The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 23, 1934, Page 3

ne ae yj gacoen = DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1934 WwW Page Three Simmons Bed Strikers. Win 10 P. C. Pay Rise By Militant Walkout ° 2,000 Could Have) Gained 25 Pe. Rise But for A. F. of L. Heads KENOSHA, Wis. Feb. 21. — Two thousand workers of the Simmons Company, bed manufacturers, who went on strike Feb. 12 have won a 10 per cent increase in pay, recogni- tion of department committees elected by the workers, and no discrimina- tion for union or strike activity. The strike which ended Saturday was carried on militantly with mass picket lines, including hundreds of women thrown around the entire plant. | There is a feeling among a great | number of workers that more con- | cessions could have been gotten from” the Simmons Company. The original demand was for a 25 per cent in- crease. In view of great solidarity) demonstrated by the workers, this could have probably been won, had the strike continued for another day or two. The fact that these concessions Were gotten is due to the miltancy displayed by the rank and file of the union, as well as by some members of the executive committee and strike committee of the A. F. of L, FeFderal local. When the first strike vote was taken, a number of weeks ago, some of the A. F. of L, officials from the Central Trades and Labor Council did everything possible to hold the workers back. At that time, they utilized the three-fourths majority jaw to prevent a strike. When that failed, they attempted to get the men to agree to arbitration, even in | advance of the strike. The strike sentiment, however, was so great and the grievances:so deep that the offi- cials like Felix, Olkives, the lawyer | Kuehnl, were compelled to go along. | Harley Nickerson, vice-president of International Association of Machin- ists, also arrived upon the scene and} instead of unifying the rank of the| working class, attempted to split the machinists, who were also out on} strike, away from the rest of the Simmons workers, | The dirtiest role of all was played| by John Kuehnl, Socialist attorney. | He made a statement which was| printed in the Kenosha Evening News, | where he attacked the Communist Party and “appealed for public recog- | nition of the battle the unions were waging against the Communist ele- ment in the Kenosha movement.” The workers look upon this statement as | the statement of a stool pigeon who | acts in the interests of the bosses. | This is not an official tatement of the union. The majority of the work- ers resented the splitting tactics of Mr, Kuehnl because they know that the Communists are workers employ- ed in the same factory, who actively participated in the strike in order to guarantee success. Mr. Kuehnl was the one most intrumental in the sell- | out of the Nash strike. He tried to| do the same in the Simmons strike. | But the rank and file was aware of his previous treachery and prevented | him from doing so. The workers of | Kenosha should drive’this tool of the | booses out of the labor movement. _ Although the company has promis- | ed to abide by the agreement, the workers must now be on guard against any attempt to dodge the increase in wages and to prevent increase in speed up. The rank and file must pafticipate more actively in the af- fairs of the federal local and see to it that the union is not taken from them by the professional labor lead- ers, who before the strike tried to prevent any kind of action on the} + of the workers and now try to} claim credit for. the victory. Any eletted official in the union, who comes into office by giving promises to the rank and file, must be made to live up to these promises or must give way to such workers as will always battle for the interest of the rank and file. News Briefs BALTIMORE BREAD STRIKE BALTIMORE, Md.— Several ’ or- ganizations have declared a boycott on those bakeries which have in- creased the price of bread. The bakeries have blamed the increase on NRA, MORE MILLIONS TO RAILROADS WASHINGTON, D. C.—Despite re- cent pronouncements that the R. F. ©. funds had been completely ex- Ua by loans to railroads, banks a.d insurance companies, the Nickel Plate Railroad was granted a $5,- 028,000 loan yesterday with which to buy new equipment. This follows a $20,000,000 loan to the New York Central, and large loans to Penn- sylvania and New Haven railroads, inuaillcollectiveCen- COFFEE DESTROYED IN BRAZIL NEW YORK.