The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 8, 1931, Page 4

Page Four 13th Addr the Comprodafty Publishing Co, Inc, dafly except Sunday, at 60 Bast w York City, N. ¥. s und mail all checks to the Datly Worker, 50 East 13th Street, New York, N. ¥. Telephone ALgonauin 4-7956. Cable “DATWORK.” Nw RATER ‘One year, $6; siz months, $8; two months, $1; of Manhattan and Bronx, New York City. Foreign: one year, $ cepting Boroughs . six months, $4.50, THE HOOVER HUNGER GOV'T BACKS HITLER'S CIVIL WAR THREAT By HARRY GANNES with immediate are now with the gov- 1 socialist power. With n, and by is of blood to pre - atiem to wipe the Comniunist of crisis ¢ Hoover American headed { in or- war and commercial loans olph Hitler, fascist Ger- re acting task, Ad he tremen- of the crisis of tler, in an inter- capitalist press corre- e real meaning of ome’ —Hitler { American and British slogan of Morgan for British Ex- and, ench im- for repa appeals for 1 for the ions. | unison with 1 Bruening | e fascist attack against | most drastic ter, the about first nsitfies in a Vy . by an attacic 1 workers, ond by a sim- test the American and Brit- Ever e Times admits that. the Hisenberg decree pro’ “the basis for a dras- tic cut in wares and’ s | The Role of the So lists, | In e t new onslaughts n made in the in- | capital, the Ger- | yed the most important | They assured Bruening full support. The | program « Bruening government, which has | the perspective he way forthe full as- | sumption nd his fascist gang, | twas nd approved by the socialist | leaders at a special conference with Bruening on December 4th | Reporting 2 fact that the socialists in the Reichstag steering committee, which met De- eemijer 4th, voted against the convocation of the Ycichstag, demanded on motion by the Com- munist deputies, the New York Times says the follc “The fact that the socialists voted against suck convocation was regarded as indicating that their frequent conversations with Chan- eellor Heinrich Bruening had about Jed to an agreement Wes! Bruening has an agreement with Hitler to direct the main fire against the working class {n ord rve the interest of the big bank- brs cf t ing imperialist powers. Bruening hes the same agreement with the socialist lead- trs! hat while speaking of the b/ ism,” Hitler in his inter- ith the foreign press correspondents, re- ilent about the socialists, but has this ibout the Communists: Party has fought Communism for twetve years and it has been » bloody fight, .. . But the time will come when we will anfiihilate this post.” Adoivh Hitler’s interview, outlining his pro- ck against the workers, was re- th the highest compliment Wall Street bonds rose after they had sagged “The declaration of Adolph Hitler,” said the ew York Times on Sunday, December 6th, he! the National Socialists (fascists) will re- rrivate debts (the policy of American and t capitalism) but repudiate reparations, if come into power in Germany, was respon- jole for a sharp rally in German bonds and in ew York bank stocks yesterday, which restored firtually all the previous day’s losses.” tm his interview, Hitler continued the use of magogy about refusing to pay reparations, and dulged in his usual diatribes against F.ance. ils was designed for the consumption of his 2 followers. In the meantime, while playing ch imperialism against British, Hitler re- / od that the immediate task was to preserve | “man capitalism, and, if possible, to destroy © proletarian revolution. A cial dispatch from the New Yor: Times’ favis correspondent, P. J. Philip, expoo’) “Zitler’s bgotiations with French imperialism, in which | | ous for the exploiters. | taneously | Gern Hitler puts his main task bankers, namely, an offensive to smash the revo- lutionary working class leadership of Germany, preserve “law and order,” and save German capitalism from collapse so that all the imper- | ialist creditors may in the end gain along with the German capitalists. P, J. Philip, on Dec. 5, cabled: “Adolph Hitler, German National Socialist leader, has been negotiating with France as well as with England... . (Philip is silent about negotiations with Wall Street, but more of that later—H. G.) What he wants to do, as it is seen hgre, is to drop several hints into the ear of official France... . They are to the effect that whatever Herr Hitler and his party do when they come to power—and they are confident that by April they will have ar- rived—they will keep strictly within the legal limits which have been set for Germany. They will be, first of all, a party of order, and they cannot preserve order if they themselves re- sort to illegality.” German capitalism is the key to the financial crisis of world capitalism. In the United States, the financial crisis is entering a phase danger- The end of the gold standard, or what is in essence the same, a com- | plete moratorium, in Germany would immediate- ‘ly result in a severe shaking of the already weak- ened financial structure of American capitalism. It would drive the British pound still further downward. It would threaten the already tot- tering railroads, bond and mortgage companies, the in: ance companies in the United States with certain bankruptcy. The American