The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 27, 1926, Page 12

| Profits of the Future HE present world rubber situation brings into prominence a feature of monopoly capitalism that Lenin wrote about in his work on “Imperial- im.” One of the characteristics of imperialism is its control and mono- poly of the world supply of raw ma- terial.” As this is accomplished the struggle between imperialist nations begins to center about the control of possible, future sources of raw ma- terial. “Not only are the already discover- ed sources of raw materials of. im- portance to finance capital,” says Lenin, “but also the possible sources of such materials, as technique is developing very fast in our times, and ,the lands which today are useless, may tomorrow become useful.... - Just as the trusts capitalize their property at two or three times their yalue, counting on the ‘possible’ future profits and on further results of monopoly, so also does finance cap- ital in general tend toward the ac- quisition of as much land as possible, no matter what kind, where, or how, counting on the future sources of raw materials... .” The restrictions on the export of rubber by British producers, imposed by the Stevenson act, has created a monopoly on this very important raw material that has sent American rubber manufacturers scurrying all over the world seeking possible, future sources of rubber. While it is true that the American rubber manu- facturers are not losing any money _ by the present restriction of rubber (the rise on the crude material being transferred to the purchaser of the finished product) large producing capi- talists feel very uneasy when a foreign imperialist power has complete con- trol over a much-needed raw material. American imperialism does not like to be placed at the mercy of a com- petitive nation for any of the impor- tant raw materials, While rubber holds the center of in- terest at the present moment, there “are other star actors on the interna- tional economic stage which concern American capitalists. There is an of- ficial Franco-German control over the price of potash. The Chilean govern- ment manipulates the price of ni- trates; and America’s reaction to this monopoly gives us a very vivid picture of imperialism at work thru the in- strumentality of the Tacne-Arica Com- mission, enslaving a smaller nation that accidentally possesses ‘a much needed mineral. The Dutch govern- ment controls quinine; Yucatan, sisal, from which is made binder-twine used in American wheat fields, The United States consumes 900,- 000,000 pounds of rubber yearly. A little over a year ago the price of crude rubber to the manufacturers was 35 cents per pound, and with the passage of the Stevenson act by Great Britain, the price jumped to $1.10 the pound; it now hovers around 90 cents per pound. At the same time, the amount of rubber imported has been restricted by the rubber planters. The immediate situation is clearing up. The price of rubber is gradually going down and the supply is becom- ing more abundant, But it is not the intention of the British imperialists to relinquish this very important mo- nopoly, which is especially directed against the United States, as this country is the world’s largest user of crude rubber. The fact that the American tire and rubber goods manufacturers are not so much concerned with the immedi- ate situation as they are with the future source of supply is indicated by the unanimity that prevails among the leading men in the rubber indus- try in their search for a future supply of this raw material. Though little actual sowing of rub- ber trees has been undertaken, F, A. Seiberling, president of the Seiberling Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, has been carrying on negotiations with Senator Osmena of the Philippine in- dependence Commission for conces- sions to rubber growers in the Philip- pines; Harvey 8S, Firestone, of the Firestone Company, has been chasing his engineers all over the world look- king for possible rubber plantations. Mr. Firestone first choose the Philip- pines as the best place for his opera- tions. But the Philippine land laws, which restrict the size of plantations, caused him to hesitate. Conferences with a yiew to raising the restrictions by the Philippine legislature proved futile, as the Filipinos recognized that the infiltration of large sums of capi- tal would at the same time act as a loadstone. With American capital more firmly established in the Islands the possibility of independence of this American colony would disappear com- pletely. Hence the laws were not changed to suit Mr. Firestone, However,-just recently negotiations with the Filipinos have been resumed by Mr. Seiberling, and according to newspaper reports he was able to ex- tract very satisfactory promises from Senator Osmena. When this bit of news reached Manila the wires began to grow hot, The president of the Filipino Legis- lature, Quezon, sent Osmena a cable asking full details of negotiations be- tween him and Seiberling. Quezon said, in part: “United Press dispatches , quote Seiberling as stating thdt he agrees with the opinion recently expressed by you whom he described as recep- tive to suggestions for development of rubber possibilities of the Philip- pines and who believes that the prob- lem of land restrictions can be adjust- ed and solved. . Please cable what has taken place between you and Seiberling.” Osmena replied saying: “I told him any reasonable proposition submitted to the legislature would undoubtedly receive due consideration. Our stand having always been against any cur- tailment of our autonomy. Proposals to amend land laws by congressional enactment will of course be vigorous- ly opposed.” Osmena was referring to the con- gressional investigation of the British rubber monopoly then under way, which seemed extremely, well in the |, hands of. the rubber, manufacturers, ready to do their bidding.. But for the time being no direct steps have been taken in the Philippines to in- sure the fiture supply of crude rub- ber and profits to the rubber manufac- turers, Harvey S. Firestone, his Philippine venture fruitless, did not become