The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 18, 1931, Page 3

DAILY STEEL WORKERS JOIN VERSAILLES MINERS ON THE PICKET LINE Prepare for a Big August First Anti-War Demonstration Young Workers Joining Metal Workers and Young Communist League Dear Friends: Versailles, Pa. The people in Versailles are trying hard to win the miners’ strike. Not only do the miners picket the Hubburt Mine, but young steel workers who work part time are very active on the picket line. Women and children are every day on the picket line in mass. Women The women want action. Militant They say, ‘Let’s march to the mines and chase the deputies out.” Deputies try to keep the JOBLESS EAT GARBAGE ON PHILA. DUMPS $3,000,000 Fund for Relief Proves Fake PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—While the city administration and politicians children off the picket line. One child told them: “My father pays taxes and I have a right to be on the picket line to win the strike.” Boy, did that. crowd razz the depu- ties when that child told them a mouthful! Scabs! What are the coal operators doing to try to break the strike? They got scabs from the Star Employment Agency of Pittsburgh. That wasn’t enough. One day 5 striking miners called an open air meeting to or- ganize a local union. It was broken up and those who organized the meeting are being watched. That are waging verbial warfare, as to who shall be the next mayor, hundreds, of thousands of workers are starving. Despite the fact that the city admin- istration now has htree million dol- lars, a state loan supposedly for-un- employed relief to alleviate the dis- tress of the unemployed, not one cent has as yet been given in relief. The three hundred thousand. un- employed of this city facing starva- tion and want, even when they were receiving the pitifully inadequate re- lief that was being given by the vari- ous charitable institutions of the city are now facing greater starvation now that relief has been cut off. ‘The hardships and misery imposed upon the workers by the cutting off of relief was amply illustrated when 14 workers were arrested and charged “with unseemly conduct” because they were found hunting in Yarbage heaps for food. Mich. Workers and Farmers Protest Fingerprint Law 500 in Protest Meet Demand Release of Scottsboro Nine Ontonagon, Mich. Daily Worker: Although I am a little late in re- porting this, you will no doubt be interested to know that close to500 workers and farmers demonstrated on the streets here June 30 against. the Michigan law for finger-printing ‘all foreign-born workers. This demonstration was a success in spite of the fact that some fas-. cists (bootleggers, etc.) were there trying to create confusion among the workers so that they could then give us a drenching with the fire hose and drive the crowd away. ‘The militancy of the workers, how- ever, smashed their plot and they did not dare to use the fire hose until after the demonstration was over and the workers scattered. ‘Then they turned the hose on a group of Pioneers from the chil- dren’s camp, which shows how brutal and idiotic and cowardly they are, Resolutions were sent to the gov- ernor of Alabama condemning the frame-up of the nine Negro boys and to the governor of Michigan condemning the alien registration —A Worker, (By A Worker Correspondent.). The Murray Smelters were shut down on the Ist of July and the Torele Smelters closed the 15th of July, throwing about 700 men out of same night 6 strikers got drunk on booze that was passed out freely by agents of the mine owners. Then three shots were fired. This was all done by the coal company in order to demoralize the strikers. The picket line is getting these workers. who were deluded by the bosses into going to work, to join our ranks in the strike. They say that they were told that there is no strike and that no trouble will happen. Pinchot is known to the miners as a strike breaker. He has supplied four state police to. drive every two scabs to the mines. Hold Parades. The National Miners Union holds @ parade in Versailles every evening. Over 200 march in the parade to “Read this, ‘son, and learn something!” the picket line. The company has built a fence about ten feet high so ‘that we can’t talk to the scabs. What did we do? We built a platform fifteen feet high and eight or ten of us go up on the platform and talk to the scabs. A Da'j, Worker was given to one of the scabs. A woman shouted: “Read it son and learn something!” Prepare for August Ist! Aft: we got through with the scabs we held a meeting in prepar- ation for August Ist an‘‘-war dem- onstration, When the speaker was through talking he was asked many questions like these: “What is the Five Year Plan?” “Is there unem- ployment in the Soviet. Union?” “Do workers get pay for w\king?” These questions were asked by young steel and mine workers. They are all fine class conscious workers and want organization. They are join- ing the Young Communist League and the Metal Workers Industrial League. The miners sure love the Daily Worker. They say it speaks their language” —A MINER. Mayor Who Ordered Youth Day Attack Be- wails “California Justice” (By 2 Worker Correspondent)” BAN FRANCISCO.