capital- ists, to save themselyes, have already launched @ renewed attack against the American workers. | Wages on the railroads are to be cut., A drive is made against unemployment insurance. New wage cuts are under way for the entire Amer- | ican working class. At this moment, with the question of $4,000,- | 000,000 in frozen German credits and with the Hoover moratorium question hanging like the | sword of Damocles over world finance capital- ism, the international bankers demand a further attack against the German working class. To put this over they gird the counter-revolution for its bloody, suppressive role. In this new cam- paign against the German workers, and simul- against the workers of the entire the role of the socialists as the torch world. bearers of fascism, is becoming as clear as the | noon sun. Wall Street has for some time been weighing the advisability of Hitler's coming to power in ly. Wall Street now favors Hitler's brand of fascism, feeling the gradual process of the Bruening fascization proved inadequate in view of the precipitous swing of the crisis. Events press to rapidly As far back as November 18, 1931, the Journal of Commerce, expressing the view of Wall Street bankers, took a favorable attitude on the ques- tion of Hitler establishing a fascist, dictatorship. ‘So far as Hitler's demagogy about stern measures against “international bankers,” the Journal of Commerce, undoubtedly speaking with the ledge of official assurance, told its bond- g readers to dispel their uncertainties, de- rom the point of view of foreign interests, is easy to exaggerate the importance of this politicel shift to the right in Germany. Any protest, movement is invariably more radical dur- | fight for power than after it has assumed control of the government. While students of the German situation differ materially as to what is likely to happen should Hitler become the head of the state, there is a growing ten- dency now to predict that the bite will prove much Jess formidable than the bark. In fact, it is very likely that, after his assumption of pow- er, the changes will consist chiefly of a series of gestures to placate various elements that have come within the fold of the National Socialist Party.” ‘3 Wall Street has had some misgivings about the effect of Hitler's coming into power. They fear not Hitler or the fascist program, but the result of Hitler's demagogy on the forces within the fascist party. They fear Hitler will not be able to control the civil war his rise to power will set in motion; they fear it may not result favorably for capitalism. It is for this reason that Hitler shouts again and again that he alone is the dictator of his party; that his word is law; and that the whole brunt of the fascist dic- tatorship in Germany will not be directed against French imperialism, or the foreign bond- holders, but against the proletarian revolution. On this ground, Wall Street lessens its fears, in thé face of the greater danger of impending fi- nancial collapse, and greets Hitler with open arms. It is to Hitler, now, that the American exploiters look for the active forces to be set in motion against a- proletarian revolution. The New York Herald Tribune (Dec. 6, 1931) declares this fact in the following language: “Herr Hitler proclaims his complete mastery over 15,000,000 Germans., If the boast is jus- tified, it means that he can make one valuable contribution to the common problem. He can give order and definiteness to whatever policy Germany follows, and, as the French have realized for some time, an ordered and respon- sible Germany, even though a recalcitrant one, is easier to deal with than a Germany which can at any moment raise the plea that she is about to dissolve in revolution. Hitler has the promise of support although not yet a formal one from Wall Street. Hitler's program is the program of finance capital in the United States. The Communist Party of Germany, in this sit- uation, emphasized the urgent and unpostpon- able immediate task of winning the majority of winning (he majority of the German workers for the ove*hrow of capitalism. On November 13, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Germany declared: “The main task of the Communist Party in the present period is to develop the revolutionary ™mass work and to win the majority of the work- ing class for the overthrow of capitalism and the The class lines in Germany draw sharply to- ward gigantic battles. American capitalism, which sentences 40,000,000 of the American toil- ing masses to unemployment and starvation, stands behind the hunger program of Hitler- Bruening-Social Democrats. Rally behind the German masses in their fight against the rising monster of fascism! Smash the attacks at home directed by American imperialism against the American workers! Expose social fascism and ite support of fascism! before the French | PART 2 (Conclusion) Working Conditions. Under the Soviet system special |stress is laid upon creating labor conditions which conform to the highest standards of safety and sani |-ation. In reconstructing factories and building new ones special atten- tion is given to such problems as |proper lighting, ventilation, working clothes, safety