—The New York Cof- fee Exchange reports that 46,000 bags of coffee were destroyed in Brazil during the first two weeks in Feb- ruary. The total destroyed since June, 1931, amounts to 26,401,000 bags. CHICAGO CHICAGO WORKERS THEATRE presents MARCHING 4 Sting ant FEET eres Hull House Theatre, 800 So, Halsted Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Feb. 23-24-25 At 8:30 p.m. Admission 500, Chicago Friends of the Soviet Union present Dr. Frederick L. Schuman, U. of C. lecture on “Political Implications in tion of the Soviet Union” SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2%, at 3 P, M. at 59 E. Van Buren Street Admission 25c. Gas Workers Protest Against Co. Union NEW YORK. —,A demand that company unions in the New York Edison and United Electric Light and Power Companies be abolished will be placed before a stockholders’ meeting of the Consolidated Gas Co. by a delegation headed by Jerome Count, counsel for the Brotherhood of Utility Employes. The resolution to be presented by Count charges that $150,000 have been spent by the two companies since last October to finance com- pany unions. Cleveland Furniture Men in AFL Vote To Join Indust. Union Majority Affiliates to| Furniture Workers In- dustrial Union CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb, 22,—At @ meeting of 80 workers of jthe Cleveland Furniture Company, em- ploying about 300 workers, the work- ers in discussing the need for ob- taining improvements in the plant and the action of the A. F. of L, since their affiliation which has kept on collecting dues without the work- ers deriving any benefits from their affiliation, decided by a majority vote (10 voting for an independent union) to affiliate with the Furniture Workers Industrial Union there and elected officials for the union and decided to ask for a charter from the Industrial Union. This plant was the first one, dur- ing the beginning of the strike wave | in 1933 to affiliate with the A. F. of L. and is the first one to disaffiliate from the A. F. of L. Those present at the meeting represented the most active force in the piamt and the leaders of the various departments of the plani. The acticn of the workers of the Cleveland Furniture Co., which is the Jargest plant in the furniture in- dustry in Cleveland, is expected to have a large influence on all the other furniture shops, Copper Smelters Win 10 Pe. Raise Cleveland Workers Gain | By Vote To Strike for Demands CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb. 22—The workers of the National Copper and Smelting Company of Cleveland, won Wage increase of ten per cent after taking a strike vote and also a one year’s agreement. The committee negotiating the agreement was led by Joseph Zack of the Joint Coun- cil of Industrial Unions. Included in the agreement is a provision that whenever the cost of living increases 10 per cent or more, the union has a right to demand a corresponding increase in pay. ‘ The company at first proposed arbitration and experts to investigate its expens2s, ete. on the plea that they cannot afford a wage increase, but under pressure of the Copper and Smelting Local of the Steel and Metal Workers Industrial Union who waived this proposal of the company and forced the signing of the agree- ment for a year granting a wage increase, The Local yoted $10 to the or- ganizing fund and voted to attend the annual wiater affair of the Joint Council of Industrial Unions to be held on Saturday evening, Feb. 14th at 7.30 p. m. at the Prospect Audi- torium, 2612 Prospect Ave. Democrats “Split” | in Maneuvres on Wage Cutting Bill Fear Dunnigan Proposals Too Raw to Fool N. Y. | Civil Employees | By C.P.R. ALBANY, Feb, 22.— Democrats in the State Legislature continue to wrangle over the counter-measures Proposed by Senator John J. Dunni. gan to amend the LaGuardia Econ- omy (wage-cutting) Bill. The Dem- ocratic opposition to Dunnigan’s pro- Posals is led by Assemblyman Irwin J. Steingut, who until the counter-| measure was announced, was lined up side by side with Dunnigan in oppo- sition to the LaGuardia measure, which has received the support of Governor Lehman. The Dunnigan proposals have as their basic purpose the saving of the county offices, source of great poli- tical power and financial spoils for the Tammany machine. LaGuardia’s bill had proposed to abolish these of- fices for the purpose of saving ad- ministrative costs for his Wall Street banker bosses, The split in the Democratic oppo- sition is prompted by nothing more or less than the attempt to dema- | gogically save the Tammany face (if | that were possible) in the eyes of New York civil