The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 28, 1933, Page 5

J } S.S.U Tan THE STORY SO FAR: Slim,"a member of the Marine Workers In- dustrial Union aboard the S.S€tah, has been talking to his fellow work- trs about the class struggle, the défense of the U.S.S.R., ete. He is un- successful in an attempt to keep. the sailors of the Utah from scabbing on the Copenhagen dock-workerg when the ship stops off there. He con- tinues to talk to them about the union, however, and succeeds in sign- ing up the chief engineer for the M.W.LU. Now read on: INSTALLMEN' The Old Army Game HIS country has prohibition, +hagn’t it?” asked the Prof. They,;-had Just tied up in Helsingfors, Finland, “Yes,” answered the Swede, “but you can get all you want to drink. | Plenty of bootleggers here, too, | Sure enough, pretty soon a-man| came into the fo’e’sle, and asked .if anybody wanted to buy spreet,)a Finnish drink, of about 90 per, cent alcohol. He pulled out of his inside pocket..a couple of flat tins, a; pit smaller than the kind used for. kero- sene in the States. ey “Going up to the Royal?” a: the Swede, as Slim was dressing: “No, just taking a walk uptowii.”’ ‘The Swede handed Slim his watch and ring. “Hold these for me, “the Royal's a tough joint.” . Eddie’ joined Slim in the strdll The horses here wore yoke harnesses and the workers wore boots “with turned-up tips. Women were swétp- ing the cobbled streets with twig brooms. at! “Gee, this country looks different from the others. Something™ like Russia, I guess.” re) “Yes,” remarked Slim, “this land used to belong to old Russia ‘up to the end of the war. When Russia turned Red and the Finnish workéys wanted to go with them, the capital- ists sent troops up here, and they choked the revolution. Thousands of Finnish workers were slaughtered in cold blood by foreign imperialist | troops.” on 4 “Are the Communists strong here?” “They were strong; had their own newspapers and workers’ coopera- tives, and representatives in Parlia~ ment.. But the Lappos—that’s what the Finn Fascists are called—they’re the big capitalists here, who got«the backward peasants to support them by doping them up with patriotism and religion. These Lappos, through: means of the dirtiest tricks and: bloody terror against the working class and their Communist represen- tatives in Parliament, captured,.the Government and set up a Fascist regime here.” ann “Ain’t there no Communists. left?” “Oh, sure, but they’ve got to work’ Megally now—underground. But that | doesn’t stop them, any more than, it stopped the bolsheviks under. the Cran.” | | d *S THEY came onto the main drag,, AA thev were impressed with the num- ber of soldiers. Practically all. the young fellows were in uniform—gray uniforiis with boots and Sam Browne belts, < Eddie couldn't understand it. “All these soldiers in such a little éoun- ty?” eames “Yes, they tarv service.” “She must be afraid of Russia, hey, Slim?” 2 “No, that's capitalist bunk. The fascist. government here knows damn | well that Russia isn’t interested in| making war. But the Finnish capi- talists are anxious to help the other capitalists in a war against the Soviet Union. Besides, she needs these sol- diers against her own working class. Notice the faces of most of. these lads? Mostly country hicks, brought to Helsingfors to use againsf~the workers here. And I'll bet the young workers here are sent into militaty stations in “+ country, for ude “in case of uprisizs there. tis! “You can see that in the States, too—soldiers from the South * sta- tioned in the North, and vice versa. The capitalists keep the Southerners het up against the Northerners;' the whites agains: the blacks, etc;and play them off against each «other that way. The old army game; France serids her white soldiers. into the colonies, and brings her African troops to use against the French in have compulsory milf\ | uproar. T THIRTEEN case of strikes or any trouble. same thing in politics. sets up the Democratic and Repub- lican candidates, “wet and dry” campaigns, all to keep the . workers off the main fight, which is Capital- ism