The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 8, 1929, Page 4

_Page | Four MALLORY LINE SEAMEN | last minute. ee The captain i or- (By a Seamen Correspondent) dered to pull out from the dock Conditions on the oil tankers | and anchor in mid-stream and of the Mallory Steamship Com- | wait for a crew. pany are so unbearable that the | ‘The newly recruited crew is seamen will not stay on them | escorted en masse by the com- while they lie in port. In order to | pany’s shipping master from the furnish crews for their ships the | company’s office, 11 B A company has resorted to the prac- New York, to the Staten Island tice of shi pping the seamen at the | Ferry, and then ferried across the Copper Miners i in Spring ¢ Garden, California, Slave in Freezing and Watery Mir | ne Part of an Oil Tanker’s S LY WORKER, NEW YORK, WED SDAY, MAY 8, 1929 HAVE TO BRING OWN FOOD ON BOARD TO INSURE AGAINST STARVATION to Staten Island, where a nch awaits them. The ship- g master tries to keep the men ed, fearing they may 2 heir minds about this ship. As soon as the new crew ar- rives on beard, the anchor is heay exp D the trip and the ion and starvation of the begun. w crew is In this way the S. S. Hugoton started on her last trip from New | York to Baytown. She was so hungry that on her arrival in Bay- town the men spent what little money they had to buy food. They stowed the food in their lockers in order to insure themselves a square meal at sea. The foc’sle i pacuede like a grocery store. The second cook was only get- | ting 375 a month and the chief cook $90, which showed that this company does not want cooks, | just so long as they get by; that is all they desired. Another feature of this starva- tion company is the gradual cut- ting down of the crew. Instead of | the three men on the lookout this | ship carried only two, so that no man was on the lookout from 4 to 8 p.m. or 4 to 8 a.m. This is against the law. This is done in order to carry one ordinary seaman and have all | the A. B's on day work in order to get more work done. The speed-up is maddening. Another thing, which comes as a result of the Naval Reserve, is | that no seaman may sit down to | rest or lie down to sleep in trop- ical weather on the starboard side of the poop-deck, for this is re- | served for engineers only. | Tho men have to lie down on the port side while off watch, re- gardless of how hot the sun may shine on that side. To sleep in the forecastle in the Gulf of Mex- out of the que: So this not so insignificant as it may seem. J. H. We Send Heartiest First of May Greetings to the Workers and Toilers of India Struggling oke of International tal! Against the aay Native Ca Slave Gang SAFETY FIRST MAN PROVES A Cheated By State Com- pensation Board Mail).—I will tell you abc ieees Ra 3 a a be Mine and its conditions. Walker| ‘ese hell-holes. Crete: Of Mary LORE Mine is a copper mine located in Se ‘ the northeastern part of California On account of deep snow the stage company is forced to stop operating ts line from Portola Walker Mine for four or five months. During this time the slaves are transported over an aerial tram line to from — ring Garden. If they get The miners are forced to pay hurt it’s just their hard luck. double the prices in the comy The ine and store, and often they find ( every second Sunday pay due’ pay Men changing from get to rest Sunday, change shifts. nights to day but men going irom days to nights son urday and go on again ence of a night. The miners get| agency, ubout one Sunday off a month. . The is very cold and there, (By a Worker Cor t.) s plenty of water in places. The, About five y é oe 1 tunnel driven about two les. A man trip train hauis the slaves in and out. The cars on which the miners ride are always wet or covered with snow. Low Wages. s rate from $4 and $4.75 company raised the rent jers. Before, we who occt on us ¥ ipied six- | Company coe Cheaks Miners; |: Boss Acting as a Loan Shark time hard- time v notorious cor- , Whose duty is to the workmen’s compen- for the best interest of and ster, C. tried to bluff and in- Kane, one t preacher, one re lord Work- sed to help us, pany was checking 1 open defiance of the contr Yai Harbor lea —— Nest” (STANDARD OIL OF NJ TRYING 10 FRAME SEAMAN easels Beaten Up Aboard Co. Tanker | (By a Worker