The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 23, 1926, Page 5

KODAK FACTORY s0F Pinabisi AS IT IS PAINTED, WORKER TELLS OF ROTTEN CONDITIONS PREVAILING By a Worker Correspondent. ROCHESTER, N. Y., Oct. 21—Before this is put into ‘print, if it will be, George Eastman, Kodak “king,’ and one of the foremost philanthropists of this country will have reached these shores safely, returning from a jaunt ‘thru the jungles of darkest Africa. It working conditions and wages in the Kodak “kingdom” were as won- derful as they are portrayed tobe by the capitalist press, there should be, it seems to the writer, rejoicing among the workers of the kingdom over the return of their king. Being one of the kodak workers; I fail to see anything of the kind. On the contrary, I hear remarks made about “uncle” George, which would indeed be very exasperating were they to reach his ears. How Can You Be? It may be surprising to many of us that the kodak workers should be so ungrateful to their king, who, by the way, contributes millions of dollars to charitable and educational institutions and for which he is lauded to the skies by his servant newspapers, and to the company over which he reigns, which distributes several millions of bucks per annum among the workers in the shape of stock and wage dividends. There are, however, reasons, in the light of which this attitude on the part of the workers is justified. “Bedaux System.” One of these reasons ig the speed- up process, which has taken a strong grip iw the kodak plants. The partic- ular system which ts put into. opera- tion here is known ag the “Bedaux point system.” So notorious is this system that the largest of the plants if this city, “Kodak Park,” has. been nicknamed by the workers ‘Kodak Point.” Aside from increasing the production per capita, in some in- stances to as high as three to four times the former output, this system has also brought about an enormous increase in the number of accidents. Numerous Accidents. Sometimes one has to pinch himself to determine whether he is awake or is-dreaming of the scenes of the battle. front so many maimed and crippled does one come across. “Uncle” George being so well thought of in this city, he or his must not be mentioned in connection with anything unpleasant, so there are very seldom any reports in the local papers of the accidents at the kodak plants. Stock Bonus Scheme. “Another reason for this .ingratitude on the part of the workers toward their king and his company is the perhaps slowly, but nevertheless surely, dawning realization that the wage-dividends and stock which they receive annually are merely a bait by means of which they can be induced to work for low wages under slave driving conditions. : Interesting in this connection is the fact that within the past year the distribution of stock to new employes has been discontinued, the officials of the company probably feeling that they have subsidized a sufficient number of workers to pro- vide them with an efficient “scab” nucleus in event of future labor trou- bles. A considerable portion of those who have been subsidized are, however, awaiting the day when they will be given complete, control over their stock in ordey that they maybe in a considerable + position to tell the Eastman Kodak Co,.,to go to warmer regions, Some Yellow. On the other hand there is another considerable portion of the subsidized slaves who ‘would regard it honorable to stool’ pigeon on the discontented workers. While ‘at the present time the eco- nomic pressure not being very strong, the possibilitiés’ of organization among these workers are more or less remote, it is my’cand@id opinion that when the bosses start slashing wages still more, as they undoubtedly will, the kodak workers will welcome union organiz- ers with a warmer reception than they are at present preparing ‘for. their “king.” Los Angeles Workers Are Not Excited at Talk About Leagues By L. P. RINDAL, (Worker Correspondent.) LOS ANGELES, Cal., Oct, 21—The following: report, headlined ‘British Labor Hits Treaties,” was found hid- den in a corner of a morning paper yesterday: “MARGATE, England, Oct. 14.