employees. One of the outstanding points in Dunnigan’s counter measure is the enforced one- month furlough for all city workers, and the Steingut-led Democrats are trying to save Tammany from get- ting another black eye. Otherwise, the Democratic forces are united— openly in the matter of the county offices and underhandedly in the matter of widespread wage cuts. The main points included in the Dunnigan measure are (1) the ac- ceptance by the Democratic group of Controller Cunningham’s $28,000,000 estimate of the present city budget deficit; (2) that the Board of Esti- mate be empowered to put through a payless furlough of one month's du- ration (which amounts to a substan- tial wage-cut) on all city em- pleyes, which, it is claimed, will effect a saving of $22,000,000; (3) that La- Guardia be empowered to merge city departments and offices under his direct control to save an additional $1,000,000, and (4) $6,000,000 in addi- tional liquor taxes, it is emphasized, are available to the city administra- tion. The all-inclusive one-month en- forced furlough, while ostensibly ap- plied to all city officers as well as low-waged employees, will in no respect differ from LaGuardia’s at- tack on the wages of the city work- ers. The main portion of the esti- mated $22,000,000 saving will come from the pockets of the many poorly- paid civil employees. The other points of Dunnigan’s measure, which the Democratic ma- jority in the State Senate, with the exception of Steingut, has voted to support when it is offered in the form of amendments to the LaGuardia bill, again reveal the identity of in- terests which motivates both the Fusion and Democratic forces. Both | gangs stay scrupulously away from any attempt to place the burden of the city deficit on those who are re- sponsible for it—the Chase National and National City banks. More—the purpose of both groups is to keep intact the payments of $126,000,000 per year to these Wall Street bankers under the terms of the Untermyer four-year agreement. The nature of all the squabbles which have attended the Economy Bill’s course in Albany in the past (it has twice been defeated) have been characterized before as political dog-fighting, with no real point of disagreement between the two quib- bling groups. This was again proved yesterday by Dunnigan’s statement that the amended Senate bill would include changes agreed upon by both Lehman and LaGuardia, Both the Fusion and Tammany forces late this evening, despite some petty squabbling were still working on a plausible and “agreeable solu-: tion - to the economy plan” which would victimize the masses of New York’s workers under the guise of “fairness” and at the same time guarantee the bankers’ hold on the city administration. Send to the Daily Worker, 50 E. 13th St., New York City, names of CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES ‘ | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: | WASHINGTON, D.C. | February 12, 1934 piend > a. Y. My dear aimamantioesms In reply to your commanication of re in reference to Workers Unemployment and Social Inesuranes Bill, H. R. 7596, permit me te state that I an in favor of this mescure. | it date, | artily Yours very traly, A RESULT OF MASS PRESSURE The above letter was written by the Brooklyn (N. ¥.) Congressman, William Brunner, to a worker who wrote him demanding indorsement of the Workers Unemployment and Social Insurance Bill (H. R. 7598). Brunner has so far not fought in the House Committee on Labor for the immediate bringing of the Workers Bill to the floor of Congress. The workers of Brooklyn and workingclass organizations must demand of Congressman Brunner that he make good his statement in favor of the bill by appearing in the House Committee on Labor and demanding that the bill be favorably acted on. Workers and their organizations all over the country must flood their Congressmen with wires and letters demanding that they vote for the bill (H. R. 7598). ILA Heads Use Union In Extortion Scheme Against Dock Workers Leaders Run Union Button and Ticket Graft By A, S. PASCUAL NEW YORK.