devices, and sanitation. Each enterprisé allocates part of its budget for safety and sanitation de- vices; in addition, the national eco- nomic plan provides special funds jeach year for this purpose. Thus, the Soviet Government in 1928-29 spent 54,500,000 rubles for safety and sani- ation in industry, while in 1931 a total of 124,000,000 rubles will be spent in industry and 30,000,000 rubles in transportation. As a result of these |measures, the number of cases of in- |dustrial accidents and disease is de~ \clining. | The index of fatal industrial acci- |dents in the Soviet Union in 1929 was |lower than that recorded in Germany |or the United States. In Germany the jfigure was 0.45 fatal accidents per |1,000 fully insured persons; in the | United States, 0.4; while in the Soviet Union it was only 0.26. The same is true regarding serious, but not fatal industrial accidents. In this connec- tion it may be pointed out that un- der the Soviet system of recording industrial accidents not a single case can be overlooked. Since there are no private insurance companies in the Soviet Union, there is no tendency to conceal or minimize industrial ac- cidents or to shift the burden to the hospitals. Social Insurance. Measures taken in the sphere of social insurance are as extensive as those in the sphere of labor protec- tion. In the Soviet Union social insur- ance embraces all persons employed in any branch of the national econ- omy and covers all forms of social risk. It also embraces the vast ma- jority of students. In the year 1931 a total of 1,234,200 persons received insurance benefits. Special provisions are made for tak- ing care of invalids, orphans, and old people. For this purpose 306,100,000 rubles were allocated for 1929-30 and 371,400,000 rubles for 1931. The Soviet insurance organizations also partici- pate in such activities as housing construction, for which they appro- priated 331,600,000 rubles in 1931; child nurseries and milk centers, for which they appropriated 22,000,000; kindergartens and the feeding of chil- dren, for which they appropriated 20,000,000; and the training of skilled workers, for which they appropriated 100,000,000 rubles. prior to the revolution factory work- ers were practically the only work- ers entitled to insurance, in compar- ing the pre-revolutionary death rate cited with the present rate we should not include all the Soviet, workers who are insured but only the indus- trial workers. On this basis the death rate in 1929-30 was 43 per 1000, Productivity. ‘There is an intimate connection between labor conditions and the in- crease in labor productivity. /Al- though labor still plays a role in stimulating the efficiency of individ- ual workers, there are growing up new socialist forms of stimulating the productivity of labor, such as social- ist competition and shock brigades. ‘The planned growth of labor pro- ductivity in the Soviet Union is able for the further mechanization of industry. In addition, however, the continual efforts of the Soviet Government to improve the material and cultural welfare of the workers, while shortening the working day and working week, have had a de- cidedly favorable effect upon labor productivity, ‘The quantity of en- ergy consumed in industry per worker has increased from 1,120 kilo- watt-hours in 1926-27 to 2,400 in 1931. ‘The importance of capital outlay in raising the productivity of labor is evidenced by the results of mechan- ization in almost all industries. All these factors have led to the following increase in productivity per working-day: 1921 1922-23 1925-26 1927-28 in rubles, at 1926-27 prices 10.27 15.82 a 7.3 0. 20.94 1928-29 1929-20 1931 (program) in rubles, at 1926-27 prices based primarily on the amount of electrical energy and capital avail- 3.61 25.64 All of the measures outlined above for improving the material welfare of the Soviet workers have profoundly affected the trend of vital statistics. ‘The Soviet working class had to over- come extraordinary difficulties: the sufferings of the civil war, the ex- tremely unfavorable production and housing conditions inherited from the old regime, the famine and de- struction which accompanied foreign intervention, The rapid develop- ment of economic life and the activ- ity of the masses have overcome these difficulties and have raised the gen- eral standard of living conditions. ‘The death rate among Russian fac- tory workers in the years 1913-1916 ‘wae 6.0 per 1000 of both sexes. Since The Hunger March and the Workers’ International Relief ne’ that the Hunger Marchers are on their sway ‘Washington we can plainly see that the Workers’ International Relief can be helpful not only during strikes but also as a factor of the greatest importance in supporting the un- employed workers in their struggle for Unem- ployment Insurance and immediate relief. From the experience in Chicago, where the Ways and Means Committee was handled and directed by the W.LR. organization, it is clear how the ef- forts of the Unemployed Council and the W.L.R. can be combined to get maximum results for the successful preparations of the Hunger March. Collections of funds, food, blankets, clothing, providing means of transportation, etc., was in the