—The Labor Party conference, in session here today, adopted a resolu- tion demanding the annulment of the Versailles treaty and the Dawes plan and repudiation of the Locarno pacts, which were described as a threat di- rected at Russia, The resolution also urged thé adoption of a eley of world disarmament.” With the above mentioned treaties and pacts ~wiped out, the imperialists’ league of nations—now resting on a volcano—will be gote’ forever. But what do the workers of Los Angeles think about this question? Well—Arthur Brisbane (in his “Bris- bunk” column “Today”) is advocating a league of American nations—north, center and south, with plenty of air- ships and submarines for the central power, the UnitedStates, in order to control the combine, Moscow, Not Jefferson. Generally speaking the workers are not interested either sin a Buro- pean or an American league of this character. This was fully demonstrat, ed last Sunday evening, Oct. 10, when Lew Head, Pasadena newspaperman, lectured at the Open Forum on the subject of “The World Court’—a branch of the imperialistic Wilsonian league of war against weak nations. The speaker himself opposed the present league. He was not able, how- ever, to create much sentiment for the move back to the Jeffersonian period—1776, the Forum crowd looking forward, not backward. Another speaker captured the audi- ence by recommending, “A League of Nations with Headquarters in Mos- cow". DETROIT MAJESTIC Comrade oo NEMSER, LIAN wher MILK AND BREAD FOR THE TEXTILE STRIKERS’ DETROIT STRING QUARTET (of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra) STEFAN KOZAKEVICH, Baritone — Ukrainian Chorus in a great GALA CONCERT TUESDAY EVENING, OCT. 26, AT 8 P. M., Woodward near Willis—Detroit, Mich. ADMISSION:—75c., $1.00, $1.50, $2.00. Tickets In advance at 1967 Grand River Ave, At Box Office on day of performance. AUSPICES: Detroit Conference for Relief of Passaic Textile Strikers DANCE AND CONCERT under the auspices of IL LAVORATORE Saturday, Geteter 23, at 8 p. m. rrade ‘DETROIT CHILDREN THEATRE NEW HARLEM CASINO 116th Street & Lenox Ave. Miss CELIA SCHACHTMAN, Russian Songs. Violin, ee Los Angeles Workers Assess Selves Hour Pay For Coal Miners By DAVE RAPO. (Worker Correspondent) LOS ANGELES, Oct, 21—At a con- ference called by the British Miners’ Relief committee of the Central La- bor Conference, delegates from 40 lo- cals voted that all affiliated unions should assess each member one hours’ pay to,aid the British strikers. That this resolution wouldn’t re- main on paper was shown by the re- sponse with which the unions met this decision, which was also approved by the C, L.C., a few days after the con- ference, the Hod Carriers, No. 300, with a membership of 250, voted an hour’s pay which brot in $325. A check was made out from the lo- cal’s treasury and turned over to the secretary of the conference. The president of the Hod Carriers L. U., 300 announcing the results of their last meeting stated: “I am an ex- British miner myself and I know very well the conditions under which they live, and that is why we didn’t wait till everyone will pay his assessment, but made out a check from the treas- ury to be sent as immediate help to oe fighting brothers.” Jewelry Workers Local union sent in a check for $10, Machinists’ L, U. No. 811 voted a 50 cent assessment upon their membership. All of the machinists here are getting small pay but they have a large membership which will bring in a large sum of money. Everyone who will donate an hour’s pay will be given a striking button, 10,000 buttons being ordered. Los Angeles Unions Hold Conference to » Aid N. Y. Strikers By S. GLOBERMAN {Worker . Correspondent) LOS ANGHLES—(By Mail.)— The Cloakmakers’ Local No. 52 called a conference.of local labor unions in be- half of aid to the 40,000 striking cloak- makers of New York. The first, con- ference was held on October 14 at Needle Trades Hall, where twenty-one organizations responded. Brother Shlomorvitz, president of Local No, 52, aeted as chairman) and Secretary Sacks of that local as secre- tary. The conference went on record to send $1,000 at once to the New York strikers. The excellent spirit of the conference fs attributed to the prevail- ing sentiment for solidarity in the ranks of labor. The conference decided to arrange a tag day and to hold various entertain- ments, etc, Altho this first confer- ence was successful, there are many more organizations expected to take part in the next one. Original American Receives Sample of White Civilization By a Worker Correspondent. LOS ANGELES, Cal., Oct. 21.—Chiet Ca-poo-ey, head of a Yuma Indian tribe, was attacked with a shotgun in the hands of a Yuma rancher. Aft- er a plea of guilty, a federal judge of Los Angeles handed over to the white- faced “Christian” rancher an “In God We Trust’ suspended sentence. Christianity, civilization, the race su- periority lie as well as the “white man’s burden” bunk work out wondex fully in dealings with real Americans in this country. Chief Ca-poo-ey doesn’t think much of paleface justice. Nor do the Ne- groes, Chinese, Japanese, Haitians, Mexicans and other exploited peo- ples of color suffering under the ty- rannical rule of the American plunder- bund, : 10,000 Harvesters Stranded Without Work in Calgary By a Worker Correspondent. CALGARY, Canada, Oct, 21.