versus Communism.” * The 'HEY listened for a while to the military band in the park, which was drugging the public with army marches. Then they headed back for the ship. “How far is this from Rus- sia, anyway?” asked Eddie. “Only a couple of hours by train, and less by plane. Just imagine, airplane carriers like the Lexington and Saratoga operating out of Hel- singfors, releasing hundreds of big Martin bombers against Russia!” Eddie became thoughtful. “What could we do about it, if they started a war against Russia?” “Plenty. What did the firemen on the ‘New Amsterdam’ do in South- ampton when they loaded her with war material for Japan? Refuse to transport war materials! Twenty- three of them were arrested. I take my hat off to them.” “Me, too.” It started to rain, and they hur- ried. Up at the head of the gang- plank, a prostitute was arguing with the watchman, trying to get on board. y “Nothing doing,” insisted the watchman. “You want us to fish your carcass out of the water, too, like those others?” In the foc’sle everything was in Eskimo had locked himself and a woman in the steward’s foc-sle, and was maltreating her. The woman sereamed and moaned like a wounded beast. Lag, wild with spreet, hammered on the door with a fire-axe, intent on crushing the Eskimo’s skull. The men finally got the axe away from him and lashed him to his bunk with a heaving line. Then they broke into the steward’s foc’sle. The woman lay on the deck, her dress and stockings torn and bloodstained. Awful blotches and scratches showed on her breasts and neck. The Esgimo sat in the pantry- man’s bunk, dead drunk, an empty spreet tin between his knees, staring wildly . rs About an hour later—Slim was in the toilet boiling some clothes—Gun- nar care in, all out of breath. “Phew! Thought I was a goner that time!” “What's up?” Gunnar. looked out on deck to make sure no one was coming after him. .Then he explained: “Me and Stanley picked up two skirts over there in the park. Then it started to rain, and we took them into the boxcars. Everything was going along jake, when all of a sudden somebody throws a flashlight on us, and orders us to come out. Two cops, one on horseback! The skirts started to bawl and say it was their first time on the. docks. While the cops was questioning them, we started to walk away, you know. All of a sudden the cop on horseback starts afer us. We took it easy until the horse’s hoofs started to trot; then we started to gallop. Man, just as we got to the gangplank, I turned around and see him pulling his gat out! Boy, I felt the lead crawling up my back already! Fffff! I can still feel it!” ~ “How about Stanley? Where’s he?” “In his bunk, all winded.” “What happened to the skirts?” “I dunno; locked up, I guess. I started to take their part at first, but when the cop heard me talking Finn, he wanted to know when I served my term in the army here. That’s when I decided to spread wings and ky.” “So that’s the fly in your oint- ment!” “Mum's the word, comrade!” 24 (Continued Tomorrow) Nino. Martini, outstanding .tenor who was recently engaged by.:the Metropolitan. Opera Co. as .lead> ing tenor for lyric roles during-the 1933-34 season, has just been signed for a new series of one-hour>pro- | grams to be heard over a nationwide | WABC-Columbia network. ‘ Rut et TODAY'S PROGRAMS WEAF—660 Ke. * .7;00—Mountaineers Music 7:15—Red Davis—Sketch 7;30Lum and Abner—Sketch 7:4$—The Goldbergs—Sketch 8:00—Dramatic Sketch 8:30—Sizzlers Trio 8:45—Conrad Thibault, ‘Grote Orch. 00-—Gypsies Orch.; Frank Parker, ‘Terivr| 30—Crime Must Go—Secretary of Baritone, u 10: man and Arden, Piano Duo Leip cmontes Orch s 11:15—Rogers: Le 11:30—Denny Orch. 12:00—Hollywood on the Air 12:30 A. M.