The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 7, 1929, Page 3

a eo —————EEEeeE DAILY WORKER, SEW. XORK, MONDAY, OCTOBER {6 1929 Page Three — bs | American Finance Imperialism Busily Intriguing tor Control of Reparations Bank ~ )PROPOSES BROADER POWERS AS A CENTRAL ‘CLEARING HOUSE! | wc..cos o.com WITH REPARATIONS SECONDARY Americans Lining Up Backing Among Other Nations Against Great Britain Seek Control Over European Finance, But Guard Power of U. S. Federal Reserve BADEN-BADEN, Germany, Oct. 6.—That the Hague conference of the’ League of Nations settled nothing but what should be the outlines of a new conflict between the imperialist powers, is seen in the first getting together of the delegates to the organization conference on the “Bank for International Settlements, as it settles and can settle nothing. The American delegation, which views of other delegations. Bank Power Big Question. Greater than any other question appearing on the surface, is the scope of the bank’s powers, On this, three supposedly separate views are reported: “1, To reduce (though why the term “reduce” should be used for funetions not yet established except as subtle American propaganda) the bank to a reparations receiving | station, taking over the functions of the Agent General for Reparations under the Dawes Plan” This seems to be the British pro- posal, as it logically flows from their international financial position of defense against American finan- cial power, though the reports given out do not state which delegation proposes this. “2, To make the bank a clearing house for banks of issue.” This second idea is openly es- poused by the American delegation, which “explains” their determination to “limit” the bank’s function to that of a clearing house for central banks (of the various nations), in- cluding the receiving of reparations under the Young Plan. This obvious- ly makes reparations the secondary cather than the primary business of the bank, and would open the way for aggressive American finance imperialism to gain actual control ander the innocent-sounding idea of it being a mere “clearing house.” “3. To establish a world super- bank competing with financial in- stitutions already operating interna- tionally.” U. S. Anxious To Control. This third idea is unidentified as to origin, but its statement reveals certain things. Firstly, the fact that the American delegation opposes this, is not proof that they have not given initial currency to the idea, since by opposing it in favor of the second they can appear to be ready to give way to opposition which not only fears American control, but any control over national interests—at the same time securing through the “clearing house’ arrangement the joractical essence of control. Secondly, while American finance ‘:apital wants to control European finance through the bank, it by no means wants the bank to be such a “world super-bank” as would limit or supervise the American Federal Reserve. Upon this specific issue of jealous guardianship of American interests, the American delegation is as touchy as any other, laying down as uncon- ditional that, whatever the bank’s scope may be, the Federal Reserve of America must have a veto right on whatever operations of the bank affect American finance. They cite as an example, and a very important example, that should the bank wish to sell bonds in the United States, the approval of the Federal Reserve would have first to be secured. Ap- parently, the prospective bonds against reparations, one of the big “suecesses” of the Hague confer- ence, may thus be issued only by consent of American finance capital. EMPIRES CLASH AT AFL MEETING (Continued from Page One) | a request from the Canadian gov- ernment that it will kindly vacate the hall it hired for the convention, the biggest in Toronto, so that an entertainment for MacDonald can be given there. Canada, after all, is still a part of the British empire. New Orleans Still Strikes. Green explained to the council to- day that the New Orleans strikers were still stubborn, and that they refuse to accept the sell-out agree- ment arranged for them by Green in person, and the officials of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electrical Railway Employees. Something will have to be done about this in the convention, Green’s line at present being to conceal the fact of the revolt of the rank and file, and lay the blame on the com- pany. A. J Muste, of the fake progres- group in the A. F. L, is expected a at the convention and be ched. However, it will serve to tise Muste, who is not darger- to the Green leadership and will oliven proceedings, and give op- unity fo rany amount of Anti- vropaganda, id Up the United Front of orking Class From the Bot- p—at the Enterprises! | ” which itself clearly is a misnomer has the job of squelching opposition, particularly British, is busily intriguing to gain a weight of authority on its side, by what is termed intimate personal talks” to probe the CAN'T AGREE ON VITAL DETAILS (Continued jrom Page One) holt, Glbert, Roach and others were jshot; This time, even on cross- examination, she said Hendricks ex- claimed, “We have shot,” instead