wing of the Labor Movement. Its THE DAILY WORKER )| THE CRISIS IN THE COAL MIN. INDUSTRY OF THE WORLD ND ITS SOLUTION BY THE MINERS’ UNION By ALEX REID } Secretary Progressive Miners’ Committee. The depression in the coal trade is not a local or national problem, but an international problem which must be solved by the working class inter- nationally, A gontraction of world markets for the coal of any or every country, due to the growth of coal production, with other reasons, in the so-called foreign market has effectively demoralized the mining industry in practically every coal producing country of any note in the world, World Depression. coal trade, in consequence of the mod- World depression in the heavy in-|ifications in the coal trade routes Replacing Reactionary and Cl ers’ Government, IRON WORKERS UNDER FIRE BY OPEN SHOPPERS Howard, the Renegade, Forms Scab Union By ART SHIELDS. NEW YORK, Jan. 11.—(FP)— While the trowel trades, carpenters, painters, electricans and other build ing tradesmen are flushed with the confindence of winning wage increases this winter without a strike the struc- | tural iron men are having a harder time. Their strike that started a year ago against the Iron League—steel trust group of contractors—continues. James Hays, secretary to Local No. 40, Bridge and Structural Iron Work- ers, asked the Federated Press to em- phasize that there can be no peace with this open shop combination till union recognition and union demands are granted. Faces Stronger Bosses. No other group of building crafts- men have to face such a centralized position. The Iron League contract ors are tied in with the interests that furnish the steel and steel is trustifi- ed to a greater extent than materials used in the other trades. Fortunately for the union the con- struction boom means many jobs, and union contractors—non Iron League men— have enough work to more than employ all union card men. And | the union, taking advantage of this favorable employment situation, is in- creasing its membership by 20 to 30 @ week in his local alone, says Hays ! Is This Kid Howard? During the strike a new union, friendly to the Iron League and de- nounced as a virtual company anion by. the A. F. of L., has sprung up. This is the independent Bridge and Structural Iron Workers’ Union, now decorated with a New York state charter and incorporated under state laws. It was fathered by its present general organizer, Charles A. Howard, formerly business agent of Local No. 40, Now Howard is openly fighting his former union. Before his connections were severed with Local No, 40 he tried to call off the strike against the Tron League. Failing, he organized the new union with the propaganda that the A. F. of L. was too radical to suit the employers, The new union serves as a semiofficial employment agency for some of the Iron League contractors, Hillman or Nash and Which Surrendered Told by Nash Himself CINCINNATI, Ohio, Jan, 11.—Since “Golden Rule” Nash made his peace with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers much discussion has been heard as to whether it is an admit- tance of the cla: struggle on the part of Nash, or a surrender to class collab- oration on the part of Sidney Hillman, president of the A. C. W. The following quotations from Nash’s speech may show that Nash was not the one to surrender: “Fellow workers, (sic!) we must de- monstrate there is @ way of good will of co-operation that will lead to ‘peace on earth and good will to men’, This cannot come thru warfare, nor in pulling in opposite directions, only thru co-operation and mutual conces- sions.” . Hoe Press Co. Still Open Shop Says I. A. M. NEW YORK, Jan. 11—Organized la- bor everywhere and union machinists in particular are warned that the change in management of Hoe Press company does not mean a change of attitude yet toward union labor. Hureka lodge and New York district council, International Association of Machinists, announce that the strike begun two and a half years ago against the openshop Hoe concern is still on. Striking union machinists ask or- ganized labor to use its influence against the purchase or installation of Hoo presses by local printing and publishing houses, Union machinists | # are not supposed to set up or repair presses purchased the strike, a 2 9 Purpose Is to Strengthen the Labor Unions by Amalgamation of Existing Unions, Organization of the Unorganized, and by 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’ 8 Collaboration Policies with MINERS EXPEL LAWMAKER FOR AIDING BOSSES Stavitski Didn't Show Up for Trial By PAT TOOHEY. NANTICOKE, Penna, Jan, 11.