The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 9, 1927, Page 11

Qil and Exploitation in Persia HE Persian oi wells are the natural continuation of a broad zone beginning in Turkish Armenia and stretching through the Mesopotamian oil fields to the southern extremes of Persia. Oil refining is at present chiefly carried on in the Maidan-i Naftun district, which lies 225 kilometres to the northeast of Mohammeri in the prevince of Arabistan. The quality ef the Persian oil may be judged by the fact that twice as much petrol and kerosene can be extracted from it than from the American or even Mexican oil. Oil is produced in Persia by old fashioned methods of inimemorial age. The popu- lation used it for fuel and medicine. Persian oil only began to be produced by modern methods in the beginning of the 20th century. The imperial- ists’ zealous search for oil, intensified by war con- ditions, gave a violent impetus to the working of the rich Persian oil wells. In 1921 d’Arcy, an Eng- lishman received a concession of the right to exploit a great territory for sixty years, the terms provid- ing for 16 per cent net profit to the Persian govern- ment in return fér the rights of exploitation. The production of oil on a really large scale, how- ever, was only begun in Persia in 1909, when work in the Maidan-i Naftun plain, already referred to, was embarked upon. Thus,’ one of the “57” wells has a capacity of 4,000 tons per day. With the for- mation in 1909 of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, with a basie eapital of $2,000,000, big-scale work began. The interest felt by British imperialists in Persian oil waxed ever greater. By the time of the Great War the British government had made up its mind to become the real master of the concession: it owns bonds to the sum of $2,000,000 and continued to increase its share, so as to achieve what is prac- tieally control by the British government over the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The war gave a strong stimulus to the development of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s concession. The following statisties bear eloquent witness to this: the output of oil in the company’s works in- creased from 233,962 tons in 1913-1915, to 1,106,416 in 1918-1919 and 3,714,216 in 1923-1924, these fig- ures rising every year. We would note that the Anglo-Persian Oil Company is one of those power- ful capitalist oil concerns controlling the whole of the world production of oil. The income of the company during the last twe years has increased as follows: from the report read at the 17th annual meeting of the company’s share-holders, held in London, November,-1926, we see that the assets for 1926 were $4,382,320 as against $3,571,966 in 1925. There are at present 700 miles of oil pipes in the T. COMRAD he E Edited by the Young possession of the company as against 145 in 1912, afid 164 miles of railway and 353 oil freight vessels. While the oil company was in process of formation regular oil towns and stations sprang up in Persia, with a mining population. Such is the town of Abadan (on the island), converted into a regular oil town, sending petrol from its refinery to three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. During this time enormous contingencies miners, employed in the enterprises of the Anglo- Persian Company made their app ince; there are now over 50,000 workers and employes working for the company, 83 per cent of wi are Persians, about 13 per cent Indians, a few Rritish, Armenians and Chinese. What are the labor conditions on this concession? These are described in the report pre- sented by “The Society of Persian Southern Oil Workers” to the Persian parliament and printed in “Kabul-Matin” of the 15th of March, the Persian paper issued in Calcutta. Moral oppression and physical violence are rife in the enterprises of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The workers live and labor in terrible conditions. Their working day is ever 12 hours. Children from 12 to 14 are widely employed. The pay is miserable and consists of not more than 5 kran a day (a kran is less than 6d.). The report of the Persian workers is as follows: “Who is there to see the miserable broken down hovels in which we have to live, to see how we go blind from working in the terrible heat of summer? Who cares that we'die from noxious gases, who is there to pay any atten- tion to our naked starving little ones?” And side by side with these miserable slaves of oil eapital dragging ont their wretched existence flourish the foreign employes, receiving high pay and enjoying every sort of privilege. The workers have scarcely any federation or organizations, not being allowed to organize and are not yet capable of struggling for their rights. of oil “een ennnnmnnnennmnnnnnes | HESPIA. Wonder if Hamlet while saying the soliliquy thinks of the liver and onions at home. Or, if the aerebat plans hanging the curtains in the new apartment. A stage hand reads Pertuguese poetry and wishes himself in Patagonia. Where are the hams of yesteryear? \ —J. A. MILLER. | _ RIMES OF STARVATION AL 4q