The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 25, 1928, Page 6

THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1928 Page Six Worker Correspondents Expose Registry of Labor Voters; Seamen’s Conditions RECORD NAMES OF ‘Mid ardships in Barracks [STE AMSHIPS IN| it, AQIDIMEWo" NIAMYW (SAILOR WRITES MINERS WHO VOTE: DRIQLE SERVICE |men’tea sities stung Sik condtine aad’ erveriness 5 0! ON §-4 DISASTER: OR LABOR PARTY ARE HELL-HOLES RAPS PACIFISTS army and navy will be gladly printed, Contributions should be addressed to zs ae 5% : : ; see Trick to Blacklist Sailor Describes Bad Get Taste of Coming Miner’s Baby Born writer will not be used. ree ae food is cooked, or rather stewed-by- steam, in big kettles, coffee is served without milk or sugar, and the pota- toes are fixed sometimes as often as five or six meals. A short time ago when we first came here there were quite a number in the hospital sick Letter From Slocum. To The DAILY WORKER: I am writing from Fort Slocum, located on a small island in the Hud- son opposite New Rochelle, New wee 1 DAILY WORKER, 33 East First St., New York, N. Y. The name of the Progressives Food and Sickness War (By a Worker Correspondent) I am at present an I. W. W. and at present a member of the I. S. U (International Seamen’s Union); don’t laugh. Well, fellow worker, 7 have just completed a trip on this shin to Manchester from Baltimore I will get paid off in Baltimore Mon- day for which I am more than thank- ful. (By a Worker Correspondent.) ARNOLD, Pa., (By Mail). — This ig’ the third and last day of registra- tion for the primary elections in Westmoreland county which includes New Kensington, Arnold, Parnassus and some other towns. Hush Primary Notices. No mention was made to the public of the primaries except a short item in the local press on the first day of registration. When we went down to register for labor, and we found that everyone who voted republican or democratic last year and now wants to register labor or any other party, outside of the republican or democratic, must fill in a special slip, besides writing | his name in the registration book. The slip contains your name and address and furthermore you have to have a witness to sign it. No address or wit- ness is needed if you register repub- liean or democratic. This troubles the workers who want to register labor and they are suspicious of the siip and think there is some dirty trick in it. They be- lieve this is some spying scheme to keep track of the workers who vote for a Labor Party, and to prevent them from doing so by means of op- pression. Fascist Terrorism. The much-talked about democracy and political freedom turns out to be a fascist terrorism, covered with promises today and tomorrow with bayonets against the workers who de- mand a party of their own. We'd like to hear what the peace- ful evolutionists and the ballot-loving socialists have to say about that! It is time for them to study Lenin’s State and Revolution. —P. More Contributions to Ruthenberg Daily Worker Sustaining Fund { ee Bobrow, New York City...... 1.00 $3C FD1-Proskof, N. Y.C.... 7.00 New Rochelle-Finnish Workers’ Club, N. Y. Red Star Sports Club, N. $S2D, New York City. SS8B-Ionescu, N. Y. C. ID 1F-Roider, N. Y. C. §S3C FD4S-Y. Davis, N. Y. C.. $S2B-Goodman, N. Y. C...... 6.50 FD5 SS2A-J. Brooker, N. Y.C. %.25 $6 SS6B-Levine, N. Y. 5.00 W. Beck, N. Y. C.. 2.50 Camp Nitgedaiget, Beacon, N.Y. 3.00 J. Sidos, New York City....... 2.00 Camp Nitgedaiget, Beaon, N.Y. 2.00 a iF (Reider), N. Y. C.:... SS3C 4S (Y. Davis), N. Y. C. FD3 SS2A, New York City TAC 4F, New York City 2D 2F (Gerst), New York City 2D 3F (Newman). N. Y. C. 1AC 6F, New York City iD 2F, New York City 8D 8F, New York City. SS3B (Ionescu), N. Y. §S2C FD2, New York City... Sec. 5 (Sokoloff), N. Y. C 2A F3, New York. City | #. Raduch, Corona, L. IL, J. Raduch, Corona, L. I. NY. }on all Party members and sympathiz- Ban Above is Mike Zrelak, a who was recently born in the rough to build with their own hands after homes by the operators. ship in the barracks. Thousands starvation. miner’s wife, and her baby son barracks the miners were forced they had been evicted from their Hundreds of babies of the striking miners have first seen the light of day amidst surroundings of extreme hard- of these tots face death from (By a Worker Correspondent.) I am an apprentice in an’ automobile shop on Ave. A. There are five mechanics, counting the foreman, working in our shop. They are mostly | German workers. Most of them know what’s what but they make just enough wages to keep them going, so they figure, “Why should I kick?” Later maybe they’ll feel different. Little Time to Learn. My work begins like the others at 8 a. m. I clean parts like fenders and mudguards with thg wire-brush and gasoline. Also I shoot grease into the dozens of cars with the alemite gun. | And there are a lot of heavy trucks, etc., that have to be pushed. It sounds simple but the little time that’s left over I can learn the trade in, if one of the mechanics is in a good humor and wants to show me something. All day we have to work by ar-| tificial light.