—From Youngs- town, Ohio, comes the word that the mayor of that company-owned town throws up his hands in righteous in- dignation at the invitation of some California boloney artist to visit “La Fiesta de Los Angeles” as long as ‘Tom Mooney remains behind prison bars. If this isn’t personification of Tt. was under orders of this same mayor, Joseph L. Heffernan that scores of workers’ children and many ups were clubbed and beaten into insensibility and two workers shot and seriously wounded while i the world.” Further he elaborates that he and his brother figured on paying California a visit last winter, but changed their minds due to the adverse action of the courts in the Mooney (note, no mention is made of Billings) case, and thinks “that should be the attitude of everyone who believes in justice.” ‘Just imagine a rotter who would order cops to charge a parade of chil- dren, clubbing and shooting right and left, daring to speak of “jus- tice.” Some workers may be fooled by the braying of this jackass poli- tician, but gradually they are learn- ing how to interpret such stories as this appearing in the capitalist press. And just as surely they are swing- ing their support from the lying capitalist rags to the regular fight- ing organs of the working-class press. Workers! Support the Daily ‘Worker. | Build the Western Worker. Farmers Join Workers in Strike on Highway Construction Job; 300 Fig United Farmers League. Dear Editor For over two weel © farmers and workers in northyn Minnesota have been on strike against starva- tion wages on highway No. 11, a con- - od st Highway strikers, Virginia, Minn., listening to a speaker from the ward about 16 miles. During this time the strikers, about 300 workers and farmers under the leadership of the Trade Union Unity |t Lea and the United Farmers ue EW YORK, SATURD. AX, JULY 1931 one: mee struction job from Idington north- League, have put up a very militant battle against the Farmer Labor d fakers who are trying damnedest to get the workers ke contracts at starvation wages. 2 farmers out here are begin- A group of striking highway workers and farmers, Virginia, Minn. Minnesota ht Hunger ning to realize that only by organiz jing into the United Farmers League, the only organization that fights for the interests of the poor farmer: they win their battle against starva- tion, A Striker. POOR FARMERS AID STRIKING OHIO. MINERS Denounce War Prep- arations at All Strike Meets (By a Worker Correspondent) PINEY FORK, Ohio.—This is a one-mine town. Most of the miners here are of American stock, The strikers here, as in other districts, are being supported by the farmers. The company police are ruthless and persecute the strikers by breaking their meetings, which are held far from the mines. The workers here are ardent supporters of the Daily Worker. Among the 500 miners, 40 Daily Workers are distributed daily. Denounce War. After traveling over most of the mining district and the surroundin\ country, we found that the farmers and the townspeople are sympa- thetic with the miners’ strike. No one speaks with contempt of the Na- tional Miners’ Union. All agree that miners get a dirty deal from the bosses and the crooked leaders of the UM.W.A. At all meetings and dem- onstrations miners denounced im- perialist preparation for war and indicated that they would call a gen- eral strike in case of war. There is every evidence to show that the strike will spread if miners receive more relief. KINGANS PACKING HOUSE CUTS PAY Stool Tries to Terrorize Negroes INDIANAPOLIS. Ind.—Conditions in the Kingans Packing House Co. are getting worse every day. Many workers in the killing and cutting department were laid off. In the other departments wages are be- ing cut. The plant only works a few days a week and never more than 3 or 4 hours a day. It’s time.to organize the Negro and white work- ers in this slave plant There is a man by the name of Hicks in this city who is a stool pigeon and who tries to cause trouble among the Negro workers especially. The other day he told a Negro wo- man worker that she was going to be arrested for killing Jackson, a millionaire chain store owner. He also said that the police and legion- aires were after all the reds. Hicks is a fat bellied sewer rat who is afraid to come around to the LS. N.R. meetings on the east side. Ne- gro and white workers, get together and build the revolutionary move- ment. Save the Scottsboro boys. METAL CO. CUTS WAGES © JAMESTOWN, N. Y¥.