Correspondent) I am a seaman and member of the | Marine Workers Progressive League, | which is the basis of a new indus- } | trial union for the seamen. On April 11 I went on board the S. William R. Archbold, oil tank- er of the Standard Oil Co. of N. J. (which was docked at Robbins Dry Dock, Brooklyn), for the purpose of organizing the crew. There were two young sailors in the forecastle and I gave them each a copy of Labor Defender, and the Marine Workers’ Voice, the paper lof the Marine Workers League. Then a guard with a big badge jcame and said, “Get off this ship, you damned agitator.” Without re- |plying I picked up my papers and walked out of the forecastle but as soon as I got to the door in the dark | passage I was punched in the back and thought I was being attackea | by more than one man. I struck self. I knew I was hitting someone but! | I didn’t see who it was. Then I ran up on deck; the ships officers and | white collar company men _hand-| | of the ear and the neck. I stumbled) out with my hands to defend my-! FUR WORKERS AID STRIKERS OF CAFETERIA * Pull Out “40. Workers In Shop | (By «@ Worker Correspondent) | In the strike of the New York cafeteria workers “we, about ten needle trades workers went t> the office of the Cafeteria Workers Union, in order to help in the strike. There they gave us leaflets and »'told us to go in a cafeteria at 6th Avenue and 18th St. As soon as we went inside the cafeteria, we started distributing the leaflets and spoke to the workers about the strike, call- ing them to quit being slaves. As soon as the boss saw us dis- tributing the leaflets to the workers, he started hollering and grabbed a long knife to attack us. But when he saw now many of us there were, he ran out to call a cop who was nearby. Workers Quit. When the workers saw that the policeman was arresting one of us, they started to quit working. Forty of them quit the work in the cafe- teria. Besides the workers going out, the | boss was losing all of his customers, | the majority of whom were organ- ized needle trades workers. With the 40 cafeteria workers we | went to the office of the union. The to § When the price of cop- per was at the highest the wages here were the same. A great num- getting the top wages stool-pigeons. One especi ially is a safety man. He supposed to look over the mine id locate dangerous places, notify fellow-workers of such places 1 help protect them. But he is 2 white rat. He is 100 per cent for the company and for the Compen- sation Commission. cuffed my wrists to a stanchion for | hall was packed with strikers of over an hour while the officers and/ other cafeterias, and as soon as they white collar stool-pigeons told| saw us they started to cheer. everyone I made a brutal attack on! As an organized worker who has the watchman, and that my papers been in many strikes, I want to say were printed in Russia, etc. a few words ‘thru the Daily Worker Then police came and the guard to our brother strikers of the cafe- | accused me of beating him. The po-|terias, The class of the bosses is lice wrote out a charge of felonious organized, brother cafeteria workers. assault against me. I was photo-| As soon as you strike for decent con- graphed, fingerprinted and then I ditions, the state, the police, and the was placed on a platform before 200 | courts get together with the gang- detectives and questioned, “Are you) sters on the side of the bosses. They os ines ‘Congratulations’ Good Satire VIRGINIA MILL on the Grafting Politicians (, YNION HAS AoE little eu satire on ities. and the stage has arrived with a bang at the National Theatre. It is “Congrattlations” by Morgan Wallace. The producer, Lawrence Shubert Lawrence, can readily be congratulated, for he has a fine little play that brings out many points of truth. It de-bunks capitalist politics very neatly, and will quickly be ap- preciated by everyone who wants to see the inner workings of the politi- cal machine of any city. While the play is written in a light vein, it is not as unimportant as it appears on the surface. Altho the playwright may have only been interested in ing an amusing play, he has also written a worthwhile exposure of the activities of grafters who use politics as their method of making a living. The play will also be found very attractive by