of, as in the former testimony, “They have shot.” She insisted she didn’t remember her former testimony, even when defense attorneys called it to her attention. Bought By Mill Owners. Mrs. Neal was spirited away from Gastonia after the shooting and is brought back by the prosecution jonly when her testimony is needed. |She is known to have admitted to friends that the evidence was bought and paid for by Manville-Jenckes. Another discrepancy in her two |stories, both under oath, is that in \the first trial she said Hendricks was accompanied by a woman, Sat- urday she alleges he was alone. Another prosecution witne s $ whose story was mysteriously strengthened between the trials was Mrs. Grigg, who admitted in her first story on the stand that she called the police when mill thugs started an attack on speakers at the strike meeting preeding the piketing. This first story smashed the prose- ution’s announed theory that the strikers telephoned the police to lure them into an ambush. In her testi- mony Saturday Mrs. Grigg’s story assumed the form that because she “couldn’t stand such carrying on” she telephoned the police when the piket line started for the mill. Her testimony and that of her sister, Mrs Tom Jenkins, and Jenkins, told in varying versions of Beal’s instruc- tions to the pickets to “go to the mill,” or “go into the mill,’ or “go, fellow workers, go”—no two of them being able to agree. Admits Seeing Mill Gunmen. She did admit seeing a number of Loray gunmen peneetrating that colony, with white badges on their arms, and her exultation because now she thought they would “clean it out” (break it up with fire and bullets,'as i nthe Ludlow massacre. Mrs. Griggs and her statement Saturday made an interesting admis- sion that she “didn’t have to tell the police where to come, as they were expecting her telephone call.” When Jimison, attorney for the defense, asked her “Then you had made an arrangement with the police to send this call?” she hastened to cover the slip and deny this, She made an attempt to prejudice the unionists o ntrial before the jury of religious elderly farmers by say- ing that she “would have considered it an insult to be asked to join the union, as she saw hugging and kiss- ing on the union lo*.” She testified that some girls across the street yelled, “Guards, do your duty,” just before the shooting started. She said Saturday that the shot that killed Aderholt came from behind the union buildings, whereas other prosecution witnesses claim it came from in front of the buildings, land still others allege it was from the side. Scab Girl on Stand. Grace Duffey, the witness for the prosecution who was cxposed in the first trial as having been bought by Manville Jenckes by being given a job as private secretary when her testimony was needed, appeared again Saturday, and claimed she heard som one say, “Shoot him,” but wa sunc..e to identify the voice. This scab girl had also kept her information that she heard the speakers o the stand at the union meetin: before=the picket lin> was formed say, “Go to the mill and into the mill,” a profoun’! secv.+ until she got her price, a good job from the Loray management, one week before the trial started. In both trials, Duffey told of see- ing the picket line go toward the mill and return, after being broken up by police, and then of hearing shots. In her first testimony she said, “150 shots,” which sadly con-) tradicted the other prosecution wit- nesses, who told of about 16 shots. Saturady, she said, “quite a lot of shots,” ; d noth’=z could budge her from that. Grace Duffy told of seeing Mc- Laughlin go into the woods and search *-~ a gun with a searchlight, and bring it cut, but on cross ex- amination, admitted it was a gun emptied at the st:‘:cors by one of the police, thrown by the police into the wor ‘US. Angry at Power of British Influence’ | Argentine Senate is now aad a bill already passed by the lower} Chamber of Deputies, to nationalize | | petroleum. This is a new source of |to add to many others based on Ar- gentina favoring British capital. Washington di-patches _ plainly state Yankee anger at favors shown the British Royal Dutch Shell, at} Argentina’s coldness toward the/| Monroe Dostrine, her excuses at not attending the Pan-American confer- ences, her failure to sign the Kel- loge Pact and delaying discourteous- ly in inviting Hoover to visit American oil companies are| |known to be in frequent conflict ments which are not hostile to America, but wish to collect their) fees as lackey sof it by insisting on oil wells being Jet run a full ca- —| pacity, in order to get roy: alty money | when the companies want to cut | down production to hold up oil prices on the world market. rest” in the southern textile in- dustry, and what the National Tex- tile Workers Union is fighting to overcome, is contained in the fol-| lowing figures: The workers living under these conditions are rallying for the great Textile Workers Conference, to be held October 12 and 13 in Charlotte, along with the southern convention of the Trade Union Unity League, which will come at the same place October 18. These two conferences will lay the basis for a broad and