—Thou- sands of harvesters, the number being estimated. at more than 10,000 at least, are stranded near here, hungry, broke, and with no prospect of getting more than a few days’ work a month. The harvesters. were enticed here by alluring advertisements. The government labor bureau, which is responsible for bringing the work- ers here, is endeavoring to cover up its ignorant activity, Work Is Scarce in Hammond, Indiana (By Worker Correspondent) HAMMOND, Ind., Oct, 21.—Work in Hammond has beer slack for the last ‘two months. Some factories are only working two,or threé days a week. The workers who are the hardest hit are thong , employed in the steel Works of the Ameri- can company, has had a “No Help Wanted” sign on {ts gatew for weeks, Weer ea THE DALLY WORKER voibeesy JIMMIE: LYNCH AGAIN MANAGES .§ TQ. OVER-RIDE “BIG SIX” AND AID PUBLISHERS AGAINST MEN | By ART SHIELDS, Federa Federated Prese, NEW YORK, Oct. 21.—Waiving their demand for a shorter workday the | graphical Union No. 6, are at work under a three year contract, submitted by | the Publishers’ Association of New York. The agréement provides an immediate wage increase of three dollars a week, with back pay from July 1. Two more dollar increases go into effect July 1, 1927, and July 1, 1928, bring-+ three thousand newspaper printers of New York City, affiliated with aa ing the final raise under te new agreement to $5. New York newspaper scales are now $63 for day men, $66 for night men, with $69 for the’ Second night or “lob- ster” shift. if Didn't Get What They Wanted. “Big Six” ‘iémbers wanted the shorter workday more than the wage increases, Lastyspring the local union made general demands for a six and one-half hour day, in place of the present seven and one-half hour sched- ule, and for wage gains of $6 a week. Realizing there might be difficulty in getting both demands a referettdum vote was taken. as to which should be pressed in the negotiations, The mem- bership voted overwhelmingly for re- duction in worktime, in preference to mere wage increases: Seek to Undermine Rules. The publishers then made an offer which was rejected by a 1,290-to-7 vote. The offered $8 increase, with no cut in hours, proyided the union would scrap its rule requiring the resetting of the “bogus” or advertising matrixes. The existing rule requires every bit of advertising copy to be set up in every newspaper plant where it is used. Thus a department store ad appearing in the various morning newspapers must be set up separately in every composition room, This rule means more work for the group. protest was made against the strike- breaking Russian-language daily, Russky Viestnik-Rassviet, published in Chicago.. When the protest was not, read rom, the platform it was circulated the delegates by friends of the atriking printers. “Tho ‘paying féssthah half the union scale, this paper claims to be the or- gan of the Russian trade unions of the United States. That there are no Russian trade*unions in the United States does not bother the editors. Congress Splits. The congress»in Philadelphia split, delegates relate, by the combination of anarchists and monarchists running away from the congress after being defeated on two major questions. They met in a separate hall and formed a united front a) st the labor delega- tion, Returattto the congress, the chairman, i ged declared the congress diss . Kolesnikoy is a former member of the counter-revolu- tionary Merkulov government of the Far East. He was leading the mon- archist delegation. The editor of the scabby Russky Viestnik-Rassviet, Ivan Okuntzov, was the spokesman for the anarchists. He Is now a member of the new joint committee formed by the anarcho-monarchist combine. The monarchist group centers around the scattered Russian churches in America, while the Communists and radicals are intrenched in the Rus- sian children’s schools, the mutual aid societies, co-operatives and similar or- ganizations. Unity To Be Achieved. Ten Chicago delegates from this group and two monarchists went to the Philadelphia congress. As a re- sult of the split a new nation&l con- gress will be organized on the basis of existing district federations, Jewelry Workers of N. Y. Negotiate For Demands With Bosses NEW YORK, Qet, 20.—Anthony Ca- prano, manager of Local 17 of the International Jewelry Workers’ Union, announces that negotiations have be- gun with the e! ‘ers on the de- mands presented the union, These demands include acceptance ot workers only*ttom the union em- ployment bureau, a 44-hour week, time and one-half for overtime, a 10 per cent raise for all week workers, equal division of work in slack seasons and the right.of union officials to enter shops to interview workers and settle grievances, War Veteran to Speak on U. S. Imperialism Jack Bradon, three years national president of the World War Veterans, will speak on “American rag air nc and the Next War/},on Sunday, Octo- ber 24, at the Greek Workers’ Hduca- tional League hall, 768 West be Bu- ren street. linotype operators, hand composition men, ete., and therefore a larger work- room force. But the publishers, seek- ing reduction in costs, have long | sought the abolition of this rule so | that the copy might be’ set up only | once and matrixes distributed to the several plants, thus ‘eliminating extra composition work, Lynch Aided Bosses Against Union. The final alternative: offer of the publishers dropped the»clauses about | the “bogus,” but refused ‘the shorter workday demand, tho granting the $3 and two $1 raises.’ International President Lynch and the international executive council supported the pub- lishers’. offer and told “Big Six” that it had the alternatives of accepting the proposition or submitting’ to ar- bitration. Arbitration involved the danger that the question of the “bogus” might again come up and the loss of this reset- ting rule would throw so many men out of work that it was feared the life of the local union might be Threat- ened. The local scale conference com- mittee then recommended acceptance to the membership and the pact was adopted by a vote of 886 to 404. Refused to Sanction Strike. Strike action, the international of- ficers had informed the local union, would not be sanctioned. Lynch loses office November 1. ANARCHISTS AND MONARCHISTS IN UNITED FRONT AGAINST THE | “PRINTERS’ UNION IN CHICAGO Returning from the congress in Philadelphia of the organized Russian colonies. in the: United States, delegates from Chicago Russian organizations are spreading ‘the story of the anti-union attitude of the dominant congress Anarchists Join Moriarchists, This group was a coalition of monarchist elements and the anarchists, who united to suppress the reading to the congress of a telegram from Chi- cago Typographical Union 16, in which #—- BED MAKERS ON STRIKE. AGAINST OPEN SHOP FIRM Negro Workers Line Up for Union 100% Ninety members of Local 114 of the Mattress, Box Spring and Spring Bed Makers’ Union, are.on strike at the factory of the Superior. Felt and Bed- ding company at 2447 Roosevelt Road. Abominable Conditions. About 95 per cent of these workers are Negroes, and the pay and hours are sufficient reason for strike, as may ‘be seen by the fact that of the two shifts, the night shift works 12 hours and the day shift 10 hours. For this hard and often unhealthy work the average pay is only 30 cents an hour. The most that may be made after two or three years is from 35 to 40 cents an hour, Yellow Dog Contract. For several weeks union agitation has been going on in the factory, The company, knowing this, tried about two weeks ago to force all workers to | ., sign a “yellow dog” contract, not to join any union. It sent those home who would not sign. At that time nine finishers struck, and the boss was forcéd to call them back on the old terms without their signing the “yellow dog” slip. 100.Per Cent Strike. Tuesday, however, another attempt was made to force this anti-union open shop contract on the workers, But the union sentiment was so strong that all refused to sign and, instead, all without exception signed up for union membership and struck 100 per cent for recognition of the union. Yesterday morning, when the work- ers went on‘the picket line, they found: the city government had oblig- ingly,furnished the boss with about a dozen police to guard several scabs brought in to take the struck jobs. The firm is advertising for scabs in many of the foreign language capital- ist papers and in the English capitalist dailies also, The strikers ask the foreign language, workers to guard against being led into scabbing. Meeting Sunday, The office of the union {is at Room | 500, 166 West Washington street, and | Sunday at 2 p. m, the strikers are to | hold 4 mass meeting ‘at 30 North Wells street. Santarem |e Shaken. RIO JANEIRO, Oct, 21.~-An earth- quake of twelve minutes’ duration has shaken the city of Santarem, in the Interior of Para state, according to advices reecived here. Several houses are reported to have been damaged, but no deaths are reported, Santarem is situated , the Amazon and Tapajos and a movement of the sands of these rivers la reported. | } | | | | By Upton Sinclair \Copyrigat, 1926, by Uptom Sinciair) Il. Bunny spent his Easter holidays at Paradise, and it happen- ed that Vernon Roscoe paid a visit to the tract. He had been there before, but only while Bunny was away; their meetings so fe r had been brief ones at the office, amid the préss of busin Bunny had got a general impression of a big face and a big body and a big voice, Dad said that “Verne” had also a big heart; but Bun- ny’s only evidence was that Mr. Roscoe had patted him on the |back, and called him, “Jim Junior,” with great gusto. | Now he came; and it