— Local Union 2339, United Mine Work- ers of America today expelled from membership John Stavatski, a. mem- ber of the “labor bloc” in the state house of representatives and a mem- ber of this local union, Until now his case was indefinite and was referred to the Nanticoke policy committee for action, The policy committee re- ferred it back to the local union with authority to act in any manner the local union saw it fit to. His expul- sion followed. This action was taken immediately after Stavatski signed his name to the infamous “legislators plan” of settling the. strike, containing clause after clause against the miners, word for word the attitude and position of the operators. This plan was con- demned by the miners thruont the anthracite and the legislators’ were characterized as pawns of the bosses. Stavatski, whose constituency. is,100% unionized, were more violent in their condemnation than any others, Never Shoved Up. Qa Stavatski was called upon; three times to appear before the, + policy committee and his local union’ to ex- plain his actions but apparently Mr. Stavatski thought the climate Aiore serene in and around the state” cap- itol The local then referred tlie! ase to the policy committee, then’ the above action was taken, The policy committee represents 20,000 miners of the Nanticoke territory and |indica- tions are Mr. Stavatski will have one sweet time being reelected. This action on the part of the legis- lator who posed .as a miner and a member of the union in selling out to the bosses is being utilized by the progressives to point out at the various local union meetings they go to, the logical consequence of electing. men to office who run as “workers’ friends” on the republican ticket.° This be- trayal of Stavatski, who posed as a union miner, will show the miners how beautiful is this policy ci “re- warding our friends and punishing our enemies.” Such betrayals will al- ways be as long as the workers aren’t organized politically—in a la bor party, Strikers Would Give Purcell a Different Sort of a Reception By REGINA BANKS (Worker Correspondent) BOSTON, Mass.—As I write about the miners’ splendid spirit and con- template on its various phases, my mind gypsies somewhat and I find myself reverting to the last national convention of the A, F. of L, I have a distinct and vivid impression of the very cool and rather discourteous re- ception given to A. A. Purcell, the English labor leader, when he voiced there his plea for workers’ brother- hood, and can’t help thinking, profane tho the thought may be, that the at- titude displayed toward Purcell at. that convention would not have been meted out had his audience been these present striking miners, | The striking miners’ have the fore- ground position in today’s picture, but back of them and extending even beyond our limited vision are the torms of little children, on whose faces is unmistakably written the story of successive and unsatisfied wants, Very early in life they learn the lesson of industrial landlordism, and ideas are being planted in their young minds which will grow with them to be erased only when the scheme of things which left the black impressions will have beeen totally eliminated, Products of a more advanced civil- ization than their parents howe look i each succeeding generation steadily forward, always a nearer and ever tending toward community ownership and equitable dustries—the aftermath of the war is another reason for the present chaos, still other reasons are the intrusion of oil into the shipping industry and land transport, with the use of internal combustion engines in modern indus- try. The growth of production of elec- trical energy thruout the world and the economic changes in European Iron and Steel. Exports Average monthly caused by the treaty of Versailles and its correlated plans for delivery of reparation coal from Germany, under the infamous Dawes plan. These have together made a for midable assault upon the world’s coal trade, Let us take these points one by one and examine them in the light of available data: started company unions and attempt- ed to return to the 1917 scale. Wildcat strikes thruout thé union field have been the order of the day with unemployment and suffering for the last three years. very bad and gen- eral thruout the country, Seventy Per Cent Non-union. Altho there is only a decrease of 2.6 per cent in coal production in 1924 over 1913, when we consider the fact that there are 200,000 more men em- ployed in the industry now than in 1912, and