militant movement against southern mill owners’ exploitation of labor, against low wages, stretch-out, long hours and the mill village slave pen system. They will create organ- ization into militant unions of south- ern labor, to carry through this fight, $12.91 Wage. An average wage of $12.91 a week, about $7 below the average paid in the New England textile industry, is the rule in the southern states, according to statistics found in the 1929 Census of Manufactures of the United States Government. The average hourly wage rate for common labor in all industries, ac- cording to the United States De- partment of Labor, in 1928 was 44 cents, except in the southeastern states, which paid 29 cents. There is thus a difference of 15 cents per hour in the average wages of the unskilled labor in the North and South, The following scale of wages was tabulated in the Census of Manu- facture for 1929 by the United States Government. 1 STATE WEEKLY WAGES Alabama $15.67 Georgia 12.53 Mississippi 10.61 North Carolina 13.28 South Carolina 12.65 Tennessee 12.75 Average $12.91 The average number of hours work weekly is between 55 and 60. Women work nights in every south- ern state. About 30 per cent of the women work at night. In North Carolina the mills may legally work children between the ages of 14 and 16, sixty hours a week if they have completed the fourth grade school. The laws of other southern states are just as bad. But even these laws, are not enforced. In aj recent investigation it was found | that nearly 10 per cent of the work-7 ers in the mills went to work before they were 12 years old. Wages Really Lower. The actual wage received in the Gastonia section has been much lower than this. Worker after worker “has testified to $7 and $8 weekly wages. The bosses have tried to represent that the use of company houses, and “social serv- ice,” “welfare,” ete., makes up for the low wage in money. In flat contradiction to this is the evidence of the workers, who show that the company houses are, unsanitary, cold in winter, sweltering without adequate bathing, and water supply. Most mill villages have pumps or open dug wells, one for every five or twenty families, and the water has to be carried and stored, Company Prices High. lighting and clothing bought at the company stores is a source of profit, through high prices, for the companies. Thus, an investigation committee of the Durham, N. C., central labor union found that the diet of a mill hand in cotton mill villages, where practically all the income is spent for food, is sausage or fried “fat back” for breakfast; corn bread or biscuits with “fat back,” beans or potatoes for dinner, with either sugar or milk but seldom both, for the coffee. The supper was a repe- tition of the dinner. What green vegetables used were scarce, and confined for the most part to cab- bage. The average grocery bill, in- cluding kerosene for lamp lights, was $12-20 a week. Men’s and women’s clothing in the company stores was 40 per cent higher than the standard retail price. Furniture (mill houses are unfurnished) is 50 per cent higher. Practically all the buying is done on the $1 down and $1 a week plan, which keeps the worker in peonage to the company which owns the store. Engdahl Blasts Exploitation. J. Louis Engdahl, national secre- tary of the International Labor De- jwith other Latin America ngovern-| in in summer, | Furthermore, furniture, groceries, | h fense, stated in reference to the) (An idea of what causes the “un-Jwages paid hours of labor in the| BOMBAST FADING WITH NANKING'S _ DISINTEGRATION lirritation to American imperialism, | Bankrupt, L Disunited and Disgraced SHANGHAI, Oct. 6.— No pub- jlicity puffing can longer disguise the fact that Chiang Kai-shek’s “government” at Nanking is near- jing collapse. It is now begging the | American Oil Compayn to pay taxes jin advance, to obtain $5,000,000, the |company to get 20 per cent rebate on the normal total of tax levied. Nanking needs money badly to \try, as usual, to bribe some of the |militarists now turning against it, |t. remain ‘loyal.’ The disintegr tion of Nanking’s authority is vis |ible on every hand. The fake ‘left” |Kuomintang “reorganization” group flaunt manifestos against Chiang- Kai-shek on Shanghai's eral Fang Chen-wu, removed from office as Governor of ‘Anhui and commander of 40,000 troops,, was |imprisoned at Nanking but has es- caped from prison under Chiang Kai-shek’s very nose and rejoined his army. Chang Fa-kwei’s “Ironsides” are heving their way toward Canton to proclaim it independent under the 'fake “left” or ‘reorganization” group of Wang Ching-wei, with the well known British subsidized Kwangsi troops cooperation. It is now confirmed that Feng Yu-hsiang is moving troops. south toward Han- kow, claiming Shensi province is un- able ;to furnish food. Indicative of Chiang’s precarious position, is the hope expressed by the “reorganizationists” (who until |now demanded that he resign) that |he will not resign, as they now hope to see him disgraced by defeat in war. Nanking policy toward the Soviet Union has brought nothing but ridicule ts Nanking and ruin to Mukden, and in the north there is jreport of the re-establishing of the old Anfu military clique of generals ni a blee against Nanknig. NMU LEADS FIGHT ON AVELLA CUTS (Continued from Page One) well know this impossibility. 