dis- couraged but immediately sent engi- neers to every available rubber coun- try. Inquiries were instituted by his technicians in Mexico; but the results were not very satisfactory. They next went to Central Africa and Panama: Here the labor supply was limited and not cheap enough, Then hopeful eyes were turned to Liberia, The aim of Firestone in Liberia is a million-acre rubber plantation pro- ducing 400,000,000 pounds of rubber a year, at a cost of about 10 cents per pound, -Harvey Firestone, Jr., in an interview in London given to a cor- respondent of the Wall Street Journal, said that 2,000 acres had actually been planted, The wages to be paid to the Liberian workers and peasants by the Firestone plantations will be 24 cents a day; though British experts assured the Firestones that they would have to pay much higher, at least 48 cents r day. Young Firestone insisted that they could get all the workers they need at 24 cents a day. During the course of giving testi- mony before the Congressional com- mittee investigating the rubber mo- nopoly, Harvey 8S, Firestone told of a 35,000 acre plantation that had been leased by him in the State of Chiapas, Mexico. “i want to point out,” said Mr. Firestone, “that it ig my opinion that if America is to attain any degree of independence in its source of sup- ply of rubber as well as other mate- rials, which are now in the hands of foreign monopoly, our government must give proper encouragement to capital and must assure the industries interested that it will lend its utmost assistance in protecting our invest- ment.” The Rubber Association of Amer!i- of the rubber manufacturers cartel in the United States, proposes spending millions of dollars establishing an in- dependent source of supply for Ameri ca, the central executive committee Getting By Harry Gannes Theory- Chi Meal _ “Without Revolutionary Theory, There Can Be No Revolu- tionary Practice!” (Lenin). The artist, Lydia Gibson, shows the worker reading the “Workers Monthly,” the theoretical organ of the Workers (Communist) Party. can manufacturers. The places par- ticularly chosen by the Rubber Asso- ciation were the Philippines, Sumatra, Liberia and other far eastern coun- tries, There is the possibility of the inven- ‘tion’ of ‘synthetic’ rubber. “But so far the chemists have not been able to produce a substitute cheap enough. Charges have been made against Herbert Hoover, the political leader in the fight against the British rubber monopoly, that his interest is purely personal, He desires campaign mate- rial for booming himself for president, This might be true, However, some times the bourgeoisie must use politi- cal issues based on the political and economic situation that confronts thém. Hoover is efplotitng the dexttes! of the rubber manufacturers for futureg profits, on the one hand, and on the other hand the chauvinistic prejudices of the petty bourgeois, as well as their resentment to the increased cost of tires and other rubber articles. Jobless? You're Bugs! By Henry. Pi these columns two weeks ago I described one of the many relig- ious meetings that took place in the “Hobo College” in the past four motiths. Aside from the Jesus peddlers, who in large numbers come to the “Col- lege” to inject their religious dope of obedience and submissiveness into the hungry, homeless and jobless men, there comes another class of capital- ist hirelings who call themselves “psychiatrists.” Many of those “psychiatrists” who come to the “Hobo College” occupy high positions in state and county hos- pitals for insane, or in penal institu- tions, universities, or such. Others fare well on the fat fees they charge bootleggers and convicted criminals for making them out as insane when caught for crime. It is rather amus- ing to observe how this branch of the head-fixing industry is supporting the crumbling robber system. In the past few weeks many of the so-called “mental disease specialists” spared no efforts to convince the jobless. men that the reason they have no jobs is because they are either physically or mentally defective. The main cause of vagrancy—they say—is physical or mental disability, A vagrant, according to the law, is & person without visible means of support, so.all men out of work are in the vagrant class, Here is the list of m diseases, as given by the psyc' its, that af- flict the unemployed and cause men to go from place to place seeking jobs that are not there: Insanity, neurosis, paransia, psy- chopathic personality, or—the man may be simply a “moron.” So if the boss discharges you from work, immediately you get one of the above mental diseases and you will have it until you get back to work, if you are lucky enough to find a job. Someone asked one of these “spe- cialists” this question: “Is it not a fact that over 85 per cent of all crime that is being committed is committed against private property, as, for in- stance, robbery, theft, burglary, petit larceny, embezzlement, etc., and if we would abolish private property would not crime automatically decrease 85 per cent?” “It may be true that 85 -per cent of all crime is committed against property,” the “specialist” answered, “but Iam not interested in that, I am interested in the abnormal behavior of a person who steals.” In other words if a man is hungry and steals a loaf of bread they call that abnor- mal behavior and: psychiatrists will prove that, not his belly, but his head, is abnormal, ? From my observations of the capi- talist dope peddlers and the spirit in which the men react to the carefully prepared doped, it seems to me that the big joke is on the “psychiatrists.” The men may listen as*they do to-the capitalists’ bugaboos, but they have | learned by bitter experience in life the blame for their wretched life lies, not in the mental disorder of the starving wage slave, but in the social system itself. If there are any short- erage worker it is the lack of under standing of the value of workers’ or ganization, Join militant workers’ or- ganizations and you will quicken the tempo of the march of progress of the working class that leads to a better tomorrow for those who toil, *, comings in the mentality of the av- — \