The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 23, 1927, Page 11

Factory Papers in Germany pS Germany, besides the so-called “great” daily press and trade union publications with their many million circulations, there are also factory papers of some importance. The present form of these papers is of recent origin. Their circulation increased after the Communist Party of Germany had discarded its former organizational structure. Formerly the Party was based on territorial nuclei (i.e,, members were enrolled where they lived, and not at the en- terprises), but when the Party transferred its or- ganizational structure to the factory nuclei, which formed also the new basis for the whole of its rank and file work, the circulation of these papers greatly enhanced. This transfer of the organizational cen- tre of revolutionary work into the thick of the working masses—at the factories and plants— strengthened the Party’s connections with the masses and drew them into the movement, One of the forms of this connection and of the increased activities of the masses is the papers pub- lished by the factory nuclei of the Communist Party. Although the publication of these papers in Germany is still in embryo we see that during the last two years their role in the general revolutionary work among the masses has grown, Whereas the first factory papers of the Communist nuclei were more satirical than propaganda in character, during re- cent years they have begun to really express the feelings of the workers. They have now turned into a potent instrument for agitational and propaganda work, These papers drive at demonstrating the sys- tem of capital exploitation by using the enterprise as an example. Further, they unmask the abuses of the administration and the baneful policy of their “own” and “local” reformists. And finally they call on the workers to struggle for their immediate every-day needs and to connect the local with the general struggle of the whole workingclass. Of course. we know how the employers regard these factory papers. Workers known to be en- gaged in the publication or distribution of revolu- tionary factory papers are the subject of repressive measures by the employers: they are mercilessly dismissed from the enterprises and blacklisted, with all that this means in getting work elsewhere. Col- laboration in the factory paper means taking the risk of protracted unemployment and hunger. Rev- olutionary factory papers are therefore being pub- lished illegally and every conspirative measure is used to spread them among the workers. In the majority of cases the revolutionary factory Papers are written by hand and duplicated on heco- graphs. They are the fruits of the collective work not only of the Communists but of non-party work- ers too. Already today we see that the most suc- COMRADE Edited by the Young By S. PEREVOSNIKOV THE POOR PACIFIST He went to pull the teeth out of war—and look what happened to him! cessful factory papers have become centres of inter- est for large circles of workers. Since the adminis- tration fascists and reformists carefully watch worker-Communists and make use of any pretext to throw them out of the plants, much of the work in publishing these papers is carried out by “unsus- pected” non-party workers. ; Invariably the papers are written up in the home of a worker, who often sits up all night carefully writing out word by word and making up his “paper.” These papers abound with class critigism of the administraticn’s orders and descriptions of the arrogance of foremen, sometimes a pointed and witty cartoon of the hated director or engineer is shown or a photograph of a receipt for a week’s wages amounting to 8 or 10 marks (approximately 8—10 shillings). Articles on the current political situation are also to be met with as well as notices on the enormous profits of “their” concerns; notes on rationalization at the enterprises and its conse- quences for the workers, on factory committee ac- tivities; on the inaction of the reformists TU rep- resentatives, on disorders at the enterprises and the work of the fascists. All this is written up briefly, full of facts, and qith a touch of healthy proletar- ian. humor. Frequently the papers throw light om serious abuses, false balances, embezzlement, ang, criminal offences.’ a The most difficult side of the work is to distribute the papers. The hired detectives, the so-call “Pinkertons,” carefully keep track of activities 2 revolutionary workers. The slightest negligence in distributing the papers—and the workers are thrown out of the enterprise. Nevertheless the workers mame’ age to produce the number requisite for their “eit ‘ culation.” Early in the morning when work ju commences or during the dinner interval or f quently even during the process of the work itse factory papers are passed from hand to hand. Latel at several plants, the workers have even “rational ized” their distribution apparatus: - they use the conveyors. The papers are carefully folded and&bee ing placed on the conveyor travel throughout the plant the shortest distance to the workers. Workers take special satisfaction in placing a copy of the paper secretly on the tables of the director and ad- ministration officials. , The attempts of the administration of various en- terprises to discover the “source of the evil’—the editorial group—has very rarely been crowned with success. Of course, from the paper it is impossible to ascertain who is the publisher or the contributors. Revolutionary factory papers