those interested in life behind the stage, for most of the action takes place in and around the stage of the opera house of Hol- combe City, Hokem City. Morgan Wallace, head of a stock company bearing his name, is losing | money weekly. named the leading character after himself, It is said that the play is based upon some experiences he has had as a producer in a middle western town.) He is on the point of disbanding the company when the self-named local Tammany Hall sachems arrive and suggest to Wal- lace a method of boosting the theatre so the amount of cash customers will increase. The proposition is that Wallace should run for mayor, openly having the endorsement of the local Tammany Hall, who promised to see to it that he is defeated and the present mayor re-elected. It is pointed out to Wallace that the pub- ticity received from his nomination will keep the theatre packed nightly. The prophecy of the politicians proves true. The “S. R. 0.” sign is used at every performance and the money begins to roll in so fast that a policemen is engaged to guard it. (The playwright has | He has a good job and he is go- ing to save all of this compensation money. he can for the employers, the state’s biggest grafters: Hospital? No, Prison, The company checks off $1.25 of y worker for hospital fee. The pany has its hospital here in camp. It is more lke a prison than a hospital. The doctor is a grafter, too. He helps beat the workers out of their compensation. He despises a worker and when any worker is so unlucky as to have to be taken to this hospital the doctor abuses kim and kicks him out before he is able to walk. an I. W. W.,” etc. I was brought to court, and the International Labor Defense was there to defend me. The bail was| first made $5,000, but it was re- duced to $1,500, thru the I. L. D., who bailed me out. I am to appear before the grand jury and the Standard Oil of New Jersey and its detective agency will do their best to frame me for a long | term. —. S. M. store, 25 cents; other stores, 10 cents. Refused Groceries. Wallace is making money, and is not interested in the campaign except insofar as it helps the theatre. How- joree, the entire plan does not work jail and beat the workers up. But I stay solid, have courage, and fight, jand you will win. —C. P. | out as prepared. By some compli- | A. F. L. Union F lakers) ot, Wallace is actually elected! ‘Ask Bosses to Aid Im) Then the fun begins. All the graft- |ers and contractors in town come to Food Misleadership |his “honor,” and demand patronage. (By « Worker Correspondent) The play has a weak ending, es- | pecially that part pretaining to the | In the “Mixer and Server,” official | refusal of Wallace to work with the journal of the Hotel and Restaurant} grafters. They are undoubtedly Employees International Alliance} some mayors who will not accept and Bartenders International League) graft, but why glorify that type | of America, a fake A. F. of L. union, | when the rest of the play is devoted in the April 15 issue, organizer) to portraying politics in a very real- | If you get behind in your account ‘and the mine is idle three or four | Richard E. Croskey writes an article | Whenever a man gets out of the hospital he has to pay his own board then. great saving for the tion commission. The on Co. has the contract for the boarding and rooming of the | slaves. Board and room is $1.45 a} ge harbor and bedbug n es in. “The produce only | Note roof str ate off house. To Dope the Workers. Dhacaaniaes The change room is very poor. | ; Miners have chains to pull their pit | room shacks had to pay $10 a month, clothes up to the rafters so they |those living in fou will di Anderson has also charge | $7.50 a month before of the recreation room, which isn’t jrent. Then the rent was skyroc anything but a saloon and a gam-|eted up to $20 a month for six bling hall. He has the sheriff’s son rooms, $15 for four rooms. | from the county bootlegging for 3 : ny A howl of protest by the miners Bou. That way he is protected.” “letiowed this greedy action, Wel If there was ever any place that ey needs organization it is here, and|held protest meetings, committees I hope to see it happen before long. |protested to the coal company, who COPPER MINER. laughed at us. The company attor- | FLEECED IN AGENCY Cafeteria