—The James- town Metal Equipment has just put over a 25 per cent wage cut, Where we formerly got 8 cents for testing radiators, we now get 6 cents. For soldering off the piece work rate was cut from 4 to 31% cents. Steel Workers at Sparrows Point Forced from Homes Daily Worker: | hou: This year the Tin Plate Workers | mortgage on their home. because they couldn't pay the Cars were wages are below the standard of liv-| forfeited because the monthly pay- ing. In the Hot Mill we used to From the ments couldn't be kept up. make on an average of about $75 to | little hard earned savings that the $80 for a two weeks pay. Now for the same period of time, we are luc: to make twenty dollars. Ma ers with families to support are get- ting ten dollars for a two weeks pay. The bosses try to pull the wool over our eyes by kidding us that better times are coming, and give us stead work for a week or two and then lay us off. Some workers thinking that good times was going to stay laid out their lives saking on a house sc as to have a roof over their heads when old age approaches. , Some bought cars so that they could take their tired bodies after the weeks work away from the city to some cool spot in the country. | Lose Homes Now many workers have lost their} worker was able to rake up by stint- ing, there is nothing left but bitter appointment. Workers are forced out of the houses because they can’t pay rent. Real misery prevails in eel mill workers homes. are we to do? We workers must. into a Union to fight for better conditions and not let the bosses do anything they want to do jot with us. Fellow workers, lets-get to- gether, —A Mill Worker. Note—Steel Mill workers should join the Metal Workers Industrial League and fight against these starvation conditions the same as the miners are doing. Lay the basis for real organization in your shop building a grievance committee. PARMERS STARVE IN NORTH WEST Mother Kills Self and Children Plentwood, Mont. Daily Worker: Many on the farms, once fertile wheat land are now deserts of sand dunes in easthern north Dakota. Most of the farmers have given up al- together this year, and are just wait- ing for something to happen. Stock that could be sold is gone, but a big part of it was so starved it brought no price on the market and was shot at home, Taxes are so uncertain that there is talk of many of the rural schools not being able to open next fall. From Saskatchewan cames the story that one mother unable to bear the cries of her hungry children any longer killed them and herself with an T the last few days seven banks have in eastern north Dakota, and N. E. Montana, namely the banks at Columbus, Noonan, Appam, Almo, and Fortuna North Dakota and West- by, Mont. Several others had been closed in this section during the win- ter and early spring. Other banks in this vicinity are laying off help, and rumors of other bank closings are rife. Note: The farmers must organize against these starvation conditions. “Form committees of action under the leadership of the United Far- mers League, Box 65, Superior, Wis. Refuse to pay debts, taxes and rent. Demand food for the starving children, free seed and drouth relief. MINE STRIKE YOUR STRIKE PITTSBURGH, Pa.—Every work- er must bear in mind that the gteat strike now going on here in the coal fields is a struggle not only of the miners, but of the en- tire workingclass. Help win the strike by sending relief to the Penn-Ohio Striking Miners Relief Committee, Room 205, 611 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa, 100,000 JOBLESS IN BOSTON, MASS. Must Build a Strong Jobless Movement Daily Worker: The following incident will show that there is # great need of an un- employed council in Boston which will carry on the struggle for Social Insurance, / On July 6 a French Camadian wi rt by the name of Le Blanc, who lived next door to me at 51 East Springfield St. Boston, had starved until he could stand it no longer so he took off his belt, looped it around his neck and after tying the end to the door knob he laid down on the floor and choked him- self to death. He had been an auto- mobile painter but was unemployed for the last year and a half and owed six