have done their bit during disputes and large politica] campaigns. Dur- ing the campaign for the confiscation of the royal properties and when the Toilers’ Congress was. be- ing prepared, factory papers came ont in special numbers and were wholly devoted to these events. Besides the papers issued by the workers there are also factory papers published by the employers, which struggle for “class collaboration.” Clearly, these papers can enjoy no popularity among the wide working masses. Although these papers are tech- nically superior to the illegal papers of the workers their circulation is less. Very interesting is the fact that the employers recruit editors for their factory papers from among the reformists, Thus, the editor of the famous “Borzing” published by the employers of the well-known Borzig concern, is Schtrimmer, formerly the editor of the Metal Workers’ organ who went over to the fascists, During the last few weeks factory papers of the social-democrats have also made an appearance at the enterprises. The latter try to imitate the tone and contents cf the revolutionary factory papers. This, however, has not been crowned with success, The social-democratic papers enjoy very little popu larity even in those enterprises where reformist in« fluence is predominant. Both the employers’ and the social-democratie papers have been unable to Seri- ously compete with the revolutionary factory papers which, with enthusiasm and self-sacrifice, are being issued and circulated by the workers in ever-growing numbers. SECTION Pioneers of America and Farmers’ Children A Page for Workers’ WAR—WHAT FOR? This very important question every workers’ child wilt want to know the answer to. They will want to know why their fathers and brethers are taken away from them, never to return or to come back a helpless cripple; without an arm, without a leg, or without both. For whom did they sacrificestheir arms, their legs and even their lives? What did they get in return for this sacrifice? The usual an- swer that they give in school is that they died for their country, that they saved the world, that they fought for democracy. But is all this true? NO, IT IS NOT. The reason you are told these things is to blind you and to keep you from knowing the truth. The truth is that wars are fought between capitalist countries to help the native capitalists beat the foreign capitalists. Workers and poor farm- ers of both countries are forced to shed their blood by the governments which ere controlled by the capitalists. Then along come the schools that are also controlled by the bosses and fill-you up with a lot of bunk. Many children believe it too. Are you one of them? TEACHER TELLS By CARL BRABTIN. My teacher tells us to sing our prayer song every morning. ms I don’t sing. at all, I say I won’t sing a damn note. My teacher says itl help us along. I gave a rich kid a sock in the mouth. He told his old man. He and I had sass. : The bosses are fat The workers aren’t fat. The workers are thin The bosses are not thin The bosses don’t strike The workers do strike. FOREIGNERS DO NOT GET RICH Dear Comrades: It. was after .school and I was talking with a girl. She said that the Italians and people from other foreign countries come over here to America, live on a little bread and water, and when they get rich go back with the American money, They get twice the money they had because American money is twice the foreign money in the foreign countries. In this way they take all the money from America. I told her she needn’t think the Americans are any better than the foreigners because they aren’t. The rich merchants go over in Germany and the other countries to buy three, four and five dollar toys for only a few cents. And if the foreigners do come over here they cannot get rich unless they are already very rich because many a poor family lives on bread and water only. —PAULINE FISCHER. THE GREATEST MEN Dear Comrades: In history the,teacher said that we should name the greatest men in the world, such as Washington, Wilson and Coolidge. I put Lenin and Ruthenberg and Washington last. This got the teacher sore so he gave me a beating and told me to do it over. I said that I would not. This got him more sore so he gave me another beating. I said: “Why do you say Bolsheviks kill babies?” When he heard this he told me to shut up. That’s what teachers do.—-WILLIAM CHASZAR. NO CHARGE! ! ! Get a free copy of the Young Comrade WITHOUT CHARGE. All you have to do is write to the Young Comrade Corner, 33 First St., New York City and tell us so. Only a few left. Ce a Answers to Last Week’s Puzzle The answer to Puzzle, No. 23 is: FOR A GOOD TIME DURING VACATION GO TO A YOUNG PIONEER CAMP. The following have answered correctly: Harry Rich, Wilmington, Del.; Jennie Lukashe= wich, Utica, N. Y.; Adel Lukashewich, Utica, N. Y. More Answers to Puzzle No, 22 Helen Fazekas, Fairfield, Conn.; Bernice Klastow; Chicago, Ill; Joe Klickna, Springfield, Ill.; Elianora Ivanoff. Post Falls, Idaho. / THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE No. 24 This week’s puzzle is an’ addition and subtraction ene. Do you still remember your arithmetic? Let’s go! REIN—IN+ V+MOLAR+K—MARK+IT—I= 7 Send all answers to Daily Worker Young Comrade Corner, 93 First St., New York City, giving your name, age, address and number of puzzle. YOUNG COMRADE SUB Subscribe to the Young Comrade and enjoy read- ing the best workers’ childrens newspaper in Amer- ica. % years 25c. 1 year 50c. 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