hands of that Committee. In the course of this work a large number of workers’ organizations were mobilized in sup- port of the Hunger March on the basis of solid- arity. Even quite a number of A. F. of L. locals gave their support. The work would go much smoother and better results could be bbtained if the W.LR. was a broader organization. The task of building the W.LR. then is not only for that organization itself, but for the whole working class. The building of new branches, getting more organizations to affiliate and enlisting the support of a larger number of workers’ organ- izations is the task in the immediate future. For the first time the W.LR. in Chicago was successful in organizing its medical corps and a trained nurse with all the necessary supplies for first aid in accompanying the Chicago Column. Also, all marchers were given a medical exami~ nation before they started. This means that the health of the marchers will be safeguarded as much as possible on the way to Washington and back, ° ‘The Workers Internationa] Relief can be made of still greater value for the working class if the workers’ organizations give their full-hearted support. All means must be used to convince the workers that the W.LR. is one of their weapons in the struggle against capitalist oppression and that it should be built up. Build new branches and support. the Workers Mnternational Relief! i : 32,79 In taking the road of rationaliza- —By GROPPER. Labor Under Soviet Planned Economy tion based on the advance of mod- ern. technique, we need not fear that the labor power thus set free cannot be used elsewhere for productive la- bor; on the contrary, the work of new construction that is proceeding on such an enormous scale is drawing fresh armies of producers into the process of social labor. Moreover, we can effect a considerable reduction in the working day, raise the workers’ living standards, and utilize the sur~ plus product obtained as the result of rationalization for the purpose of ‘expariding production and increasing the consuming power of the masses of the popilation. Women in Industry. In Soviet economy the position of women as regards wages is not in- ferior to that of men; moreover, a series of regulations has established measures for the protection of women workers and granted them special privileged conditions. There has been a great improvement in the cultural level and living conditions of women and in maternity and child welfare. The progress made in this field is unequalled, not only if com~- pared with conditions prevailing in pre-war Russia but even if compared with those prevailing today in the leading European countries. In the Soviet Union the introduc- tion of women workers into industry does not serve to injure the condi- tions of the male workers. It is worth noting that, although the num- ber of women workers in Soviet in- dustry has increased from 673,000 in 1927-28 ¢o 1,276,000 in 1931, the per- centage of women as compared with the total number of workers remains unaltered. The participation of women varies largely from industry to industry, ranging from 63 per cent in the cotton textile industry to 8 per cent in the mining and ore industries. Although for the time being it is necessary to employ women in cer- tain branchés of industry requiring little skill, the Soviet Union does not maintain the system of unequal pay for men and women performing sim- ilar work. In 1929-30 women workers in the machine-building industry re- ceived 93.9 per cent of the wages re- geived by men. In the textile indus- try women received from 85.2 per cent to 102.5 per cent of the wages received by men, depending upon the specific trade, with an average for the entire textile industry of from 97 to 98 per cent. In the printing in- dustry the ratio o fwomen’s wages to men’s wages ranged from 81.1 per cent to 94.5 per cent, in the rubber industry it was about 86.6, and so on, Since 1929-30 the situation has improved still further. Special provisions are made for the care of working women during preg- nancy and child-birth. They are al- lowed time off with full pay for a period of eight weeks before and eight weeks after child-birth; women office workers six weeks before and six weeks after child-birth. The woman who is to become a mother loses nothing from her wages. In the Soviet Union the employ- ment of children under sixteen in in- dustry and transportation ts forbid- den, while all employed youths over sixteen receive the same wages as adults performing’ the same work. Young workers are trained free of charge and receive pay while learn- ing. PR But They Framed That Tool Dear Jorge:—I had to call at a police station today, and I noticed the following masterpieces, framed, and attached to the wall: i “Department of Police, 4 “City of New York. si “Courtesy is politeness and originates im kinds i ness, “Courtesy gains esteem and good-will of “Courtesy makes easy arduous and tasks,” “Courtesy and civility indicate good breeding in a man. “Courtesy by officials in “department increases efficiency and promotes mutual respect “To the public our slogan must always be: A® Your Service, “Let us be courteous and civil under all com ditions. — “Edward P. Mulrooney, Police