—Cole Orch. WOR—710 Ke. 7:00—Sports—Ford rick 7:16—Jack Arthur, Songs < 7:30—The Count ‘of Monte Cristo—Sketch 7:45—News—Gabriel Heatter 6:00—Detectives Black and Blue — Mystery Drama 8:18—Veronica Wiggihs, Contralto °* 8:30—Morro Musicale ae 9:00-—Alfred Wallenstein’s Sinfonietta 9:18—Horatius at the Bridge Table—Sketch 0—Wilberforce Quartet 5—The Witch's Tale ‘$—Current Events—Harlan Eugene Read 10: 10:30—Robbins Orch. 11:00—Time; Weather 11:02—Holst Orch. 11:30—Aaronson Orch. 12:00—Gerston Orch. WJZ—760 Ke. 7:00—Amos 'n’ Andy 7:15—-Baby Rose Marie, Songs 7:30—Golden Orch.; Maty McCoy, Soprano; Betty Barthell, Songs; Sports Talk Grantland Rice 8:00—Tours Orch.; Henry Neely, Narrator %:30—Potash and Perlmutter—Sketch s—Gould and Shefter, Piano Duo 1 Show ack's Orch.; Melody Singers 10:00—Sanford Orch.; Gloria La Vey, Con- tralto; Fred Hufsmith, Tenor; Woods Miller, Baritone; Stone and Smolen, Pinna’ Di 11:00—Leaders Trio 11:15—Poet Prince 11:30—Hahn Orch. 12:00—Harris Orch, 12:30 A. M.—Gerston Orch. * * WABC—860 Ke lier 4 poate seals Lang and ‘appy Lambert, Lid 7:30—Martin Orch. ravelers Quartet 1:45—News—Bonke Carter 00—Green Orch.; Men About Town Trio 9:30—Theatre of Today--Ships of Oak 10:00—Kostelanetz Orch.; Gladys Rice, Sop- rano; Evan Evans, Baritone 10:30—Jack Little, Sonj 10:45—Symphony Orch. 11:15—Phil Regan, Tenor 11:30—The Ideas Back of Wheat Adjustment --M. L, Wilson, Chief of Wheat Pro- duction Control Board, Agricultural Adjustment Administration 1:00—Conn Orch. Wall Street |~ | DEFENDER oF tHe FAITH A Short Story by Edward Newhouse | JIM MARTIN Making Their Reservations WGY, I'M HEQDING EAST To SEE MY FOLKS AND GiRL, THERE'S FREIGHT PULL (NG OUT SOON TLL WAB HER} WITH YOu— 'HE night was warm and starry and I still had 20 cents and I spread my canvas under the only inaccessible clump of bushes in Central Park and settled down to watching the man who looked like Mr. Lang. He lay down on the bench at-the foot of the hill and gazed at the sky. He coultin’t get his head set. He took off his coat and folded it and placed it under his head, but that wasn’t high enough and he turned on his belly and put his arms on the coat so his head was comfortable but his body wasn’t. He got up, and walked to the garbage can and took out some papers and tucked them in under the coat and lay on it face upward, but there seemed to be no way he ‘could get at a satisfactory position. To the northeast the big lake ends-in a tiny inlet where the water rats live. You could hear them plopping from the rock into the water and you could see their wake spread along the lake. Evi- dently there was a passageway from the Indian cave to the lake, be- cause if you threw a rock down the cave you heard scampering and pretty soon their round bodies glided into the bay. 4 In the summer they were fat and brave and didn’t mind the ducks who came on foraging expeditions or the squirrels who came to drink or the long-legged species of bird which preyed on tadpoles. They were afraid of police dogs and peo- ‘ple, but all they had to do was dive in.It was half past two in the morn- ing and there was only the latent murmur of the city and the occa- sional purr of a Packard, and the man who looked like Mr. Lang ap- peared puzzled by the plopping of the rats. WISHED I could make sure about his identity. Mr. Lang was the English teacher who had dropped me from class the very first day of a term. The preceding term, I had pulled that stunt about refusing to sing the Star Spangled Banner in assembly, They took me to the assistant principal and I refused. They took me to the principal and I re- fused. When Mr. Lang read out my name during the initial roil call he said, “Are you the boy who re- fused to sing the Star Spangled Banner?” * “What was the idea?” “I think it's a stupid song. don’t believe in it.” “Where'd you learn that?” “What's the difference?” “That will be all. Leave the room.” And in the afternoon I was called to the office and switched to an- other English section. The re-. corder said Mr. Lang wouldn’t have me, I And now the man who looked like . Mr. Lang took the newspaper from under his head and spread it along the sloping hillside and lay down and fell asleep, I wanted to fall asleep, too. A cat came out of the bushes and looked at me with green eyes. The cat’s belly brushed along the grass and her tail twitched and her shoulder blades moved prominently. She stopped before the fertilizer heap around a tree. When the moonlight hit the green eyes they became