that 70 per cent of bitum- inous coal is produced in the nonunion field, where only 30 per cent was pro- duced in 1913, and the fact that this 7 per cent is produced with less than 35 per cent of the miners em- ployed in the industry as a whole, gives us a picture of terrible unem- ployment and suffering as a result, which in many instances is a great deal worse than any across the Atlan- tic. Truly, the coal worldwide crisis. What is the rem- edy? As the working class are the only sufferers, what can be done to change this condition? Nationaliza- tion and workers’ control, internation- al regulation of distribution, efficiency of production, including longer hours industry is in a Exports, 1914 March, 1926 France ... 51,600 tons 346,990 Increase 600% Great Britain .. 414,100 tons 312,200 Decrease 33% Imports France 14,100 tons 17,000 Increase 20% Great Britain .. 185,900 tons 244,900 Increase 31.7% (2) Contraction of Markets. The best example of this lies in the fact that in the year 1924 Britain’ exported 61,600,000 tons of coal as compared with 73,400,000 in 1913, or a re- duction of 11,750,000 tons or 16.01 per cent reduction, World Production of Coal, Increase or 1913 1924 reduction % Europe . 604% millions 549 _ 91 America 533.3 millions 618 — 2.6 Africa 8.2 millions 11.9 -- 46.2 Asia . 55.3 millions 70.7 ¢-|- 27.8 Australiasia 14% millions 18.5 -|- 27.6 Total .... » 1,216.0 millions 1,183.1 — 27 World Production of Lignite Increase or 1913 1924 reduction % Europe .. 126.9 milions 163.2 ~|- 28.6 America 0.02 millions lat ae 950 Total lignite ..... Oil-burning ships .... Tankers and motor ships Total iron and steel ships The figures of oil consumption in its: various forms are difficult to obtain for all countries, but the fact that Great Britain pays £45,000,000 per annum for approximately 5,000,000 tons of oil is in itself quite startling. Electrical Energy. As to the growth of production of electrical energy from water power, the figures of killowatts per head of the population of such countries as Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Nor- way and Italy as compared with Great Britain, reveal how these countries possessing no coal supplies have pro- gressed in the supply and use of elec- trical energy. K. w. hours per year per inhabitant Switzerland Canada .. Norway Sweden Great Britain Production of Electricity, Great Britain, 2,500,000,000 in 1913; 5,739,000,000 in 1924, increase 130 per cent. United States 11,569,000,000 in 1912; 43,676,000,000 in 1922, increase 400 per cent. France 1,000,000 h. p. in 1913; 3,620,- 000 h, p in 1924, increase 350 per cent. Italy—In the year 1922-23, the gov- ernment granted 134 water-power schemes, These produce 667,000 h. p. | There are 370 further schemes under consideration, These will have a total output of 1,000 h, p. The.great Sila scheme, which is expected to do much to develop the mineral, industrial and agricultural resources of Calabria, was commenced in 1923, (5) Changes in the Direction of the Flow of Coal in Europe. In this connection we shall see how far political intrustion into the field of economics has disturbed the normal flow of this European trade stream. The countries to which reparation coal has to be delivered are; France, Belgium, Italy and Luxemburg. To these first three countries Great Brit- ain and Germany (excluding the Saar) exported in 1913 and 1924 respec- tively, the following: France 1913 Great Britain (in metric tons) 12,980,323 1918 Germany (excluding Saar) (in MetFIC LOMB) ssssssssssesssee Germany (post war) (in metric tons) including reparation) .......... 3,170,000 France 1925 On basis of first three months Great Britain (in metric tons) 12,616,240 Post-war Germany (in metric tons) 5,336,000 wee 127.1 millions The Oil Factor, wee 2,455,000 France 1924 Great Britain (inmetric tons) 14,767,402 i914 1924 ous Million tons miners of the either unem- time, Exception. ie globe—outside have been bitter- ecwages reduced, sworsened,—condi- ing—unions de® ployed or Bose, Soviet Russi: The miners of the Union of Sovi ly attacked, working conditio: tions of long. si stroyed, and genera}!demoralization of their forces in manf centers. Strikes have ben fought with questionable re- sults in various ntries, while in some countries the miners have been reduced to stervatia standards. Since the war at Britain's min- ers have received wage cuts, and un- employment and living conditions are bad there at the present time. The same is true of Belgium, 74,000 miners in the Saar Basin struck against wage cuts and lost the strike, while 70,000 