The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 7, 1929, Page 4

Page Four DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, TU: 1929 SDAY, MAY 7, Speed-up, Wall Collapses, Falling Rivets, Cause Many Accidents to Buildin IRON WORKERS ~=WORKERS TAKE THE RISKS IN BRI KNOWN AS THE Fat he BS “SUICIDE CREW” Excavating Near Old| Buildings Risky | (By a Worker Correspondent) | I have noted your appeal to build-| rkers for letters on the that they contend with. My expe! con: ruction work in New York City the dangers—un- (By a Worker Correspon that building A bridge is being built over the Hudson River, between Fort Wash- t themselves to. ington, New York and Fort Lee, New Jersey. There are several hundred 1 Collapse construction on this job, which is divided among several contractors. h—trenches | ] am a structural iron worker on this job, and have an opportunity to en and twelve which are in danger of collapsing and he muckers. Sheeting and s money and cuts the see what is going on. First, about accidents. There is at least one accident every day. There have been several killed, to the company’s negligence. But these are carefully kept out of ers. When I was working on the Holland Tunnel (vehicle tunnel job), between lower Manhattan and ting next to old build: | — snare ce tei Wasson, Illinois, the Feudal Domain of a Coal Operator y shores and competent would have kept many from sliding into the | nm and burying the n tons of brie Own- ly know nothing about un- | buildings—to let them} This is the first part of a letter in which a miner correspondent I drifted here about ten years 1 got work at the time. personally have charge of | | tells of the conditions in the mine company house three work is nothing short of criminal. | yillage in Illinois in which he r and lived there up to six The Suicide Crew. | lives. In this installment ho tells ago, when the coa: com- The suicide crew—iron work- Insurance rates tell the story: of the company shacks, most of them about to tumble down. ne out. I can shut my see that lease or con- r cent. For each three doll gned, which as “party of eel worker gets, the boss pa: (By a Worker Corr the first part,” gave me sole posses- dollar to the insurance comp WASSON, Ill. (B »|cion of that rat harbor and bedbug id gave the Wasson Coal Co. miles northeast of "| county seat of Saline County little mine village of Wa the most desolate and forsaken spot getting the steel from the truck in| the street to the top worki the signalman often “kills the load drop from a height of five or six feet. The pusher yells y envelope every month. No Water in Shacks. / ’ ar ne on earth. The population is at | ‘ ‘ x _~ “Jump,” and if the workers guiding 200 | e miners living in company the load don’t jump quickly, the” ¥; wate coal /Sh y water for all Following my as a beams | —— pest : flanges of the flying steel will shear off their fingers or toes s neatly as a surgeon’s knife. Riveters Pushed. rom private owned houses. Compeny Shacks In A Mining Town Riveting crews are pushed so hard that, in their frenzy of haste. stepping off into space from the nks from which they right to deduct $10 out | Not lone ago the fakérs of the |branch of labor, the conditions of \fering the bosses financial assist- Jersey City, there were over 200 killed, 224, to be exact. I was at work one night when 13 laborers were killed in a collapse of dirt, and yet, when the job was finished, the superintendent of construction boasted there were “only 12 killed in the 5-year job.” So this gives you an idea how the death of workers on this new bridge will be hushed up. Laborers are the most exploited on this job, making about $14 a week when unorganized, which most of them are. —IRON WORKER. victims of the corrupt A. F. of L. | often making agreements to the b back. the bridge construction. construction, are called, fell victims which paralyzes the worker's spine, oyer. bridge. =e Ue Photos above illustrate dangers of workers building the new bridge over the Hudson, described by the above worker correspondent. At | DGE BUILDING; DEATHS HUSHE left, riveters at work on the steel anchorage. at the bottom of the anchorage tunnels. tion workers who