2—That this vardage cut in entry rates was but a feeler to gauge the sentiment o fthe miners: if this cut went through without resistance then the company would know they could put across as many more cuts as they wished. Watelfes Boss. The special meeting decided that it could not call a strike in support of the entry men, as the base for such a strike was removed by the transferance of the men to other working places. However, the local union decided that in the event there is a wage cut in the P. & W. mine, a special meeting shall be called to undertake the necessary measures to ston the wage cut. The pitt boss promised the men| 45e. for each car of slate loaded in |the entries, but Mr. Hall at a meet-) ing of the bosses emphatically for- bid any dead work ae ithe entries. Local Union 104, M. U., em- | sa testy adviese the’ tain to fess jto work in the entries unless the jvardave is naid, urges the miners to |join the National Miners’ Union, fight the wage cuts. ficht the com- pany union. the U. M. W. A., and to fight any discharges or discrimina- tion. Exposes U. M. W. A. The N. M. U. has issued a state- ment, explaining the situation to the miners, and pointing out that strike action is the only thing the boss really pays much attention to, The statement says: “There are some men in the P. & W. mine who still support the United Mine Workers of America, and who believe that the U. M. W. A. is ‘com- ing back.’ Some of these men are very sincere and to them we wish to point to the record of the U. M. iW. A. a record of sell outs and be- \trayals as bad as union has ever been jdamned with. The strikes since 1919 have been ‘won,’ even the last strike of 1927-28 was ‘won. The miners know that all the strikes have been won for the coal operators and lost by the miners. The ‘winning’ was of jsuch nature that the U. M, W. A. lost over 400,000 members, and what remain of it today is only through South: “The mill ownwers are try- ing to smash by violence and mur- der the National Textile Workers’ Union because it is mobilizing the mill workers for a struggle against starvation wages, stretch-out, child labor and long hours.” The Octboer Issue —a REVIEWS bq Scott N ring, LENIN ON WORKING * 15 cents—$1.50 a year. streets. Gen-| NEW MASSES SHORT STORIES — DRAWINGS — ARTICLES — POEMS — BOOK Joseph North, Jack Woodford, Wm. Dickens and New Masses, 112 E. 19th St., New York WILLIAMSON slave Wages and High Prices in W. Va. (By a Worker Correspondent) WILLIAMSON, W. Va. (By Mail) —It is early morning and the fog hangs low and heavy as the coal miners go to work. It will soon be winter and colder and gloomier than ever, with rain and snow. See what kind of. life the miner leads. Up early in the morning and after a frugal breakfast goes to the mine. The miner must buy some $40 worth of eqnipment before he can go to work. The Commissary prices ure about 35 percent higher than the stuff is worth. The miner must also furnish his own light and explosives, On entering the mine, you find a 86-inch vein of coal with a soft top. The result is that the ers must work in a kneeling position. They | put in many braces to support the top. No pay for this. After an arduous day in the mine the miner comes out to find that a state mine inspector has condemned part of his equipment. He must buy new equipment at the company store. Let’s visit the company store. We find a fair assortment of second class merchandise at higher than first class prices. The miners live in company | houses. They are mere shacks, | some lacking windows and others | the good will of the coal operators, | who wish to maintain the U. M. ¥ A. as a check to real organization, | the National Miners’ Union. The Superintendent at the P. & W. said that he would join the U. M. W. A. This is what all of the bosses are) saying and doing. In the open shop W. Va, and Kentucky the coal oper- ators are signing the miners in the company stores into the U. M, W. A., because its their union; defending their interests and not the miners’ interests. Lewis said in 1927 in the’ convention: “We will do anything to protect the interests of our friends, the oal operators. The operators now force the men to join the U. M. W. A. to join the U. M. W. A. to protect Lewises interest.” Other Wage Cuts. The statement calls on the miners to all join the N. M. U. and wage a real fight against wage cuts. _A leaflet recently issued by the N. M. U, tells o fother wage cuts, saying: “The Pittsburgh Terminal and other large ompanies have made an- other big ut. Reently they cut the day men from $5.50 and $5.00 down to $5.00 and $4.50; pick miners from 85¢ to 75e per ton; machine loaders, from 58¢ to 52c per ton; cuetters, from 1le to 10¢ per ton, ete. Many companies are cutting still below the 1917 scale. Hours are increased. No deadwork paid for, such as slate, rock, water, timbering, etc. Safety conditions are neglected, causing a higher toll of death, The tonnage system is practically abolished everywhere. No checkweighman! No Pit