red. “Here pussy, pussy,” I said. The cat sidled back into the bushes and sat down. The eyes were steadily red now. I wanted to stroke her. I wanted to put her in my lap and move my fore- finger along her chin. “Here pussy,” I said. I got on all fours and moved to- ward the cat. She stood up and bounded back. “Here kitty,” I said, “come here, you dope.” ‘The green eyes flashed and dis- appeared. I came back to my can- vas and looked at the beacon lights of the Eldorado and at the man below. Now he wasn’t sleeping either. There was a great plop- ping of rats, it must have been ‘the cat. The man sat up and scratched his head loudly and stared at the cop who came walk- ing up the concrete. “Get @ move on,” the cop said, “what do you think this is, a hotel? Want me to run you in?” “No, officer,” the man said, “I'll move on.” I saw he was Mr. i “Shake a leg,” the cop said. “Pick them papers up. You got a hell of a nerve, this is no hotel.” | He walked on and Mr. Lang | started to gather the papers. The | cop came back. He said, “Listen, I don’t want to warn you again | tonight. I'll swat the hell out of, you. Maybe I'll run you in and | maybe I'll swat the hell out of you. Just remember that.” | Mr. Lang threw the newspaper | back into the garbage can and walked west. I rolled up my can- | yas and followed him. I wanted | to talk to him, but I didn’t know i | how to start. . 'HE moment he stepped over the fence I knew he was hungry. Did you ever see a real hungry man walk? It’s like a drunken stagger, only there's a faintness about it. In front of the Eldorado he hit | up two taxi drivers who didn’t an- | swer. He turned into 74th St. and | lifted the cover of a garbage can | and reached deep into it and brought forth an object and tossed} it into the gutter. On Amsterdam | Avenue he hit up ahother taxi | driver who tutned one pocket in- | side out and made a helpless mo- tion. Mr. Lang sat on a stoop. I didn’t know exactly how to ap- proach. I leaned on the banis- ter and said, “Are you Mr. Lang?” “Yes,” he said, trying to recol- lect, “You're from the school?” | “Right,” I said, “class of ’29.” “I don’t know your name, but I remember the face. Were you in | any of my classes?” | “No, I just saw you around the | building,” “And what are you doing now?” | “Nothing. Gave up looking for a | job four months ago.” 5 He smoothed his hair and ad- | justed his tie. His collar was | dirtier than mine, even. It was certainly more crumpled. My shirt was brown, you couldn’t notice the dirt. “Are you still teaching?” I said. | “No, haven't been there for some time.? 5:7... | “I have a little money, Mr. Lang. | Let's go in there and eat some- thing.” “My boy, I haven't a cent, but I don’t mind if we do. I'm penniless at the moment. Temporary em- barrassment, of course.” I was no longer sorry for him. “You son of a bitch,” I thought, “temporary embarrassment of | course, is it? Why don’t you sing | the Star Spangled Banner?” * | cr the cafeteria there was a sign advertising baked apple for five cents. s “I have twenty cents,” I said, “I'll have a baked apple and you can | buy fifteen cents’ worth. I advise pancakes and baked apple. Fill you up and plenty of calories.” . First Mr. Lang went into the men’s room and when he returned the pancakes were on the table. His yellow eyes bulged and his stubbled cheek bulged and he scratched his dusty hair loudly. He had thick, handsome lips, fev- erishly red. He didn’t tall: until the pancakes were finished. I couldn’t say “I’m the guy you fired out of your class.” You can see! how that would have sounded. I said, “Whatever became of! Roy Kaufman, fellow used to write poetry?” \ “I don't remember him.” “Or that other fellow who wouldn’t sing the Star Spangled Banner?” “That one I remember,” Mr. Lang said, “but I never heard of him and don’t expect to. Wouldn’t give two cents for his future.” “Why not?” “Born troublemaker, he was. The kind that doesn’t know when he’s well off. They tried to palm him off on me one term, only I wouldn't have him. Do you have a cigar- ette?” “No, I can’t use any that are not specially made