work in compressed air, in underground or underwater - ‘y | These workers are the officialdom, which sells them out, es’ satisfaction behind the workers’ In the center, structural iron workers are shown on the job on At right is shown the horizontal cross tunnel Many “sandhogs,” as construc- to the “bends,” the terrible disease causing the worker’s body to bend This is another of the hazards of workers on the Hudson River at Maxine BOSSES AIDED BY IN VAUDEVILLE Forbes Randolph’s Kentucky Jubilee Singers will open at the A M A L CA M A T ED HAVE i A R D LOT Maxine Elliot Theatre this evening, a summer theatrical program of American Negro music consisting of {four dramatic units built around the characteristic spirituals, folksongs jand “exaltations” of the race. The original personnel of the Jubilee Singers has been augmented by the addition of several white actors. Randolph is responsible for the direction and staging, with settings designed by Clark Robinson. USSR Develops Air Transportation With Afghanistan Cities MOSCOW (By Mail).—In an in- |terview with the press, Director An- |ders, of the “Dobrolet” (the Soviet Organize A Company Cheated By Bookers; Union Past Season Worst (By a Worker Correspondent) SAN FRANCISCO (By Mail).— (By a Worker Correspondent) CHICAGO (By Mail).—One Amalgamated Clothing Workers sent which have never been given any an agent from Chicago to organize | great publicity, is that of the vaude- the workers in the industry on a ville actors and actresses. Perhaps company union basis. This agent some people do not associate this in Los Angeles succeeded ir organ- industry with the idea of labor, but izing the workers there on a com-|in some ways their conditions are pany union basis within a week’s | worse than that of other wor! 5 time by installing the speed-up | There is the uncertainty of work, piece-work system. It is rumored |no domestic life, constant living in| that this was accomplished by of-/ trains and hotels, with sufficient | pay to cover such necessities as re- juite an everyday af- | Id write volumes about sim- ilar abuses and the disregard of the | workers’ safety. Bricklayers and carpenters on fioor forms, working one story below riveting crews— with hot rivets, drift pins and fork- wrenchee falling, actually, by the | dozen every day—so that the owner may collect a few extra days of rent. Or take the. other extreme, steel men working six or eight stor- ies above the closest solid floor-— in direct violation of city ordinances and insurance contracts, And all to what end? To pile up profits for the greedy builders and contractors. And from whom do the profits come? From the brow-| heaten, slaving, maimed workers, | and the unwitting tenants who pay extortionate rents to occupy flimsy and often dangerous buildings. J.J. S. San Francisco with a man by the name of Newboy, the largest manu- facturer in Los Angeles, to organize the largest shop in San Francisco, group in the local forced the official to issue a leaflet to the workers of when the firm got notice of the fact the manager called all the workers of the shop and told them how “det- rimental” the union will be to them, and that the union will worsen their conditions. A week later the agent, with the help of the manufacturer from Los Angeles, justified all the promises; they signed a shameful contract, which is a shame for a worker to read, and the shop from week work basis has turned to piece-work. All left wing workers were discrimin- ated against. The wages took a for the reason that the left wing | that shop to organize them, and | ance through the Amalgamated | quired in this work. sir transportation organization) Bank. Vaudeville work is bought and/gave data on the work of the air- He came from Los Angeles to sold. The vaudeville agents and/jline connecting up Tashkent with bookers stand over the actors and actresses, compelling them to either pay 20 or 20 per cent of their salary for their work or starve. Because of lack of work, they do not pay for it. | Must Pay Own Expenses. The vaudeville actor pays all his expenses out of his pay unless he works in an office act owned by the jagents and bookers, then his trans- portation is paid