months’ rent. He was 46 years old, had a wife and two chil- dren the youngest of which was three months old. Because he was not a citizen he could get no relief from the city and now according to the law his wife is liable to be deported for being a foreigner without means of livelihood, Another thing that shows the need of a big unemployment campaign in Boston is the fact that on July 3 the General Electric Company of Lynn laid off 932 workers, all of whom had been in the service of the company for more than 18 years. There are 100,000 unemployed workers in greater Boston who need the leadership of the unemployed council in their struggle against star- vation so that they will not give up hope as fellow-worker Le Blanc did. Jackson Wales. STOP WORKERS COLLECTING RELIEF DAYTON, Ohio.—The boss poli- ticians here have just i8sued an ed- dict forbidding workers’ organizations from collecting funds. The sky pilots and all kinds of fake charity or- ganizations, however, are allowed to beg as much as they want, Workers Force Release of Two Youths Jailed for Taking Coal Must Stand By Nat | Oeted before the Judge Blanchard, (By a Worker Correspondent) COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. — On July 6, a case was brought to the at- tention of the Unemployed Council of this city, which exposes the miser- able conditions under which the workers have to Ive, Eliza Howard, 1316 Avenue B, came and reported at the meeting that her two sons by her first husband Buddy and Alva Kirkpatrick, were serving 30 days in jail because they had nothing to eat and were turned down by the county. In order to get something to eat and feed their mother they went out to the Tlinois Central Rail- road and took coal and sold it to buy food. Because of this, they were picked up by the police and sentenc- ed to jail by Judge Blanchard for 30 days. The youn.est boy will be eighteen Miners Union to Win Demands years old on his next birthday. The mother was cut off from even that measly support. She went crying to the judge asking that they be re- leased. This the judge refused to do. They also had other people try- ing to get them released. One of the boys was married and had one child. His wife is sick and has the ulcers of the stomach. When this was brought to the attention of the Trade Union Unity League and the Unemployed Council, a committee was immediately elected to visit the judge and demand release of these two boys. When the committee ap- and presented the demands of the Unemployed Council he asked* them who they represented. When they told him, he, without a word said, “Alright, they are released.” The incident above just goes to show what ean be done through or- ganized action under the leadership of the T. U. U, L. and the U. C. The family also went up to the county with the committee and got grocer- les and their rent paid. Before this time the county refused to pay the rent because the father of these boys, former husband of Eliza Howards, was receiving relief and they allowed only one to a family to recelve any relief. The arrest took place on June 28 and the boys still had twenty days to serve when released July 7. KANSAS WORKERS BOYCOTTRUSHTON BAKING COMPANY Unemployed Council Brings Relief to Workers Kansas City, Kan. Comrades: The Rosedale Branch of the Un- employed Council is showing mili- tant activity, which is resulting in a very healthy growth. This branch is only a little over a month old, and has a membership already over | 100 members, and is still growing. At our regular Monday night meeting, four urgent cases of star-| ving workers were brought to the attention of the comrades, and the relief committee was instructed to go after relief the next morning at | 10 o'clock. In one hour the commit- tee obtained sufficient relief to care for all of these cases, and also were | threatened with arrest. | Boycott Bakery. | The Rushton Baking Co, a mil-| lion-dollar organization, was visited | by the committee, and Rushton not | only refused any relief, but also) called the police, telling the com-/} mittee that he knew all about the | work of the Council; but has since | learned that the unemployed are not | the kind to give up, for the commit- tee immediately issued a leaflet ex- posing his act, and already a boy- cott is spreading throughout the city against his baKed goods. Will keep you informed as to the results of the boycott. —Charles' Coder. ROAD WORKERS GET WAGE CUT “Prosperity” at $1.50 a Day Kansas City, Kan. Daily Worker:— In a fake move to stimulate em- ployment and bring back from “around the corner” some of the prosperity which the big bosses