up, and I ran out of those. We'll send Jenkins over to Dunhill’s early tomorrow. No, let's wake him now. Jenkins. Jenkins, I say.” The fellow next table looked up. “Mister,” I said, “can you let us have a butt?” He gave us two Camels. EL you,” Mr. Lang said to im. “That'll be all, Jenkins,” I said, quietly, so he didn’t hear. “That is comical,” Mr. Lang said, “What's your name, my boy?” “My Unesiad is Jenkins.” “Really.” “Ho, ho,” Mr. Lang said, “This is rich. Jenkins, oh yes, class of ’29. Sure you weren't in any of my classes?” “No, I'd surely remember.” “Great old school, at that,” he said, reflectively. I became sleepy. The counter- man wiped his tearing eyes. He was cutting up onions for salmon salad. The more he wiped, the harder the tears came. He cut his finger and cursed and ran to get mercurochrome. Mr, Lang said, “I'm glad I didn’t cut my finger.” “I’m sleepy,” I said, “I’m going to turn in.” “Where?” | peeked at an empty box of crack- sleep there, the police will run you | out.” “Not from the place I know.” I | wanted to get rid of him. I picked | up my bundle. | “What's that?” | “Canvas. You want to get your- | self a piece. Keeps moisture out. A truck driver will give you one. Hit up some of them.” | “I could never do that.” | “Why?” “There's a certain pride * Mr. Lang said. | “Pride,” I said, “is sin.” | “You think I’m joking, but a | man can’t utterly debase himself. I should like to sleep in this place you know of. Is there room for two?” “I guess so. you'll need it.” I paid the twenty cents and took some matches from the counter and looked back at the palatial cafeteria. The salmon salad mixer hollered, “Hey, I can’t find any mercurochrome, you got any up front?” Pick up that Times, E walked back to the park When we came to the bottom of the hill Mr. Lang said, “You fooligh boy, a cop passes by here every ten minutes.” “Not up there,” I said, “It’s in- accessible, It’s impregnable. They don’t look there. Let’s have your hand. Step.” The cat was under my bush. “You still here?” I said, “hello, dope.” She moved away when we came and ran swiftly down the hill and across the concrete. There was @ sound of galloping from the equestrian course. It might be a bored society gal from one of the finishing schools, out for a lark. Romantic. Or a milkman who went insane and unhitched his horse and is running amuck. Un- likely. He spread his papers in my old spot and I moved over to the other side. The galloping died out. “So long, Miss Belmont,” I thought, “so long, milkman.” ‘There were no sounds from the rats either. “Good night, Mr. Lang,” I said. “Sleep sound, my boy.” The last thing I saw was the nirth beacon of the Eldorado. In the morning when I awoke my shoulders and my buttocks and my knees felt wet. sky was blue. The murmur of the city had changed into a hum. The longlegged bird was step- ping gingeriy along the shallow, looking for tadpoles. The ducks erjacks. I separated the wet trous- ers from my knees and wondered what the hell was the matter. My canvas was gone. I searched around the bushes, but there was no sign of it and I remembered Mr. Lang. “The punk took it,” I thought. “What do you know about that?” I looked some more and waited around awhile. Then I walked down the hill and stepped across j theaters in the United States. I sat up. The | |Film Production in| Soviet Union and U.S. -- A Contrast By IRVING 18,533 LERNER. There are motion picture ac- gording to the Film Daily Year Book Yor 1933. When these figures were compiled, at the beginning of this year, there were 6,053 motion picture screens closed. By now, the number is estimated around 10,000. The mo- tion picture industry, at one time re- puted to be America’s fourth largest |industry is now not even rated as a! major one. Artistically, Hollywood has never been alive. Now it has died econo- |mically. There are at least 4,000 j}men and women: extras, bit players, | |stdys,; who are literally starving in | Hollywood. The number of camera- men, directors, carpenters, elec- | tricians, etc., who are out of work j has not been estimated. In sharp contrast to Hollywood is