by them. | These production acts are usually | composed of dancing school products who work for very small money. | thrilled with the “glory” of being |en the stage, and the major portion jof the salary paid to such acts is sent back to the producer-agent, who divides same between himself \end the book These are the para- {sites who live off the actor, the |agents, bockers and producers. They | Kabul. The Tashkent-Kebul airline was jopened by “Dobrolet” by an agree- |ment with the Afghan government. The line crosses the summits of the Hindu Kush mountains, in excess of 5,000 meters high, and is the high- est airjine in the world, The en- tire distance of 1,140 kilometers be- tween Tashkent and Kabul is cov- ered in seven or eight hours of fly- ing time, while the horse trip across }the Hindu Kush summits takes at jieast a month under favorable con- ditions. Until the end of 1928, 68 flights were made, involving a total dis- tance of 75,000 kilometers. About 200 passengers and 3,000 kilograms ef mail and baggage were carried over. The flights passed without a single accident, and there was al- ways a strong demand for the ser- Chicago WAR. Tag Days for Textile Strikers, May 11, 12 CHICAGO, Maj Tag days to funds for the striking textile rs of the South will be held May 11 and 12, under the di- rection of the Workers Interna- tional Relief. All working class organizations are urged by the W. I. R. to mobilize turn of 10 to 20 per cent down and |ate the slave-drivers for Wall St. the shop is in revolt now. The| These production acts have forced faker of the local, fearing the ex- | the independent acts into the smaller vices of the line, In connection with the recent events in Afghanistan, regular ac- ATUINE ACTORS WORKING! Zxbilce Si Open Tonight FRISCO CLOTHING ACTORS WORKING ‘vce orngers Ediioit These IN “FOLLOW THRU.” Madeline Cameron, one of the prin- cipals in the Schwab-Mandel musical | play at the Chanin’s Forty-Sixth Street Theatre. RADIO NEAR ROLE. LENINGRAD, USSR, (By Mail). —It has been decided by the Aca- demy of Sciences to extend the net- work of meteorological and radio | squabble OPERATORS CUT MINERS WAGES TO PAY LEW Men Bitter Again Machine (By a Worker Correspondent) CHERRY VALLEY, Pa. ( Mail). —The conditions in the s coal mines are bad. The miners ¢ bitter against the Lewis-Hall-Fis wick-Fagan and Marks machi These fakers’ machines are co pletely falling apart now that { miners know that they have advis the coal operators to cut wages The Pittsburgh Coal Co. has with District 5, Uni Mine Workers. Warden agreed pay rent for the district office a also the salary of Pat Fagan a his bunch, But they found out tl the rent is too big for the offi being $575 a month. Warden fused to pay this. But that do worrk henchman Fagan as long he gets his salary from the c operators’ slush fund, which is ganized by the Pittsburgh Coal ( |headed by Taplow, Mellon a others, These operators are cutting 1 miners’ wages down, in order top Lewis, their tool, and his whole n chine. BLACKLISTED MINER Trade Between Unite \States-USSR Growin MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., (By Mail) “Izvestia” publishes the followi | data on the trade between Sov Russia and the United States. The total turnover between th | two countries in 1927-28 amoun | to $100,000,000 and was twice size of the Russo-American tr: | before the war. The Soviet imports from the U ted States in 1927-28 were equal $85.8 million compared with Russi 1913 imports of $27.7 million. T exports from the U.S.S.R. in 19 +28 amounted to $14.2 million cc | pared with Russia’s ort in 1! which amounted to $27.7 million. Recently a number of techni aid agreements was entered i with several American companies JOBLESS, KILLS SELF. stations in the Polar regions, It was decided furthermore to con- struct at the ship building yards of U.S.S.R. a number of vessels for Polar exploration purposes. MILWAUKEE (By Mail) Robert Asche, 65-year-old work committed suicide by hanging, | cause he had been unable to f | work for many months. He wa: | millwright. “AMUSE MENTS- Theatre Guild Produc’ ey H CAMEL Through the Needle‘sEye MARTIN BECK THEA. 45th W. of Sth Ave. Evs. 8:59 Thurs. & 0 Man’s Estate by Beatrice Blackmar and posure, discriminates against all left | theatres and out of the business, be-| tivities of the “Dobrolet” line were wing workers of the executive board, cause the agents, bookers and pro-| interrupted. The Soviet airplanes | setting a new executive board with |ducers have found that this is a|took a considerable part in the evac- | = member of the Salvation Army, More efficient way to rob the actor |uation from Kabul of members of | who happened to be a tailor, as of the money he is justly entitled to | different diplomatic missions and | FINE WORKER FOR SMOKING MILWAUKEE (By Mail).