Workers Victims of Sharks By a Worker Correspondent. {we inquired as to pay. Baker said |, I am an unemployed worker— a that the owner of the building, one jack-of-all-trades. I have worked as Hagedorn would pay, when he came a@ carpenter, painter, cook, waiter around the next day. After another and farm laborer all over the coun-| day’s work, we asked Hagedorn for try. Whenever I can’t get a better; money and he said that he had paid job, I have to take one in a restaur- Baker for the job, and we would have ant or cafeteria. This is the hardest, | to collect from him, We worked an- most disagreeable work of all, and other day, but Baker never showed the poorest paid. up again. We quit work—then the; Agencies Cheat. job was almost finished and came One of the parasites on the back around every day for a of the workers is the employment to collect. minute; ‘years, week to try c what a miner correspondent Above is a mine company house. liable ¢ porches are 0 fall in any ragweed and yellow-tops.” Sold Out by Lawy r. We obtained the services of an attorney named Rumsey, and he dilly-dailied around for several weeks, failing to bring our case up. This might explain why the Was- m Coal Co. later put up such a \fight to make Rumsey states attor- ney. The Company Store. Turn your spotlight upon the com- |pany store, which the Wasson min- lers call “deadfalls.” The company store has an established credit sys- tem, whereby Wasson miners can trade forever (providing you don’t trade too much, and work like hell) and never have to lose time or be bothered about paying your ac- count. No sir, your kind and noble vard, the Wasson Coal Co., pays cery bill, pays it every pay even if it has to hand you a lank and empty pay envelope. The y is so desirous that you grocery bill that hundreds of poor miners working for them, for months upon months, and in many instances for one to five never draw one red cent on pay day, YW W e seen what a “sound” m the company store has No way to beat them. blished. agency sharks. They have taken| Finally Hagedorn threw us out of ° y A hundreds of dollars from me at onejhis office. With the other workers NOW» let us compare their prices time or another. Sometimes for’ I went and swore out a warrant for With others. Here we go: jobs that didn’t exist at all, as I the arrest of Baker. He was finally Dest flour, 24 pounds—Wasson found when I got to the address the located, in the act of fleecing a tax! Co. store, $1.20; other stores, 89 days, those idle days are anxious, trying ones for the miners, for the company store is likely to turn you down completely; refuse to let you have any more groceries until the mine again works. If they do let you have groceries, you are re- stricted, allowed only so much. Every summer for the last 6 or 8 years the mine has closed down, and every time the company store has closed its doors to the miners, Company Loan Sharks. Along with this prosperous store, the company also conducts ‘a “sticker” office. For instance, a miner between pay days needs, let us say, $5, $10 or $15. He signs a slip of paper, legal form, acknowledging that he owes Val Wasson $10. Chester Wasson then gives him a card good for $10 in merchandise. He takes this to some well-known parties (B. F. Davis or Jim Tucker), who give him for the $10 card $8.90. Davis or Tucker take it back to Wasson, who gives him $9 for it, and Wasson makes $1 on the deal. Loan shark business, with the miner as the vic- tim, Not many miners attend the two churches in Wasson, for they know it is connected with the Ku Klux Klan, Then the hard-working min- ers are about fed up on the preach- ers’ fakery. The miners are in the most de- plorable condition they have ever been in. Th mine is working two days a week, conditions are fierce. Many houses are empty. called “Organization.” He states: “I believe we should concentrate on quality, and build up jan organization of really competent | craftsmen or women and make it) such that the proprietors of real! restaurants and dining rooms will| |be glad to send to. our unions for! help. Once we get the proprietors to send to us for their help, it will be an easy matter to get the mem- | bers.” So, fellow food workers, this is the kind of organizers the A. F. of L. has. They are waiting for the bosses to send the