the picture of the moving picture in- dustry in the Soviet Union as re- duction Conference for the Thematic |Plan of Soviet Motion Pictures for | 1934, which was held recently in Moscow. There are 1,800 commercial theaters. And there are 32,000 the- aters in workers’ villages, soldiers and --workers’ clubs and factories. > Uniike Hollywood, the Soviet Union suffers from a shortage of labor, rather than an oversupply. This re- sulted in a large measure in the ‘(@ererally) poor quality of Soviet films for the past five years. The |conference pointed out that there were’ in the Soviet Union, not more than 50 or 60 experienced and first- class directors. With the studios try- ing to make a minimum of 100 to 120 feature films per year, there re- sulted the situation whére many |The Communist Party foresaw the jsituation as far back as 1931 when the Central Committee of the Party urged the making of fewer but better films. And this year it sharply or- dered more emphasis on good themes, |better scenarios, and competent di- | rectors. |". -Fedeyev, author of “1919”, | | pointed out that the Soviet producers jhad neglected the classics of Rus- sian ‘Iterature — pre-revolutionary jliterature. “Literature, and especi- | ally the classics, must occupy a first rank position in the new program. Foreign literature must be selected with the greatest of care; not indis- | jcriminately, as in the past. with sometimes unfortunate results.” |“Stenka Razin”, “Eugene Onegin”, jbased on Pushkin’s famous poem, |and “The Golovevy Manor”, based on the novel by the great Russian satir- | ist, Saltikov-Chichedrin, are some of the literary films now in production Erwin Piscator, the famous German director, is making a film based on the German revolutionary novel “The Revolt of the Fishermen”. film industry stressed the necessity |o, following the suggestions of the |Party in connectior with the prob- lems of the second Five-Year Plan | As_a concrete example he cited the {collective farms and their growth, {the new maneuvers of the class |enemy, problems of new production }and..technique, labor heroes, the young people and the children, “All of these themes”, he said, “should be treated in an artistic style worthy of the new victories of the working class.” This theme plan, he emphasized, must not only be correctly laid out, but the individual studios must take conerete steps to organize production so that scenarios are made into films correctly and on time. Shumiatsky then concluded with the statement that a second conference would take place on November 15th of this year to check up on the programs of the various studios in the light of the the fence on to the concrete. Present conference. “In the park.” “You'll have no peace trying to STAGE AND SCREEN O’Neill’s “Ah Wilderness” Is First Theatre Guild Play Of the two new Eugene O'Neill plays to be presented by the Theatre Guild this season, “Ah Wilderness” will be the first to be seen here, according day. The play, which goes in rehear- day. The play, which goes in reher- sal this week under the direction of Philip Moeller, will have its first showing on Sept. 25 at the Nixon Theatre, Pittsburgh, and will open here at the Guild Theatre, Oct. 2. ‘The cast will be announced later. Canter bai “Come Easy” Opens Tuesday; Premiere of “Blue Widow” At Morosco Theatre Wednesday “Come Easy,” a comedy of life in a small city by Felicia Metcalfe, will open Tuesday evening at the Belasco Theatre. The cast includes Helen Lowell, Alice Fischer, Nancy Sheridan and Edward Raquello. “The Blue Widow,” a new play by Marianne Brown Waters, will be pre- sented by the Shuberts on Wednes- day night at the Morosco Theatre with Queenie Smith in the principal role. Others in the cast include Helen Flint, Robertta Beatty, Albert van Dekker and Don Beddoe. ‘Wednesday night there will be a special. benefit performance for the Actors Dinner Club at the Manhattan Theatre. Some 40 stage and screen stars will take part in raising funds for-the organization, which has been feeding unemployed actors during the depression, Among the stars who will take part