have been Faving about, the Kansas’ City (Kansas) city fathers decided to pave 7th Street for a few blocks. The contractors in bidding for this job figured labor at 50 cents an hour. A Chicago contractor landed the} contract and after working a week or so at the job he gave up after having some difficulties with the city authorities (most likely a fail- ure to ‘cut them in’ on. some of the graft). A Kansas City contractor then took over the project. So imme- diately in keeping with the Ten- Year Plan of the K.C. bosses (which consists mostly of blowing horns and hiring clowns to blab about the re- turn of prosperity) the wages of the workers on this job was cut down to 30 cents an hour. Then so that many workers could share in this spurt of munificence on the part of the bosses the job was put on a 12- hour basis and the men split into two shifts of 6 hours each. And now most of the workers who were un- employed and starving and facing evictions, find themselves enjoying prosperity ala stagger to the tune of $1.80 a day. "=A Worker, Mich. State Workers . to Get Cut in Wages Saginaw, Mich. Daily Worker:— The Governor of Michigan re- cently came forward advocating a wage cut for the state employees. He stated that this cut would only hit those who are getting big sala- ries, So far we have noted that none of the big guns of capitaliam in Michigan have suffered any cuts. The governor is still getting his sal- ary and it is rumored that the ones who will get the cuts are those who are on low wages already. Tt is time that all the workers or- ganize against these wage-cuts, I talk to the workers in the General Motors where I work. I plan to join to the alderman's offi the Communist Party soon. —A Daily Worker Supporter. PITT. JOBLESS DEMAND ' RELIEF FOR STARVING (' Page Three FIFTH WARD FAMILIES Alderman Griffin Refuses to See Workers’ Delegation; Would Jail Spokesman 1 Calls Coun¢ Unemployed All Workers to Mobilize to Force Relief at Once mittee met 8 and elected two spokesmen and ma man at the head of the ma right up and asked for Mr. The attendant informed our spokes- man that Griffin was very busy, to| which we replied that we would) wait. Refuse To See Committee The committee all sat down oc- cupying all the chairs. At the end of two hour: came out | led out the c hat were on the committee a what we] wanted. The sp and | informed the alder e were | here to demand relief for the starv- ing familie: The alderman said, “I am too busy ~aw,” o “We will committee replied, wa Nittle longer. The <c’icrman t no, aid, “No, no, come tomorrow. Come by yourself. 1 bring y whole orga’ ion? Leave the men and en at home.” j The committee then marched back | to the Workers Center and held a| meeting to lay plans to stop two] evictions before going back to see} the alderman. One of the families moved, however, but we stopped the} constable from evicting the other family. | Would Jail Spokesman | Then we got a lot more workers and marched back to see the alder- man. We told him that we were back to see what he was going to; do for the starving workers in the Fifth Ward and the alderman told} us all to get out of the office the spokesman. But instead of leav-| ing him the workers all gathered around the spokesman, who the al- derman had si: d out to have put| in jail. We then all marched out in} a body telling the alderman that we would tell all the workers in the Fifth Ward that he proposed to do noth- ing for the starving workers. Intensify Work We are going back to see him again. The next time we will have more workers than we had before We are planning to intensify our ac-| tivities in unemployed We are holding an Unemployed Convention to be held at the Workers Center, 2157 Center Avenue, Sunday, July 26. At all our open air meetings all pledged to intensify the fight for un- employment insurance. Vote Seeking Judge Sheds Fake Tears Over City Prison (By A Worker Correspondent.) COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. — Be- cause of the election being so near Judge Blanchard is trying to get him- self popular and has discovereg that the jail is a hell-hole in this city, and according to his announc2ment this is what he has say, “In mild weather the hell-hole, in hot weather it and its crawling things absolutely unbearable.” So the kind judge promises that those who face short terms will be sentenced to the county jail. “If the county jail becomes crowded I'll send them soméwhere else.” Then in his demagogic way he adds, “I have too much respect for a dog to lock it up in the city jail in its present condition.” ‘The workers of Council Bluffs must understand that this Judge is coming up for re-election or is trying to get influence in order to get someone else elected and ts only promising the firremployed that he will send them to a better jail if they fight and orga- nize. Why has he only now discov- ered the condition of the city jail? WORKERS FLOCK TO FAKE JOB NEW HAVEN, Conn.