men and women to join their union and are too busy to go out and organize. They draw fat salaries; what the hell do they care for the workers? He and the other fakers don’t want | to organize the dishwashers, counter- | | men, bus-boys, kitchen help, waiters and waitresses. He asks for “com- | petent craftsmen.” Fellow food workers, join the Amalgamated Food Workers, Hotel, Restaurant and Cafeteria Workers | Branch, at 183 W. 51th St., which is in the field to organize our industry regardless of race, creed, color, or| craft. JAIL COP FOR MURDER. Policeman Frank’ A. Gentner, ar- rested and charged with homicide in connection with the “ripper” mur- der and assault of Mrs. Helen Co- burg, wife of his friend, Policeman Christopher Coburg, of Brooklyn, was held without bail when ar- raigned today. By BORIS DI THE CALL WITHIN’ | MONDSTEIN sharks gave me. And often they will tell you that it is a steady job, but you find out that it is omy vem- porary. Do you think that the azencias will return the fee you paid them? I should say not. Two weeks ago I was walking down Sixth Ave., the slave market! of New York. wards-Bowen Employment Agency | at 805 Sixth Ave. One card read, “Wanted—painters, good pay.” 1! went inside and talked to a man by) the name of Everret Baker. He sent me upstairs, after taking a fee of $5, together with five others, to do a) ye of painting. After a day’s nal I stopped at the Ed-| cab driver out of $4.90. He was tried cents. | 1, per pound—Wasson Co. 20 cents; other stores, 121% before Magistrate Goodman of th West 54th St. Court. We all | fied how Baker had cheated us out cents, A Novel of the Russian Revolution | PRICE $2.00 of our wages. Bacon, per pound—Wasson Co. } The judge finally gave him five store, 40 to 42 cents; other stores, | days in jail for cheating the taxi-cab| 1914 to 26 cents. | driver, but said he didn’t believe our| Coffee, per pound—Wasson Co. story. I am convinced that Baker) store, 3) 36 and 60 cents; other stores, . and Hagedorn and the employment and 35 cents. | agency were all working together to | Sugar, per pound—Wasson Co.) beat us and get the work done for! store, 12% cents; other stores, 5} nothing. Probably the judge was | cents, |also fixed up. This is only one in-| Potatoes, per peck—Wasson Co. stance of how the agencies and/store, 32 cents; other stores, 10 bosses conspire to fleece the workers. cents. Rice, —FOOD SLAVE, | per pound—Wasson Co., i THE BOSTON GLOBE, anya: | “Novel thatvis unusual in manner of its telling, THE CALL | WITHIN by Boris Dimondstein—A_ swiftly-moving novel if that takes one through the first Russian Revolution, There is a brevity of character delineation and a tumult of events. The author is eager to tell his tale and he has eschewed much that seems to be traditional in the novel. The work is a valuable piece of fiction.” THE BOSTON EVENING TRANSCRIPT says: “Emotion, mysticism, idealism and imagination are brought together inte the pages of this story of Russia, of the First Revolution, To be had at all booksellers, or direct from the publishers. | BEE DE PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC., NEW YORK | istic manner? The cast is very good. Henry Hull plays the part of Wallace and does so very capably. After his election he dresses something like Jimmie Walker. of the local Tammany Hall is capital. Others in the cast include Leneta Lane, John A. Butler, Joan Bourdelle and Halliam Bosworth, “THE VILLAGE OF SIN” IS DUE HERE IN MAY “The Village of Sin,” produced by Sovkino of Moscow and directed by one of the Soviet Union's best- known women directors, Olga Preo- brazenskaya, starring two Soviet ac- tresses, E. Zessarskaya and R. Puch- naya, will be the next Amkino re- lease. It is scheduled to have its American premiere 1 in May. ——— The film is of the Russian village, jwith its customs, its superstitions, its prejudices, but the village with the breath of a new era, SIXTH JUBILEE CONCERT of the FREIHEIT GESANG VEREIN (over 300 Voices) Saturday Eve., May 18 at 8:30 at CARNEGIE HALL In an exclusive new program of songs and excerpts from “TWELVE” Alexander. Block—Music by J. Schaefer and “Walpurgis Night” Mendelsohn. Conducted by Schaefer and Lazar Weiner. Tickets 75c, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00 (only a few). To be gotten at