Ruhr miners have been unemployed all summer. The German miners have been reduced to a mere existence,—as a result of the Dawes plan. Wages have been cut to the bone, longer hours of labor have been imposed, while working conditions have been entirely lost sight of. Reparation Coal, Reparation coal has to a large ex- tent been responsible for the chaos in the mining industry of Belgium, France and Britain. As reparations could only be paid in the form of pro- duce, it follows that the produce must be produced at a cost that would en- able the shipper to pay freight and un- dersell the competitors, The only way this was done was to reduce the Ger- man workers and among those work- ers hardest hit as a result were the British miners, As the German min- ers were reduced, their reduction had its effect in the lowering of the min- ers’ wages and conditions in the other countries mentioned, Canada Demoralized. f Nova Scotia, and Alberta miners have had their wages cut to the bone, and working conditions practically de- stroyed, The miners’ union in those places has practi¢ally disappeared, while company unions and a half doz- Belgium Italy Total 2,063,574 9,801,515 24,845,412 5,600,000 Belgium 3,883,168 725,000 Italy 3,970,000 8,880,000 Total 22,120,565 8,729,000 Belgium 3,970,000 Italy 10,869,000 Total 3,779,888 2,244,000 18,641,128 2,868,000 2,244,000 10,448,000 During the war each coal producing ¢————-_—_—,. country overdeveloped the mining in-| en other kinds are fighting each other dustry trom 26 to 50 per cent and from| for supremacy, 25 to 50 per cent more men were brot| Thruout the United States the con- into the industry—men from other ditions are similar’to Canada, The trades’ had not before been min-| miners’ wages have been slashed thru ers, but with the ending of the inter-| changing of working conditions, while murder competition, | many good working | condtifons have coupled the above-mentioned | been destroyed. In many thru. | States organizations, eoal industry 4s in demor- out the eoutzy the coal Cvuere have Amerioan Federation of Laboy and lower ‘wages are advanced as schemes to create a demand for more coal or give to the miners more steady employment. A remedy must be found at once to meet the situation. Reduce Hours of Labor. The miners in every country must organize militantly for an equal divis- ion of the available work in the mines, The miners belong to the industry, they are flitted for nothing else be- cause of their experience in the mines, and irrespective of cost or loss they must be given an equal share of the work in the mines. This can be done by reducing the hours of labor per day and days per week The question of féreign trade is the international aspect of the situation and must be dealt with in a militant manner in the Miners’ International Federation (not the lickspittle one we have now). This pkase of the ques- tion could be easily solved with a conm- petent International Federation of Miners regulating the export or im- port of coal to or from any country based on the amount of mines of any one country and their productive ca- pacity, so that the miners woud be guaranteed an equal division of work, Nationalization, Nationalization with workers’ con- trol must be fought for. When the workers have brains enuf to fight for that, they will also tight for national- ization of the other basic indastries, end when we acgomplish that, the rest will be easy. The minsrs must butid up a strong internationa: to fight for a remedy in the worldwide crisis, After that talk with your shop- mate—hand him a copy of The DAILY WORKER. It will help Page Three EE STARTLING FIGURES SHOW THE INTENSIFIED EXPLOITATION OF RAILROAD WORKERS SINCE 1920 By LELAND OLDS, (Federated Press Staff Correspondent) Speeding up of railroad employes in the interest of bigger profits for in- vestors continues, according to interstate commerce commission figures in the October statistical reports. These show that the railroads with fewer employes are carrying more freight and operating more passenger car miles than in either 1924 or 1923. Fewer Workers; More Work. There were 5,578 fewer workers on railroad payrolls in October, 1925, than in October, 1924, altho traffic was larger in October, 1925, by nearly 1,000,000,000 net ton miles and by+ over 13,000,000 passengers car miles. More striking reductions in the number of employes. have taken place since 1923. Excluding genera] and division officers there were 1,920,054 railroad employes in October, 1923, compared with 1,800,453 in October, 1925, This reduction of approximate- ly 120,000 in the number of employes meant a saving of over $13,000,000 in the month’s wages in spite of the fact that in 1925 the railroads handled nearly 2,000,000,000 more net ton miles of freight and 10,000,000 more passenger car miles. The reduction in number employed between October, 1923, and 1925, as it hit typical groups of employes ap- pears in the following figures: Number employed 1923 1925 Clerks (Class B 134,821 Section labor .. 