- Our shop is on the sec- | ond floor and all the windows are in front where the office is, In winter weather, like we’ve been having, it’s | bitter cold up there and, of course, wWé can’t have any fire because of the gasoline and other explosives. We simply grit our teeth and work in| the cold. And cold metal is some cold. | Besides the cold and the artificial | light which ruins your eyes, particu-| larly when a fellow’s working under the car and has to use the drop-light | to see with, there are the gasoline| fumes we take in all day. Sometimes} you get dizzy when you go out in the open air. I work from 8 a. m. to 5.30 p. m. and get $12.50 a week for it. I started in with $10. Of course the boss promises me a raise soon. But Repair Garage Apprentice Tells of Gas Fumes, Cold I know how soon soon is. All these garage guys are slick and pile up the jack. What they don’t make in boot- legging they make by paring down their employes’ wages and adding it ‘onto their victims’ repair bills. Here’s a sample for you of how it’s done. I know because it’s part of my job. When you put the two parts of an engine-head together you stick a layer of cork or some tough pre- paration in between, called a gasket. That is it’s supposed to be cork and costs the same as if it was, about a quarter. But my job is to take some catd- board, any old sign, like “Don’t Spit on the Floor,” and trace the outline One Mess-boy, 23 in Mess. It seems that the Oriole Line is in the habit of making as bad conditions for its slaves as possible. Well, they have done remarkably well on this ship. The firemen and sailors eat each in their own mess back aft where their quarters are. There is one mess-boy for both these rooms altho 23 men eat in them. All the food (?) has to be carried down a jladder from amidships. We have had five mess-boys this trip so far, ,Qne of them was fired in New York on the outward bound trip. One was discharged in England with a badly birned hand which he received while carrying a bucket of boiling tea down the ladder. Another became sick from the ships’ motion and the bad food. The fourth fell down the ladder and hurt his arm and leg. The fifth boy was a fair mess-boy so they put him in the P. O. (petty- officers’) mess when there was a lit- tle trouble amidships, and put the third mate back aft. Food Gave Out. The bad food and rotten conditions have caused 23 cases of sickness out of a crew of 43, which is a fair rec- of the engine joining on it with a pencil. Then you put\ the head in a vise and chop around the marked line with the round end of a mechanic’s hamnier till you have an imitation gasket. Only it’s no good and costs the boss nothing at all but he chargea it onto the repair bill at twenty-five cents, There isn’t much chance to talk in our shop because there are so few in it and we all know each other but I talk to the other apprentice who has been here longer than I have. I’ve shown him The DAILY WORKER every once in a while and he says it’s O. K. I told him what we need is a union. When I know the trade good and don’t have to be so careful you're going to see something dong here. Sometimes it’s just as hard for a guy to have to play safe when he’s rarin’ to go as it is for him to go when he knows he’s going to run risks. Keep up the fight. —M. M. conspiracy to undermine the authority of the Wor-ers (Communist) Par « said last. night. The s atement calls) ers to support the International Labor Defense bazaar at the New Star Casino, Park Ave. and 107th St.,| March 7 to 11. Another Worker Threatened. The s-atement also calls attention| to the recent sentencing of another} Labor Defense Plans Bazaar for All Imprisoned Militants In Brookly four workers were given jail sentences on charges of | of the courts in distributing a leaflet against anti-labor injunctions, a statement by the New York district ‘office, a miners on strike and to all workers, -he unemployed in particular. “For that reason the affair of the International Labor Defense takes on a new and greater significance at the | present moment and we urge every Workers (Communist) party member, sympathizer and mili ant worker to do everything possible to make the bazaar a huge success in order to re- ord. But altho the food is no good and of the cheapest kind, the port steward was not able to put enough aboard to last the trip and the stew- ard did not buy enough in England, with the result that we ran out of Sugar, syrup, cheese, bologna’ and cabbage, in fact out of all vegetables except frozen potatoes and beans. Well, the slaves on this wagon were yelling their heads off inthe mes$ but only a few would register a kick anywhere else. —J. F. H, A SEAMAN. 1500 JOBLESS IN SMALL TOWN. EVANSVILLE, Ind, Feb. 24.