—Thos. Bouras, employed in a restaurant | here as a kitchen worker, was fined | $25 for smoking while at work. | their membership for participation In protest ble me cote com-¢ in the ta: vs, ituation in|mittees to demand of C. M. Wasson, | /""y" O° Senn fie South, a vet tah a W.|Dreésident of the Wasson Coal 5 lene knows,” did not attempt to I. R. statement, “and demands im-|that the renters be furnished with |"@"dle our case. i mediate action to raise money for|at least one well of clean water for aan toh ae we ue 2 relief on a large scale. For infor-|evéry ten families. Wasson, mil- ai “aeeaune’ 4 to e captain of mation phone Seeley 3562, W. I. R.,|lionaire, turned a deaf ear to the |“ Yalvalion Army, and he, of | bunch of “cannots, will-nots, and|in bad shape, and some have fallen down. It was dangerous for my children to play near the house; it was liable to fall any time. The company was charging me $14 a month for that same ragged and chitin 62 EWS loekl, and the material he originates. | other institutions, On top of all this thievery the | fae none see moving picture magnates are forcing the vitaphone acts on the public, |U. S, S. R. Manganese whether they like it or not, which | takes the bread and butter out of Export Has Increase | the vaudeville actors’ mouths and| MOSCOW, U. S. S. R., April 13} throws them on the streets with the |(By Mail)—Between September 1, cther unemployed workers. 1928, and April 1, 1929, the Chia- This season has been disastrous|tury Manganese Trust exported for the vaudeville actors. 213,805 tons of manganese. During To overcome these conditions the |the last seven months of the exist- Actors Union of America has been ence of the Harriman concession organized, with over 10,000 mem- only 131,123 tons were exported. 23 South Lincoln St. demands, course, did nothing. Desperate, we Next our committee tried the sub-| tuned our attention ies ae a 2 rere wat Inited Mine | courts. awyer after lawyer was Workers, Organize erat ia Snail FECA aes ‘consulted, and all informed us that Yourselves—Form Reliable Con- |tHobght our union officials would|the law relative to landlord and tingents of the Revolutionary |help us. As usual, the high-salaried |tenant was, “if tenant did not like Trade Union Movement! ‘cfficials of the U. M. W. A, that |it he could move.” We finally found a lawyer to take our case. He had a chemist analyze the water and found it poisonous. We were | wild with delight, thinking we would Women YOUTH IS EXPLOITED Excelsior Metal Products Enslaves T hem ‘o the poor staves just as well as for the rich coal kings. We were deomed to disillusionment, and that (By a Worker Correspondent) Tie work consists of hundreds of glittering bubble, commonly called The conditions in the Excelsior|small operations, such as drilling, | “justice,” burst, The case never Manufacturing Co., 15 E. 17th St.,|scraping, fitting, gluing, polishing, came to court. The law still reads, New York, where cigar lighters are |cte. The workers are in constant |“if you don’t like it, move.” made are rotten. The workers work |danger of injury, Many times the miners demanded from 8 a. m. to 6 p. m., with only| The workers are not allowed to that the Wasson Coal Company fur- half an hour for lunch. They work | talk to each other after the clock is nish the houses’ with screen doors 5 days a week, some working 5% | punched. If you come in a minute and window screening. The com- days. | late a quarter of an hour is de-|pany refused even paper for walls The wages are $10 to $12 a week | cucted from your wages. If the and ceilings. They did offer us un- for girls, and $15 to $18 for boys.