223,981 Boilermakers . 19,721 Freight carmen 87,638 Machinists. 60,651 Helpers .... Shop labor . Telegraphers 101,503 39,496 Freight handlers ... 43,792 41,648 Conductors 60,925 59,269 Brakemen 132,303 Engineers A 67,682 Firemen 73,458 69,783 Shop Crafts Hardest Hit. The shop crafts have suffered most in these layoffs with approximately 72,000 fewer jobs than in October, 1923. The train and engine service eniployes follow with about 15,000 fewer employed in 1925 than in 1923. Since 1923 the shopmen’s October payroll has dropped from $76,026,274 to $65,284,859 or more than 14 per cent. While in spite of the general 5 per cent ‘wage increases secured by the transportation brotherhoods the total amount paid them in wages has increased only about 1 per cent. 300,000 Less Than 1920. Comparison with October, 1920, shows an even greater saving for pro- fits at the expense of jobs and wages. The number of employes has been re- duced from 2,113,010 to 1,800,453, or by more than 300,000. Total wages for the month have been reduced from $330,897,666 to $250,508,828, or more than $80,000,000. This means that since October, 1920, the railroads have lopped 24 per cent off the amount paid out in wag- es. In the same period the average wage paid per employe has dropped about 11 per cent from $156 to $139 convince him, for the month. TAILORS NAME UNITED FRONT AT MAX SILLINSKY | PATERSON WINS FOR SECY,-TREAS. EIGHT-HOUR DAY Cleveland Left Wing|All But Smaller Shops Strong and Active CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 11—The local of the Journeymen Tailors’ Union here has gone unanimously for the left wing. The local had some important matters before it An exe- cutive board had to be elected, and a candidate placed in the field for inter- national secretary of the organization. Seventy New Members, The left wing in Cleveland has been very active in the past months, and has succeeded in putting thru an or- ganization campaign that has resulted in increasing the ranks of the organ- ization, Seventy members were won for the local during the past month alone, When the elections for the execu- tive board came, the left wing put up its most active capable members, who were unanimously elected, J. Herman, H. W. Bohn, K. Dyster were elected members of the executive board, and M. Bishko and L, Singer were elected as representatives of the cleaners and alteration hands. Sweeney Must Go, The big thing of the evening meet- ing, however, was the nomination of Max J. Sillinsky as secretary-treas- urer of the international organization, to take place of the inefficient, incap- able incumbent of the office, Thomas Sweeney. The rank and file of Cleveland are determined to get rid of the present office-holder and put in his place a capable, rgetic man with a pro- gram of action and fight. Locals in other parts of the country should fol- low the example of the Cleveland lo- cal and nominate Max J. Sillinsky for secretary-treasurer and initiate anew era in the organization. Peg Keymen for Secession. WINNIPEG, Man., Jan, 11,—Follow- ing the lead of Toronto telegraphers, commercial keymen here have launch- ed a unit of a new unton which is de clared to be independent of all United including the am 4 Yield to Pressure PATERSON, N. J., Jan. 11.—The 8-hour day, 44-hour week, seems as- sired in all Paterson broadsilk mills as the result of the united front drive launched’ by Associated Silk Work- ers and United Textile Workers un- ions. The day on which workers were to walk out of shops running longer hours found few strikers be- cause so many employers had already granted the shorter workday. Only smaller shops, employing 15 to 20 workers, had been working over eight hours and most of these gave in be- fore the strike date, Battle Goes On, Loomfixers, twisters and warpers, in U. T. W. locals, and weavers in the associated organization left mills working 12, 14 and in at least one case 19 hours a day, demanding that the 8hour day be made general in Paterson silk mills. Organized work- ers are reporting non-union shops that are trying to break down Paterson's shorter workday standard, These small