are Fannie Brice, Evelyn Herbert, Nancy Carrol, Howard Marsh, Harland Dixon, Herbert Raw- lmson and Roland Young. * * “This Day And Age,” directed by Cecil B. De Mille, is the new screen feature at the Paramount Theatre. ‘Richard Cromwell, Charles Bickford and Judith Allen head the cast. The Capitol Theatre, is now show- ing “Turn Back The Clock” with Lee ‘Tracy, Mae Clarke and Otto Kruger in'the principal roles, Edgar Selwyn and “Ben Heck are the authors. “Flying Devils” is the new film at the. old Roxy Theatre this week Ralph Bellamy, Arline Judge, and Eric Linden head the cast. WHATS ON Monday MASS PROTEST MEETING — Protest Against the frame-up of Bessie Horn, leader of ‘unemployed of Coney Island, and N. Boxer and others who fought against evic- tons. Coney Island. Attorney Biuten- kamp will speak. Other prominent speakers. ion free! ‘and Unemployed Council. 37th St. and Mermaid Ave vealed in the first All-Union Pro- | films were done by inferior directors. | B. Shumiatsky, head of the Soviet | > 4 it We Eat Borsht with Pleasure or, When Cooks Enter Into Socialist By MYRA PAGE HE workers of Moscow's hug ball-bearing plant decided sor hing had to be done. After putting in a morning at lathes, the poured into the plan’ spac ne lining room—to sit down to at was impossible to relish Meat poorly cooked, potatoes half raw— jand the borscht! Beyond descrip- | tion! Russians love their borscht—a rich vegetable soup, that, when steaming hot and well-preps a dish to |put pep into any | Like the old rhyme, “When it is good, it is very, very good, But when it is BAD, it is horrid!” luke- lonesome carrots in the bottom of | nd horrid it was—watery, with a fe | clustered toget! | the dish. | Agitating the Cooks | For days, the workers swore at the cooks, getting what pleasure they |could out of telling the dining room | management what was what. Still no change. They began writing to| their shop wall papers. “We demand | bettel meals. We work well at our | machines. Why is it the cooks don’t |take more interest in their job of feeding us?” | Another wall paper reported | factory kitchen ‘receives good, raw | material. Today's list shows that | tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, tt into the borscht. But where | by the time the soup It closed with the sol- “We eat borscht and “Our | reached us?” emn verdict |make sour faces. Comrade cooks, wake up!” This was the first of August. The matter drew the attention of “Pravda,” central organ of the Com-} munist Party and leading daily| paper of the U.S.S.R. “Pravda” sent) out its brigade of traveling editors, who proceeded to rally the plant’s| workers for a campaign. for better | meals. The job was to train the cooks, and get them interested inj their work. The Moscow Food Trust |was invited to send one of its food| ‘experts “to prove that if we have |the Bolshevik wish, we can make good meals from the supplies we have.” Here was the struggle for mastery of technique in another/ field. Better cooking has become a {real issue in’ the U.S.S.R. | “Bad Borscht Means Bad Com- | munists In the Kitchen” | Investigation into the ball-bear- ing plant’s kitchen revealed a sorry state of affairs. The cooks had no nm: of rsonal responsibility in their work. On days when the food |happened to be good, no one knew | |who was responsible. Likewise, on the more frequent occasions, when it |was poor, no one knew exactly who was to blame, A raw recruit re-| |ceived as much as a cook with fif-| \teen years’ experience, a poor cook the same amount as a good one. | Under such conditions, how could | jone expect the cooks to be doing their best? | | On the walls of the dining room, | | pictures of the factory’s cooks were | posted. Underneath were written |their names, with the captions, “To- day Comrade Zelesnov is respon- sible for the quality of dish num-| jber 1” (borscht); “Comrade Tekho- nov is in charge of dish number 2” (meat and vegetables). The union worked out a new wage | scale, which rewarded skill and| training. The slogan was raised: | “Bad borscht means bad Communists | Competition in the factory