| worker loses one day’s work, when |slacked lime to whitewash the! in- The lunches have to be eaten in a he comes back he usually sees some- side of our houses, but refused to hurry and in the dirty workshops, one else doing his job. furnish brushes. In many places as there is no eating room. The shop| If you ask for a raise, yow are told the plaster has fallen in spaces six is always filthy. |that if you are not satisfied you inches to three feet square. The speed-up system, the odor of can get the hell out and that there | Shacks Lean Over, glue and acids, the foremen always |are plenty of others waiting for your| Some rooms are not even plas- swearing at and treating the work- | job. ers like dogs; all the conditions are| The system is the same at Ford’s,,/In many instances doors are not so bad that very few workers last the conveyor belt system. |provided with Idcks. The floors are there more than a few days. The| There is no washstand in the rough and often full of tat-holes workers are always in danger of toilet and the workers have to wash|and bursted planks. The underpin- getting consumption in this shop. in a washstand in the workshop, |ning and sills are rotting away and Young Workers Slave. |The waststand is never clean and |giving way; rock pillars decaying, The eompany has three floors of /raost of the time the water is not |crumbling, making the house lean » six-story building. About 100 running and you have to eat with/over. Several houses have fallen vorkers slave there. The workers |dirty hands. There is no soap or completely; absolutely slid from range from 15 to 25 years of age. towels, so even when the water is | their foundations. hey employ young workers to get running yeu can’t wash yourself. | ‘he little three by five foot re work out of their exaployes.| METAL WORKER. ‘porches in front of each house are \ show the Wasson Coal Company tered and without ceilings overhead. wornout shack, Nothing can grow in the little clay gardens in front of the house. They are untended by the miners, and produce an enormous crop of rag-weed and yellow-tops. Filthy Toilets, The back-houses, or toilets, are neglected by the Coal Company, who refuse to clean them. Refuse from the mine, as sulphur-balls, bone-coal, slack and slate, fills the streets. Gul- leys from six inches to two feet deep are everywhere in the streets, gardens, back and front yards ard in many instances running uhder \the shacks; many of the houses leak. | When it rains, the rain blows in the ‘houses from defects in the casings, }and warped and busted panels in the doors. The shacks are cold in winter |and warm in summer; there are fio j beautiful shade trees around any of the company shacks at Wasson, a * * In the concluding part of this miner correspondent’s letter, he describes the way the miners are cheated in the company storé, and 2lso describes the loan shark agency maintained by the com- pany. Ferocious Repressions and Ter- ror Are Being Used by British Imeprialism and the Indian Bour- geoisie to Strangle the Growing Revolutionary Labor Movement of | India. Let the Mighty Protest of Workers the World Over Serve as a Threatening Warning to the Anglo-Indian Tyrants! bers, ACTOR. The export for the period indi- Women Workers! Take Up the Implacable Class Struggle Shoul- der to Shoulder With the Revolu- tionary Workers! of COMMUNIST | This issue will five times the number will se 25 CENTS 48 Hast 125th Street ‘cated was divided up as follows: |United States, 26,970 tons; Italy, 113,150; Holland, 10,700; France, 7,060; Belgium, 6,780; Germany, 1,100; ete. 10TH COMINTERN ANNIVERSARY ISSUE the NTERNATIONAL Articles by prominent leaders of the Communist International. be increased to - size of the ordi- nary issues. — This special 1] for ’ PER COPY Combination of the Communist Bruce Gould BILTMORE Theatre, w. ORE 47th Street Ev La urs.&Sat. St GUILD thea, Strange lntrlude By EUGENE O’NEILL John GOLDEN Thea, 8th of B E. way EVENINGS ONLY AT 5:30 ARTHUR HOPKINS HoribaY Comedy Hit by PHILIP BARRY PLYMOUTH Thea, W. 45 St. Ev. 8.50 Mats. 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