—Under the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge just across from Wall Street is Red Hook, where by the most ruthless gangster tactics, ' American Federation of Labor offi- cials have temporarily beaten 5,000 | Jongshoremen into submission. The officials make no pretense about maintaining a union. Dues are collected right on the docks from Members and non-members at the rate of $3 for three months. If non- members, the workers are given a button. by the International Long- shoreman Association delegate, which has no local number on it. Every Official Graft Buttons sold to longshoremen in Red Hook representing three months dues, price $3. Non-union members are given a button for the same price, but to protect their racket, no local number appears on the non-union button, one of the ten locals in Red Hook} distributes 1,000 of these buttons every three months, Except for Local 808 membership meetings of the Italian and Spanish workers are never called. Sick and | death benefits have not been paid since 1931. And the I. L. A. officials here claim they are broke, and that the union needs money. As shown in the previous articles on racketeering by A. F. of L. offi- cials this is the constant excuse used by these union leaders to place crushing dues and taxes on the shoulders of unemployed and pari time workers in the union. But the! I, L, A. here in Red Hook and and Manhattan uses out and out extor- tion. Outside the paymaster’s window at every single pier in the port of New York the boss stevedore or one of his agents will be found with a col- lection box in his hand. Sometimes he tells the workers the money is for a longshoreman who was injured on} the job. Sometimes he does not bother, but the workers know that if they do not put from 75c to a dollar those you know who are not read- be interested in reading it. ers of the “Daily,” but who would ; get work on that pier, whether they into that box, they will never again Tickets for affairs at ritay places workers, and longshoremen have to buy five and six of these tickets at $1 each for the right to work. Last Occober, the all-powerful City Dem- ocratic Club in Red Hook sold 15,000 tickets to longshoremen on the piers for a ball that was helg in the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel St. George. Not a single one of the workers forced to buy $5 and $10 worth of tickets, attended this swanky affair, But the I. L. A. delegates Patzi and Camarda, the bootlegger Martino, the gangster Berto and his lieuten- ants Esperanza and Atanasio, all members of the club, did not give a hang whether they. attended or not. company contratcors, also members of the club which now supports La- ‘Guardia. They all raised plenty of money for “charity” and had a swell time at the affair. All the racketeers in Red Hook centralize at this City Democratic Club. This is the place from which the gangster Martino operates his wine distribution to the “cantinas” in the section. The “cantina” in Red Hook operates | in the back room of an apartment and acts as a wine selling-employ- ment agency. That is, Martino tells the owner if he sells so much wine, | he will fix it up with the LL.A. and | stevedore bosses so that he can place five or twenty of the longshoremen | who drink his wine to work on the/ piers, | The longshoreman in order to get | ene or two days work each week, has | to drink $2 worth of wine and then he is compelled to pay $i to the cantina owner for fixing things up for him. The job control of the) I. L, A. delegates, the gangsters and stevedores is so powerful, that any | complaint from a worker caught in| this vice—like extortion plot, is enough to have him blackjacked into | silence and blacklisted from every | pier job. Gebert, CP Organizer, to) Speak to SP-Led Group | CHICAGO, Ill, Feb. 22—B. K. | Gebert, organizer of the Communist | Party, has been invited to speak on | “Fascism and War” before the Chi- cago Workers Committee on Unem- ployment, a Socialist organization, belong to the union or not. Tonday, Feb. 26, at 7.30 p. m. at the Oliver Institute, 1441 Cleveland Ave. | Laborers’ and | Union held a mass protest meeting are sold by the thousands to the| Neither did the stevedore bosses and | \committee had discriminated again: In Pottsville Aid CopsFight CWA Men To Prevent Fight Against Firing By a C. W. A. Worker Correspondent POTTSVILLE, Pa—On Jan. 31 the Farmers’ Unemployed against a cut discrimination out on C.W.A. Before the meeting took place. Jan. 29, the Philadelphia Record Printed a statement that the Unem- Ployed Council of Pottsville is organ- izing a strike on the C. W. A. in Pottsville, and that all available police force will prevent mass pick- eting. Some of the leaders of the L. & F. Union of Pottsville and the members of the Soicalist Party went to the city police office and told them that they are good and loyal boys to the government, but only the Commu- nists are creating the trouble here. On Jan, 30 some of the leading fig- ures of the L. & F. Union of Pott: ville and members of the Soci Party had a special session with the Chief of Police, the Mayor and the} City Councilmen in the City Hall of | Pottsville. The consequence was that | the police force was sent in to the) L, & F. Union mass meeting in} Armory Hall, in order to bar the} |Communists from taking the floor| and urging the C. W. A. workers to Bo on strike. | ‘Act on Jobless Bill? Jobless Councils Telegraph Congress, in hours, layoffs and in handling the jobs projects, Protest at C. W. A. NEW YORK.