—The press reported that the A. C. Gilbert Toy Co. would open up full force work- ing day and night. The result was that crowds of workers flocked in from all over the country. The only ones that got any work, however, were the cops who were sent to chase the hungry workers away. ; do. Pittsburgh; Pa Daily Worker: Hunger, misery and star are rapidly increasing here since the complete stoppir f the nationally heralded | Pittsburgh Plan. Every day reports of starving families are !coming into the Unemployed Cour here. On Tuesday, July 7, the Hill Section Unemployed Coun- cil, which is located in the heart of the Negro district, called a special meeting to take up the question of getting relief for the starving families. A committee was elected to go to }see Martin G alderman of the fifth ward.” The com- NOTHING TO LOSE ALL TO WIN, SAYS STRIKING MINER Like Slave Days in Byers Pipe Plant Pittsburgh, Pa. Dear Comrades:— The strike against starvation is well under way in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West a. This great strike led by the National Miners Union is something that us working rica haye dreamed of for for a live in the y from the mine owners and run them ourselves. I was a boss in the mines and was blacklisted by the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Co. for being friendly | with the coal miners, fellow workers. The opera’ nted me | to act as a slave driver for a few lousy dollars a week. If we miners stick together with the National Miners Union and tell the UMW and Sir Lewis and Hoover to go to hell we will win what we are out for. So comrades this is*your fight— the fight of all the .workers—and we on strike ask you to come out and nelp us win. We have’everything to win and nothing to lose. How can we lose when we haven't A Miner, Filling Station Commissions Out Profits Increase for Millionaire Mellon HOUSTON, Texas. Daily Worker: While Andy Mellon is losing his “dicker” with the French which will cost the workers here more in taxes, he has recouped his potential personal loss that bosses are experiencing over there, by reducing the commissions of his filling station operators 20 per cent. This averages about $50 per station and the poor devils have been paying their help, light, phone and water bills, rags, cleaning compounds and what not, out of 2,5 per gallon, and what's left, they live on. When he has to keep two shifts going day and night, the drastic cut into his food and clothes monthly budget is crually near the slow starvation line, For it must be remembered, that he must retain sufficient help to render the finest of service.night and day. Andy sits on the lid of Hoover's “keep up wages plan”. Hoover lies about what the bosses are going to Andy does what they say they wont do. Ho, Hum! The French tie the old boy in knots but he squeeze; the last dime out of the hides of Lis own workers. His title should be sec« retary of starvation” in these United States, —W. Ww. FIVE PERCENT WAGE CUT FORi PICTURE OPERATORS (By a Worker Correspondent.) A wage cut of 5 per cent was ana nounced by the business agent of the Omaha Motion Picture Operators’ Union for a period of 12 weeks. ‘The wage cut was not fought by the union but the labor fakers agreed that the wage cut according to Mr. Jackson, the business agent. “Purpose of the reduction is to bring relief to the exibitors.” The wage cut effects al} theaters {n Ohama and the Fox, Strand, and Broadway. theaters in Council Bluffs. The rates in moving pictures have not been cut at all. The war drums beat, by Joseph North in the July Labor Defender. UNEMPLOYED REFUSE TO SCAB ON PROVIDENCE TEXTILE STRIKERS Daily Worker: Providence, R. I. Just a few lines about Providence, R. 1. There is a whole lot of workers walking the streets here looking for work and can’t get any, and not one of them will take the strikers place in the mills. ‘The mills are out one hundred per cent, the nicest walkout that I ever saw. They are striking against a wage cut of all over New England. 12%3% and the strike t gpreading This morning while looking for work I saw a load of prisoners in a truck so I followed the truck and found that they were working with the pick and shovel here in the city.” Why not take action on this and make the bossps give us work. 4 ® da Weave fe a)