PROLOG. “Ain't it a great life, Al?” “Hell!” I, The boss has locked me out, He’s given me the can; No more. is wet my brow with sweat, I’m now a gentleman. II. And I can starve just as I please, For America’s a free land. O, I’ve sailed the seven seas From Alaska to New Zealand And found no starvin’ better Than here where the go-getter Makes America (I Love You) a free land. TIT. High class starvin’ as you please, All at onee or by degrees. How’ll you have it? Anyway Suits the management Okay. IV. The boss said, “Don’t be all your life Ploddin’ with the masses. D’you want some swell jane for your wife? Then join the leisure classes.” (That’s right come to think of it when fifteen minutes a day of the Alexander Hamilton Institute correspondence course startin’ from the bottom will land you at the top as President of Your Concern, Mr. Addison Sims of Seattle or sumpin’.). Yes sir, the leisure classes! Vi. So the boss he locked me out, Nice boss give me the can. No mere is wet my brow with sweat, Oh no, I’m a gentleman. EPILOG, “Ain't it a great life, Al?” “Hell!” —-STARVATION AL. Young SECTION Pioneers of America - and Farmers’ Children A Page for Workers’ WHY CHILD LABOR? By MORRIS SPECTOR. Who do children of workers go to work at an age when they really should be in school? Is it because they want to go to work or because their parents do not want them to go to school? No! All parents want their children to grow up into strong young men and women and not to have to slave in factories when they are young. But your parents cannot help it, the bosses do not pay them enough to support a family so they are forced to send their children into factories and mines in order to help out. Especially now during the summer time, many children go to work, instead of going to a camp or farm for a vacation, But this does not mean that children do not. work when there is schdol. They do —even though there are laws against this —- the bosses find a way to get around these laws by bribing the inspectors. And it even pays them to do this, because they make plenty df prefit from child labor, since they pay the children so little, All workers, and especially children must fight against Child Labor. Join the Young Pioneers and help them ficht against this great evil. i YOU MUST | Register immediately, if you expect to go to the Young Pioneer Camp. Write or call up—Young Pioneer Camp, 108 East 14th St., N. ¥. C. Answers to Last Week’s Puzzle The answer to last week’s puzzle No. 21 is: WORKER. The following have answered cor- rectly: : Elsie Melniker, Ferndale, N. Y.; Helen Reitter, Brooklyn, N. Y. ean nme ABOUT HENRY FORD Dear Comrades: One day I was going to school. I was talking to a friend about Henry Ford’s reduc- tion of the working day and increase in pay. I told him that Henry Ford’s workers work five days, but they put in seven day’s work a week, The bey said that the workers should work five days a week and get paid for five days only. I told him that five days is enough but the workers should get paid six days’ wages. That’s why we must fight and make them pay good wages like the Russian workers fought for and got and like the Chinese workers are fighting for. That’s what the working children should de tcc. T say—-Long Live the Chinese Revolu- tion. Your comrade, BILLY TAPOLCSANJI RUTHENBERG SUB BLANK How many subs have you sent in for the Young Comyade? But, the more important question is, how many are you going to send in? Don't forget, the Young Comrade depends om YOU! Send them quick to Daily Worker Young Comrade Corner, 88 Virst St.. N. Y. C. ¥% year sub 25c-—1 year sub 50c. Address City SUM POR aaa ces Perey alpen i Age.. (Issued Every Month). aw oe Another Answer to Puzzle No. 17 K. Nudelman, New York City. More Answers to Puzzle No. 20 Max Sonnenschein, Chicago, Ill; Lillian Balliut, . Barton, Ohio; Mildred Duga, Tadiana Harbor, Ind.; Mary Kvaternik, Kansas City, Kansas; Jennie Lu- washewich, Utica, N. Y.; Adel Lukashewich, Utica, N. Y.; Abraham Fischer, New York City; Ruth Youkelson, New York City; Milton Reling New York City; Sylvia Wierra, San Francisco, Cal.; Elianora Ivanoff, Post Falls, Idaho; Liberto Vilarino, Ingle- wood, Cal. THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE NO, 22 This week’s puzzle is an addition and subtraction puzzle. Pry your luck and see what you get! TRUE + ONE — TREE — 0O +VACATION+E—VACATE= ? Send all answers to the Daily Worker Young Comrade Corner, 33 First St., New York City, giv- | ing your name, age, address and number of puzzle. , ree Mh Spa 8 Ha Cae $, WHO WILL ANSWER THIS? © Every week we get many letters from children living in all parts of the U. S. and Canada, who read the Young Comrade Corner. But, last week for the first time we received a letter answering a puzzle from a Young Comrade living in Soviet Russia. Can you imagine our joy and surprise? Well, anyways we decided to print this young com- rade’s name and ask our American comrades. to write to our Russian comrade. His name is Rubin Wolkofsky and he lives in Moscow. Send your let- ters to Rubin Wolkofsky, care of Young Comrade Corner, 33 First St., N. Y. CG