kitchen.” When Tekhonov was complimenter for his good cutlets, and Zelesnoy received a good razzing, in person, from workers forced to eat his poor soup, the cooks began to take more notice. They had become figures of public importance. The campaign- ers’ agitation roused them; they came to view their work in a new light, as helpers in building social- ism The campaigners started a fight against dirt in the kitchens and dining room, and for better storing of supplies. When they found pota~ dumped carelessly on the floor, ng the cook’s knife, they spoke out against this practice in their daily sheet. Later in the month, Zelesnov, Tek- honoy and the other cooks decided to enter into socialist competition Who Will Cook Better?” They sent a challenge to the cooks. of dining ropm 18. At a joint meeting, the conditions of the con- test were worked out: each kitchen using the same raw materials, but combining them as they liked, cook- ing in boilers of an equal capacity of 350 dishes each. A commission was chosen composed of two workers from the factory, two cooks from Moscow's best Factory Kitchen, two. housewives, two chemists and two representatives of the Food Trust, On'the basis of the soup’s taste, calories, price, and whether it was served on time and prepared under cleanly conditions, the judges were to rate each day’s product. “Who Will Cook Better?” On the first day of the competi- tion, the ball-bearing plant prepared no borscht .at all, Why? “Be- cause we had no vinegar, and how can you make good borscht without- vinegar?” the cooks answered. However, dining room 18 succeeded. in making good borscht, without vinegar. The second day the hall- bearing plant again lost. At the end of the meal, the workers declared the borscht too sour. Zelesnov, Tekhonov and the other cooks, now excited, began to com- pete in earnest. Each evening they started checking up on the conditions of the carrots, potatoes and other supplies to see they were well stored and in good shape for next day's} borscht, Anxiously, they sampled the day's stew, swearing at any whe held them back. They had decided to win. On the fifth day, the ball- bearing plant diners declared the borscht much improved. Elated, Zelesnov and Tekhonoy urged on their comrades. The final outcome ~they won the competition. On Sept. 22, ball-bearing workers wrote in their wall pap: five kopecks (about 13 cents) a dish. Meanwhile, the cooks of the two kitchens have started another com- petition, this time on the second course, of meat and vegetables. “Pravda,” calling the ball-bearing plant's experience to the attention of its readers, reminds the country’s network of factory papers that fight- ing for better food supplies to -the- workers is one of its main tasks. The All-Union Council of Soviet Trade Unions has announced tha award af premiums to the best fac- tory cooks, and calls on local uniofs’* to stimulate socialist competition be- tween different factory kitchens, Scores of more wall papers announce, bese “Now We Pleasure” Eat Borscht ‘AMUSE MENTS TODA BISENSTEIN'S _ MURNAU’S “10 Shook | | ND TOMORROW ONLY “City Girl” Adapted from the story “BREAD” Days That the World” RADIO CITY MUSIC HAL SHOW PLACE of the NATION ||] Direction “Roxy” Opens 11:30 |||Janet Gaynor — Warner Baxter | in “Paddy, the Next Best Thing” and a great “Roxy” stage show B5e to 1 P.M.-5he to 6 (Exe, Sat. & Sun.) CAREFULLY COOLED Today By a tues. NEW ROXY ih “PILGRIMAGE” with HENRIETTA CROSMAN. Zhe to G40 to close (Exe. Sat.. Sun.) Opens *K0 Jefferson 1 St & | Now ROBT. MONTGOMERY and ANN HARDING in “When Ladies Meet” and “AS THE DEVIL COMMAND S* with ALAN DINEHART & MAE CLARKE Write to the Daily Worker about every event of interest to workers which occurs in your factory, trade union, workers’ organization or le- cality, BECOME A WORKER COR- RESPONDENT! The DAI THREE DAY BAZAAR Slovak and Czechoslovak WORKERS’ ORGANIZATIONS of Chicago September 2, 3, 4, 1933 for the benefit of LY ROVNOST LUDU at Pilson Sokol Hall, Dancing every night — Bohemian singers — Ukrainian dancers’ Admission 10c Ni 7e 1816 So. Ashland Ave, | a-4 ~ =—-—