the Freiheit Office, 39 Union Square, and also from mem- bers of the chorus. John T. Doyle, as the head) IN “HOLIDAY.” one of the chief Beatrice Ames, players in Arthur Hopkins’ produc- tion of Holiday,” at the Plymouth Theatre. . Artistic Wire Frame Co. Pays Its Slaves | When It Feels Like (By a Worker Correspondent) Am an old time worker at the Ar- tistic Wire Framing Co. of. New | York City, where pocketbook frames {are made, | The foreman, (Gandi or Gandle) |is a tyrant. Instead of speaking de- cently to the workers, he acts in- sultingly, especially when the boss is around. We work under very poor light, with no ventilation. We are bent over all day. The pay is very low. |The foreman is always roaring at you. He may get a beating yet. The main thing we must do is organize! to get the five day week and so that we can get paid every fifth night, not when the concern wants to. Workers quit often, the conditions are so bad here. —WIRE FRAME WORKER. “For a Four Weeks’ Holiday for Young Workers! | government. ers in this section are all unorg: “HOUSE SENATE” President of Co. Has the Veto Power (By « Worker Correspondent) .» (By Mail).— scene of the first compe union ever established in the textile industry. The worker are nearly all wise to this “union,” which w ed in the Dan River and R verside Cotton Mills here right after the war. A com- pany man named John Leitch started it then. To fool the mill workers of these two plants, who are paid an aver- age of $8 to $12 a week for a 12 hour day, a system of so-called “in- dustrial democracy” is in force. The company union is run in the style of the United States Wall Street It has a nate,” and a “house of representatives.” The final veto of all di ions is in the hands of the president of the cor- | poration. is in | effect An efficiency in the mills, which, members of the “house” never voted for. They used to pay an “economy dividend,” a kind of bonus, to fool the slaves, but this has been done away with long ago. The mill v ized. —DAN RIVER SLAVE. LOCKOUT PACKING WORKERS, SCRANTO. E (By Mail).— Butchers, meat cutters and drivers have been locked out by Armour, Swift and Wiis: firms here, in order to enable packing companies to hire w at cut wages. Strengthen International Pr tarian Ties Over the Heads of th Amsterdam Disrupters! a comprehensive ie! somes Dynamic! of the + rep capitan AS GOOD striking views of the Soviet metropolis from many angles intimate aspects of life in Mon- viv conditions under which workers live conduct of official life of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics be- hind Kremlin Walls ye FILM OSCOW TODAY A Penetrating Close-Up of the Seething Soviet Capital —and on the same program— EMIL JANNINGS as HENRY the VII A Brilliant Characterization! in “DECEPTION” -Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Direction: SYMON GOULD 52 W. 8th St. Cont, Daily, incl. Sat, & Sun, Noon to Midnite *AMUSEMERNTS< Starting This Sat., May 11 | i Vivid! Realistic; AS A TRIP TO RUSSIA! A SOVKINO FILM GUILD CINEMA (Just West) (of 5th Av.) Spring 5095 Theatre Guild Productions H C AMEL Through the Needle'sEye || MARTIN BECK THEA. 45th W. of &th Ave. Evs, 8:1 Mats., Thurs. & Sat, 2:40 Man's Estate| by Beatrice Blackmar and Bruce Gould | BILTMORE Theatre, w. 47th Street Eves. 8 ts. Thurs. “LAST THREE WE! CAPRICE A Comedy by Sil-Va GUILD ees ae ® es, Mats. Thurs. fan Sa LAST WEEKS! Strange interlude y¥ EUGENE O'NEILL sont GOLDEN, "hea. osth of Biwas EVENINGS ONLY’ AT 5:30 Sat. “ARTHUR HOPKINS HoripaY Now Playing: “Moulin Rouge”—a stark, tense drama of Paris life, starring Olga Chekova, noted Russian actress. ; Theatre MASQUE 45th W. of Bwa Mats. Wed. tia play (in Bogie). from ‘Sovi« Russia THEFT STLAV Adapted by Herman Bernstein and Leonid Snegoff with FRANCES CARSON — LEONID SNEGOFF — REGINALD GOODE. | Wilfred Seagram Samuel Schneide |MOROSCO THEA. W, 45th St. By 8.50. Mats.Wed.&Sa |JOHN DRINKWATER’S Comedy Ht BIRD In HANI 'Chanin’s MAJESTIC Theat) 44th St, West of Brondway | Eves, 8:30; Mats.: Wed. & Sat. & ie Greatest and Funniest Revi Pleasure Bounc The Thrilling Story of a Sout! American Communal State “Red Majesty” Filmed and Presented By Harolk Notice, Wrangel Island Rescue Hers | 5th Ave. Playhouse | 66 FIFTH AVENUE, Corner 12th 81 Continuous 2 p.m, to Midnight Dail;