firms are often family affairs where the few outside workers employed are expected to keep uy with the family pace on the job bu’ do not share in the profits proportion ately, Big Campaign. Day by day the banner hung across the building housing the Associated Silk Workers office has carried thi message, “Abolish Overtime” to Pater son silk workers passing by in Market street, one of the town’s main busi- ness streets. The big banner calls all silk workers to make the 8-hour day, 44-hour week effective in every plant. In addition, thousands of personal letters, circulars and dodgers have been sent out and distributed among silk workers. The service of the un- fons in getting the shorter workday for their members is pointed out and all silk workers urged to cooperate in maintaining the standard, Joint educational meetings of the two un- ions have furthered the drive, He will like it! Give your union brother a aub to The DAILY WORKER, FURRIER BOSSES DRIVING UINON INTO A STRIKE Evade All Danliada with Tricky Talk NEW YORK “CITY, Jan. 11,—The fifth conference between representa- tives of the Fur Manufacturers’ Asso- ciation and the Fur Workers’ Union, held Monday, January 4, at the Hotel Martinique, brot no definite results, At the previous four conferences no understanding was reached on any one of the demands of the workers, as embodied in the new agreement sub- mitted to the manufacturers. The agreement in question is to replace the present one, which expires Janu- ary 31, 1926, and which has been in force since February 1, 1924, For a Decent Standard, The main features of the new agreement are: 1, A forty-hour working week. 2. Thirty-two hour week during the slack period. 8. Equal division of work all ¢hra the year. 4. Unemployment insurance fund raised by a 8 per cent contribntion of the totel amount of wages paid out by the manufacturers. 5. Manufacturers be punished for violating the agreement. 6. 25 per cent increase over the present minimum scale. 7. Skins must bear the union label 8. Foreman not to be permitted to work. 9. Shops be inspected by unfon representatives. The union regards every one of these demands as of utmost import- ance to the life of the organization, and which are aiming at securing @ decent standard of living for the workers. Questions, such as a 40-hour work- ing week and equal division of work have been laid over by the manufac- turers for future discussion, while some of ‘the other points, on which a discussion was opened the manufac- turers displayed a negative attitude. Employers Evade Issues, At this last conference the follow- ing points of the agreement were discussed. 1. Trimming manufacturers not to: belong to the association. 2. The right for the union to im spect the shops whenever it finds it necessary. 3. Punishing employers for violat- ing the agreement. No definite agreement was reached on any of these points. As to the first of these demands the employers in conference declared that they would take it under advisement, while on the question of shop inspection the manufacturers argued that the union was always granted the per- mission to inspect shops whenever it presented incontrovertible proof to ~ the conference committee, The union representatives on the other hand stated, that the red tape it is required to go thru before such permission btained, and in @ great number of instances such permission were refused, are considered a great | obstacle to the inspection of shops, — For an Illness Fund, As to the punishments of em for violating the agreement, the union suggested that for the first offenss the manufacturer should be compelled to pay twice the amount he has beem delinquent, one-half of which is to g0 to the workers of that shop, and the other half to the union, out of which such accumulated fines an “| Fund” to be created, which serve for relief to fur workers d with diseases caused by their upation. BS ti For a second offense, the union sags > sested the standing conference be nittee be authorized to impose @ arger fine, while for a third offense” uch manufacturer be expelled from he association, Do They Want a Strike? At this conference as well as at the acturers have shown themselves to be unyielding, from which i is evi- dent that they are driving the tiations to a dangerous end, the’ come of which may result in ing the union to call the wor on strike. The International Pur Union as well as the New ¥¢ board are preparing in the should be the outcome of the tions, In the meantime the That worker next door may not have anything night. Hand him this DAILY WORKER