— What was once a busy town of 500 miners and their families has today become a starving village of 150 half-clothed, worn-out people, many of whom are ill, This, the town of Littles, is only one of many that have been suffering severely since the 1500 men in the mining area here have been out of work as a result of disputes over wages and general overproduction in the coal industry. Excessive | or Painful URINATION | f the Aged | Eased by |) 3antal Midy | Sold by All Druggists || York. Slocum is the hell-hole where the men scheduled to serve their “term” in Panama, Hawaii and other foreign countries or U. S. posses- sions, are held for shipment. There are some 1500 of us here now, wait- ing to leave on a transport sailing on or about March Ist, and tho I came here direct after enlisting in New York City a few weeks ago a large number of the recruits come from other parts of the country, since all enlisting for foreign service at recruiting stations nearer here than to Galveston, Téxas, or Angel Island on the West Coast, the other two poin.s of embarkment, come to Slo- cum. Conditions For Transits. In addition to those waiting to leave mostly for Panama and Hawaii, the 18th Infantry is stationed here permanently, being at present a skeleton regiment of little more than 200 men. Since the conditions of these “permanents” are better and much different from those of the “transits,” I will write to you mostly about the conditions of the latter which I know only too well. The biggest shipments are usually this time of year, since the recruit- ing sharks do their heaviest business during the winter when things get worse for the man out of work. This explains the large number of us here wai.ing to sail at the present time for foreign countries and U. S. pos- sessions. Starting Thru the Mill. When you come to Slocum you first get to tae receiving barracks in your civilian clothes. Here there are double bunks as in all the bar-, racks on the island. When you first come you are given two blankets which you sign for and stay in the barracks overnight, standing reveille the next morning when after your first army breakfast you are taken to the quaftermaster and {given” a full outfit of army. clothing which never fits. The quartermaster has a good rea- son for giving out misfits, since when the men get to their own outfits they are “compelled” to buy new uniforms if they want to pass inspection, altho the sergeant will tell them that it is} not compulsory. These uniforms sold to them on the installment plan cos. from $40 to $50 in serge and $18 to $25 in khaki. Also the men will be ; forced to buy buttons, cap ornaments, ete., when reaching their destination | since the black buttons which are is- | sued are supposed to be shined, something that is practically impos- | sible. Call Food “Slum.” Those who have a few dollars when ; they enlist spend that money in the| canteens for food, since the regular You Miss the Best in Life Until you begin to feed on our natural and unadulter- ated food products which we deliver to your door. Send $1 for Box of Assorted Samples. ; 1928 Catalog free on request. ! Health Foods Distributors WEST NORWOOD, N. J. from the food. Since then the officers have been running around wildly, and instead of supervising the kind of food being served, they are telling the men how to enter the hall, how to sit, how to eat, etc. The main dish is stew which the men call “slum” and has no taste, while whatever is left over is used to make hash after the juice has been drained off. This hash is put on the table until used up, sometimes last- ing for several meals. Beans Break Monotony. Every now and then the men are give beans to break the monotony of the “slum.” As a rule a month of eating in this mess hall gives the new recruit severe heartburns ‘which last for several days. Everything gets a good sprinkling of salt-petre, including the coffee whichis filled with it, I suppose to make up for “no milk or cream.” Instead of the general mess hall the men have re- named it “the general mess.” The allowance per man has been “raised” to 50 cents a day, but there is plenty of graft involved, and they also save from the regular ration money for the special holiday feeds. The permanent troops of the 18th In- fantry do not eat in the general mess hall and they have much better food. In order to have enough to go around for the “casuals” they always cook over and use it several days. cee — “CASUAL.” EDITOR’S NOTE — Further about Fort Slocum, the barracks, WHAT S-4 MEANS. Editor, DAILY WORKER: The pacifists have been raising a big howl about the S-4 disaster. say- ing that it is an example of the in- efficiency of the navy. The S-4 dis- aster is not an example of ineffici- ency, but of war time efficiency. The navy is builtf or war, and for war efficiency, not for peace time safety, and if the S-4 disaster is an example of anything, it is an example of what will be the lot of those who fight in the next world slaughter-—for the profits of Wall Street or any other country. If you want to fight against ee disasters don’t yell with the pacifists for a more efficient navy, but instead of