happened that a desert wind came with him, and made a*funny combination. As a rule the heat of the |day was endurable at Paradise, and the nights were always cold and refreshing; but three or four times in a yéar the place would be struck by a wind off the desert, and it would be like a hot hand reaching out and holding you by the throat. “A hundred and fourteen in the shade and their aint any shade,” was the way the oil workers put it, as they. went on working in the sun, drinking barley water by the quart. The worst of it was, the hot wind blew all night,:and the houses, which had heated up like furnaces, stayed that way for three or four days. The “oil magnate,” as the newspapers called Vernon. Ros- coe, left Angel City after dinner, and reached the tract just before midnight, Dad and Bunny were expecting him, sitting out on the veranda; and he saw them, and his voice started before the engine of his car stopped. “Hello, Jim! Hello, Jim Junior! By Jees, what’s this you’re doing to me! Christ amighty, man, I never felt such heat! Is it going to be like this tomorrow? *By Jees, I think I’ll turn my tail and run!” He was out of the car, and coming up the path, his face as round as the moon that shone down on his half-bald head. He had taken off his coat and shirt, and was in a pink silk undershirt; no perspiration, of course, because you were always dry when you drove in this desert heat—you might stop at a filling station and stand under a hose and soak yourself, and the wind would idry everything but your sitting place in a couple of minutes. “Hello, Verne,” said Dad; and Bunny said, “How are you Mr. Roscoe?” He was careful to get a grip on the magnate’s paw before the magnate got a grip on his—for he would make the bones crunch with his mighty grasp. He had been a cattlepunch- er back in Oklahoma, and it was said that he had grabbed a Mexi- can horse-thief with his two hands and bent him backwardsamtil he broke. He still had that strength, in spite of his rolls of fat. “Tm hot as hell,” he said, answering Bunny’s polite inquiry. “Say, Jim, do you think I'd better stay?” “You've got to stay,” said Dad. “I’m not’ going ahead with aévelo pinnet on that Bandy tract till you’ve looked the field over. We'll sit you on ice.” “Has my beer come? Hey, there, Kuno”—this to the Jap, | who was grinning in the door-way. “Bring me some of my beer! Bring me a bucketful—a tubful. By Jees, I brought some in my car+I wouldn’t take a chance. Did you hear what happened to Pete: O'Reilly? Damn fool tried to come across the border with a crate of whiskey in his car; told me it cost him a hundred dol- lars’a quart before he got through! <Christ amighty, Jim, how do you stand this?” “Well, for one thing, I drink lemonade instead of beer.” This was 4 reform which Bunny had imposed upon his father, and now Dad was very proud of it. “No pop for me!” said Verne. “By Jees, I'll have my suds in the bath-tub. Any women about, Verne?” And Mr. Roscoe kicked off his shoes and his trousers, and sat himself under an electric fan. ‘The damn thing blows hot air!” he said; and then he looked'at Bunny. ‘Well, here’s our boy Bolshevik! Wliere’s the red flag?” Now Bunny was expecting to rench. the impressive age of twenty-one in a month or two, and he had heard all possible vari- ations on this “Bolsheviki” joke. But he was host, and had to smile. “I See you read the papers.” “Say, kiddo, you made the front page all right! It did mea lot of good.in some-negotiations. Come down to the office and I'll introduce you to a Soviet commissar in disguise; they’re trying to sell me a concession in the Urals. ‘Where the hell is that?’ I say; | but it seems there is really such a place, unless they have forged some atlases. The guy started to pull this brotherhood of man stuff on me, and I says, ‘Sure, I’m great on that dope,’ I says. ‘The junior ‘member of our firm is in the business! Look at this, by Jees,’ and I showed him the papers, and we've been ‘Toverish’ ever since!” (To be continued.) Bunlemot + THE DAILY WORKER. SPECIAL CHINA FEATURES “The Chinese Woman,” by Halina Sieriebriakova “Revolution and Poetry in China.” te and comments on leading men in the present new ina. Who is Wm. Wilson? | Capitalist Propaganda A delightful story of the In the Air senatorial elections in Pennsylvania, by HARRISON GEORGE with illustrations by O'ZIM Something new and sparkling on what you get on the radio, by M. CHILOFSKY The Garment Story The unions and the Cloakmakers’ strike, by JOSEPH ZACK Illustrated by A. JERGER . The Rolling Farmers You will learn of the present day problems of the farmer from this article, by JOEL SHOEMAKER SHORT STORY—MOVING PICTURES— SPORTS—-THE THEATRE — CARTOONS and that delightful weekly satirical news comment in pie- tures by Hay Bales, “The Week in Cartoons.” ee eee