Commissioner.” Henceforth, when the cop swings on you, raisd your hand in admonition: “Now, officer, see that you do it courteously!” \ We haven’t been feeling well lately, and any= how, what's the use of trying to be funny on our own account, when Commissioner Mulrooney writes so humorously! ss A Shining Light of Law and Order He was 65 years old, a vice-president of the Englewood (Ill.) Law and Order League, director of the Better Government Association, a member of the board and deacon of the Pilgrim Con- gregational Church—but he was drunk. And when, staggering around the sidewalk at 70th and Green Sts. in Chicago, two small boys, Herman Alkema and Herman Knol, who, being young and innocent, were on their way to "wor- ship” at a local joss-house, saw him and tried to help him get home, he drew a gun and shot _ Herman Knol through the stomach. Thus Daniel lL, Gilday, a Chicago “reformer,” has landed in the hoosegow, and is still explain: ing that he was presented with the gun by “Jamie,” a prohibition dick, A tear gas gun in his pocket was given him by another prohibition dick. But he couldn’t explain the half pint of whiskey found in his pocket. Neither could we, @s under all regular rules of upholders of law and order, is should have been in his belly and not in the bottle. From the investigation, it appears that Giiday was a professional stool-pigeon for the govern- ment prohibition agents. But the gang who aspires to give Chicago a “better government’ — the Better Government Associatlon—has issued a statement through F. J. Davis, its superintendent, praising Gilday as “a model citizen.” Oh, well, that is capitalist “law and order” for you. Take it or leave it! It’s the Climate, Maybe ‘When California liars get going, all others may as well quit trying. We have before us an edi- torial clipped from the San Francisco “Exam- iner” of Nov. 23, entitled “Lucky California.” Tt starts out by quoting another, Nar, the fe- mous fop, O. O. McIntpre, as sayihg from New York's red light district, about which he writes almost exclusively: “I have fewer epistolary com~ plaints about the depression from California than any other state.” McIntyre, of course, doesn’t know that the Soviet Union exists. But from this egg, the “Examiner” editor hatches out @ lot of queer Hes. First that “the depression has bothered this state less than any other.” And then—“history is built on geog- raphy.” Consequently, because you “change cli- mate two or three times in one day on @ shoré automobile trip’—you must “thank your stars that you live in a commonwealth (!?) with such a diversity of prosperity!” ‘This is a quick change of climate—from a “not so bad depression” to “prosperity” in ten lines of type! “Lucky California”—indeed! este News 78 Years Old Various papers in the last week of November carried the “news” that a single British diplo- mat was responsible for the Crimean war, ac- cording to the records uncovered by Dr. Vernon J. Puryear, of the Albany College in Oregon. The item. as published in the Frisco “Examiner” of Nov. 23, said: “Sources of the volume (published by Pur- year) are said to include hitherto secret docu- ments .. . obtained from the British foreign office. Dr. Puryear lays the major blame for the Crimean war at the feet of Sir Stratford Canning, British Ambassador to Turkey in 1853.” So, workers, you see that after thousands of millions of you have been carved up and blown to pieces in some capitalist war, the SECRET DIPLOMACY that brought it to a head might be uncovered 78 years later. Take a hint today and call on Stimson to publish the notes and “conversations” with other imperialist goverA- ments which he is keeping SECRET! oe) igh In Cotton Mather’s Style The crisis, as our stereotyped phrase-flingers say, “sharpens.” Don’t ask us who the knife- grinder is. All we can say is that it “sharpens.” All the incantations of the Great White (Guard) Father at Washington are in vain. But the local medicine men still have hope of making “heap big medicine” to charm it sway. ‘Thus we find that in Boston they organized a devil-chasing ceremony at high noon on Dec. 1, to put the jinx on hard times. “Well buried for all time!” cried the catholis mayor, Curley, as “General D. Pression,” en- cased, so the N. Y. Times of Dec, 2 tells us—“in a black pine coffin decked with bunches of care rots, beets and turnips, was tossed from the stern of the ferryboat Flaherty into the harbor’s chill waters off Battery Wharf.” Surely, now ‘unemployment insurance will cease to be the leading demand of the workers of Boston! Because— ' “Scores on the ferrybogt and on adjoining wharves, including two dozen chorus girls, joined in singing ‘Happy Days Are Here Again,’ accomte | panied by a brass band. Fireboats spurted higtt / streams and their sirens were joined by the whistles of all near-by harbor craft.” That, of course ,ended the crisis. So the ferry- boat went back to the shore. The carrots, beets and turnips that some poor Irish family of Bos- ton might have used for soup were lost in the waters—and 12,000,000 jobless workers wondered where they were to get their supper, and the stock market struck a new record low. But Mayor Curley sat down to a well filled table and