boosting the war pre- parations—fight the danger of war and see that yon and your buddies are not on the ocean floor in the next slaughter-fest of the bosses. —“SAILOR.” THREE WORKERS INJURED. BELLEVILLE, Ont. Feb. 24— Three workers at the Canadian In- dustrial Alcohol Company plant at Corbyville near here were seriously injured when one of the workers struck a dynamite detonaor cap with his pickax yesterday. etc. will appear in the column next Saturday as we are forced to discontinue “Casual’s” letter at this point due to length. JOIN INAR EAL FIGHT! Organization of the unorgan- ized. Miners’ Relief. Recognition and Defense of the Soviet Union. A Labor Party. A Workers’ and Farmers’ Government. Injunctions, Company Unions. Unemployment. Persecution of the Foreign Born. War. ; OCCUPATION If\you are on strike or unemployed and cannot pay initiation fee | Please check this box. [1 Join a Fighting Party! Join the Workers (Communist) Party of America Application for Membership in Workers (Communist) Party (Fill out this blank and mail to Workers Party, 43 E. 125 St. N. ¥. C.) ; | | Tel. Closter 211. | NEW YORK OFFICE: | 247 Washington Street Phone Barclay 0799, J. Grabir, Chelsea, Mas: H. Brink, New York Cit J. Behun, New York City | militant worker to 30 days in prison| |for participating in a demonstration| 5 | before the Greek consulate. 4 | UNEMPLOYED AND STRIKERS ADMITTED WITHOUT INITIATION and receive dues exempt stamps until employed. (Enclosed find $1.00 for initiation fee and one menth’s dues.) turn the blows that the capitalists are striking against the milicant left wing spread d. Berman (col.), N. Y. G. Maron, New York City. Lithuanian Working Women’s lians of Amer., Brooklyn, N.Y.10.00 J. Sumer, Detrot, Mich.. 1.00 Bakers’ Local 1, N. Y. 8.00 Siegal, New York City. Y. Davis, New York City Kmonin, New York City. 2F 1F, New York City.. 4D 2F, Kling, New York City. IAC 6F, Kling, New York City 3C 1S, New York City... 8 1S, New York City. ‘A 4F, New York City... “BB, Tonescy, New York City ‘ID 11, Siegel, New York City. ..10. 2A 1D, New York City.......... 2.10 Fisher Plant, Shop Nucleus 15, femew York City, :......5...... 1.50 ~*~ R. Zennudio, New Orleans, La.2.00 “Aection 4, New York City.....15.00 . Mislig, New York City. r. A. Caspe, Bronx, N. Y. M. Pilky, Hartford, Conn. . M. Green, Newark, N. J........ ‘1D 1F, Reider, New York City. Council 10, Levunson, N.Y. C - 1AC 6F, New York City. “3D 5F, New York City. 3B, Ionescu, New York Ci 40 5.00 5.00 4.00 1.15 “At the same time,” the statement continues, “the capitalist class not only in Pennsylvania and Colorado but in all districts is utilizing the full power of the capitalist sta.e to cripple the left wing and the Commu- nist movement. It is necessary that a strong de- fense organization with sufficient funds on hand be maintained in or- der to protect these militant workers from these attacks and to look after their in.erests in every respect. It is necessary to appeal the cases of the four militant workers in Brooklyn as well as the case of the Greek worker and to give every protection to the 2A 4F, Leff, New York City 2A 2F, New York City... 2F 3S, New York City. “3D 2F, New York City. 2A 6F, New York City. 8C 2S, Miropolsky, N. Y. C. Section 5, New York City 6C 11, New York City.. Sec. 7, Br. 4, Levine, N. 2A 1F, Nev York City... <e cious ONLY SEVENTEEN DOLLARS PER WEEK. - Winter Vacatio Camp Nitgedaiget BEACON, N. Y. Social Entertainments.—-Skating Rink. Steam Heated Spacious Rooms.—Deli-’ movement, “The DAILY WORKER attacks shows to what extent they are willing to go in the conspiracy of the big business interes.s against Labor. Blow for Biow. “Blow for blow—two blows for every one blow struck by the enemy against the workers!” The statement is signed by William W. Weinstone, district organizer. A booth of hand made articles sent by a group of Russian workers and peasan s as their contribution toward the defense of American political pris- oners w'll be one of the most interest- ing features at the bazaar. Na Food. Daily .Worker and get a new newsstand readers we ask you to speak to your nearest Sympathizers and | (indorsed by Milo Hastings.) newsdealer. He should order the DAILY WORKER. Fill out the coupon and send it to us. Circulation Dept., Daily Worker, 33 East 1st Street, New York City. Name of Newsdedler .. Address .. No. of Copies ....secececess My Name and Address Buy an extra Daily Worker everyday and give it to your shop mate or friend. Subsidiary of the United Workers Cooperative Association are being paid preferred stock shares EA | @Q Guaranteed dividends THE ERS 6% Deposit your savings on gold bonds secured by the second mortgage of the second block of houses of the Cooperative Workers Colony or on for the purpose of financing the cooperative stores of the Colony. Office: 69 — 5th AVENUE, Corner 14th St. TELEPHONE ALGONQUIN 6900. Build the Cooperative Movement Keep Your Savings in,a Cooperative Institution Ne from the first day of deposit. NEW YORK, N. Y. |