Committees! Some compan- ies are installing the infamous sereen coal system which the miners drove from the industry years ago, The ompanies use the spy and black- list system. The miners are robbed right and left by the ‘pluck-me’ company stores, “The bosses will beat the miners down still more unless the miners fight back. The operators will try to beat you down to the conditions| lexisting in the Southern states. In |Kentuky and elsewhere the miners| [load out an entire ‘cut’ of coal for the flat rate of $2.57; which is an average of 16 cents per ton.” Full Book Number of Michael Gold, Em Jo Basshe, CLASS LITERATURE MINERS STARVE. EN Fe SHOPS The Club Rules ‘Army LOW WAGES | Jail at puree Island | PalD WORKERS | I am an ex-military prisoner of | th jthe U. S. Army. I was tried by a started § | Miserable Conditions , Added to Long Hours | often gave us “man with a club shaking| rgean talks’ hand. Once he who |general court-martial and found|, This jguilty. I was given a stiff sentence, |which included also a dishonorable discharge. The general court-mar- |tial is the highest court the army to in took a par “had had a few dri |has, the yard and up the to (By a Worker Correspondent I p L The sentence those found|** All once we heard a nc s The Presbyterian Hospital (Med- guilty of desertion is usually from 1) a4 ‘Hit his club against the step jical Center) is the newest private 0 2 % years at hard labor, and ig as: BUS Er nan tta Taw Vorks and a dishonorable discharge. I was sen-|D¥¢ n°! he had hit the parole prison- hospital in New York, and the tenced to serve at the “Atianti,|et on the head, knocking him un- ever seen. In this hospital Branch, U. S. discipline : workers slave—food workers, at Governor’s Island, lieved trom duty a short laundry help, e is iia * i dd insult to injury he} j This military prison can be seen; was put back on duty, in the ex-|cfe Working conditions here are from the Battery, New York City. | ecutive office. a miserable. We work 10 to It is a round, red building with cld ' ete es Oo are paid only guns on top of it. When I arrived pcelisithere ila Ip is fed the there, I was finger-printed and ¢ 10 double. /£004 possible, rotten meals given a dark-reddish, brown suit. It decked beds, five on each side, One| Would sive RS UIGer ADE ‘had my number, on both knees, and sl Aaa ne on hot.| Stomach. e the cnoditions , on top and one on bot- A on my back. lled holds 20!" health institutions under the cap- | 1 became a number without a e is a wash- uel Pe ye Berea Oye One e hospital he te i I was then taken into the execu- pout 300 men | tt a sti Saat ae eee jtive office, where the sergeant on confined there. Woieey g union mad then duty gave me a lecture. “We try were W very hard. : Seat: to treat you like a man here,” he| Sr | pital, Worker. without a door or part of the roof.) heavy discount at the company's re Hwever, the miner pays rent for a|store and docs not work on a “pro- rt first class house. He > charged | duction basis.” Taken al] in all the | GVEy, for fuel, coal, and light whether he| Williamson coal miners are over- |The voleano Santa Maria w. uses them or not. worked and underpaid. They need |ing the populace of surrounding vil- The schools are poor and not well| the support of the entire working |jages today by throwing great quan- attended, as the miner can’t afford Just’ a Worker. |tities of ashes. . school books at the prices the com- pany charges. That is why there} are so many illiterate miners. Uae Many minérs’ = | Two great lakes were formed near 1 ARMY MANEUVERS, the village of Chimacoy in the cen- 3UE, (By Mail).—The great |tral department of Chimaltenango, ¢ he t through crevices : ms eed autumn maneuvers of the Czecho-|the wat er rising through crevie ing at pitifully small we lovakian army are taking place in|in the groun Authorities were parents need the money. lthe Kremsier and Prerau districts, | Workin gto dispose of the increasing On the other side of town you| President Masaryk, the French Gen-|#™mount of find a large house with a lawn and | Petai a e! garage. a in and members of the /inrorMATION WANTED — Anyone ; oslavian general staff are pres-|aware of the wh Mr. It is the manager's house. He is |ent. Leaflets explaining the role of |\'*Nyranee ait is oie fat and sleek. Hih woman and chil-! bourgeois militarism have been dis-|N: ¥. C. Something very important, See me at once. | dren are clean and well fed. He gets buted amongst the soldiers. Gigantic Receotion Saturday Evening, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. (Doors Open at 5:30) SECOND NAVAL PILOT The four fliers of the “Land of the Soviets” will be officially welcomed at Madison Square Garden Fiftieth Street and Eighth Avenue Tickets on Sale NOW at the offices of the FRIENDS OF THE SOVIET UNION 175 Fifth Ave., at 23d St. Alg. 2745. Room 512 Program and Features: 100-piece orchestra; Finnish Workers Sports Union Gymnastics Prominent Speakers Out-of-town delegations BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE! Prices—75ce—$1—$1.50 Auspices Friend of the Soviet Union 175 Fifth Avenue, N. Y. C. are asked to report at offices of F. S. U. at 2 p.m. on day of the reception