—The National Unem- ployment Councils, sent a telegram| Monday to the House Chairman, | William Connery, Jr., of the Commit- | tee on Labor, protesting against the| |C.W.A. firing and demanding jobs| |for all unemployed workers. The telegram demanded the enactment of the Workers Unemployment and So- cial Insurance Bill (H.R. 7598), which is the Labor Committee, The telegram, signed by I. Amier and Herbert Benjamin, states: “In behalf tens of thousands w ers and their dependents who are jabout to be deprived of their means |of existence by wholesale lay offs which Civil Works Administration has announced we protest this callous ac- |tion which displays same disregard | for workers’ lives as was shown by |Dollfuss in the recent Austrian| events and by Hitler and other fascist | dictators elsewhere. Your committee | Professes interest and concern in con- ditions of masses and claims readi-| ness to act independently of and even in opposition to Roosevelt. | “Action speaks louder than words. We demand that you act to prevent! further increase in mass misery securing emergency slation to di rect President and C.W.A, Admini- stration to continue. and extend job program. “We are calling upon workers and unemployed to refuse to accept lay- offs, to resist layoffs en mass, to pick- et C.W.A. Administration offices, to demand cash relief equivalent to| Wages they have received for all work- | ers laid off C.W.A. jobs. We insist that you favorably report out of com- mittee and help secure enactment of H.R. 7598 whch would make go ment assume obligation for pro means of existence for all w unemployed through no fault of their own.” Great Western Sugar Dictates Celorado Relief GREELEY, Colo.—Charges that the Weld County relief and civil wi Spanish-American residents and had aid unless applicants first had the the Great Western Sugar Co., were made by Benjamin Glassberg, federal | mittee. made a practice of refusing federal |b recommendation cf a ficld agent of |S Socialist Leaders St. Paul Communist Party Heads Workers Active Sub-Getter Finds “Daily” Helps Organize Workers b. 20th, the Party Unit in sent in 5 new subs Nelson of the Nelson. the worker the Di explains piolbems. of he working-class - state openly OSCAR NELSON that the Daily Worker is the central organ of the Communist Party, and that it explains Communism. We find the Da Worker a real helper in organizing the workers in this smali town.” Keep up the good work, Com- rade Nelson! St.PaulJobless Hear | Convention Reports 800 Greet Delegate to Nat'l Jobless Convention |Telegraph Connery in| gr, pavt. minn, Feb. 22—Eight| s crowded the audi- ety building here, at hundred wor torium of the iri |the call of the Young and Single| Firing | Workers Club. They greeted with | tremendous enthusiasm the an mcement that the club. was de- ted and actively involved in the struggle against discrimination of youth and the sin the matter of relief At meeting the report of the delegate to the National Unemplo; ment. Convention at Washington wi rendered. The Workers Unemploy- ment Insurance Bill was read: both the report and the reading-of the bill met with great applause. At this meeting more than one hundred workers joined the club, and pledged themselves actively to pa’ ticipate in the struggles of alf the unemployed. The demands outlined by the work- ets of the club are as follows: 1. Jobs at union wages or ade- quate cash relief. 2. No discrimination in giving out of federal or local jobs because of age, race, sex, nationality, mari- tal state, creed or political affilia~ tion. 3. Abolition of vagrancy laws. 4. Abolition of flop houses and the right of the unemployed. work- ers to choose their own place to eat and sleep. 5. Abolition of concentration camps, 6. Public audit of Welfare Board periodical publication of same. 7. Im jiate enactment of the Workers Unemployment and Social Insurance Act, (H. R. 7598). St. Louis Officials Get Rich on Graft; $100,000 Paid for Office Fixtures Mo—Over $100,000 and office fix- work to the un- $13 a week for City trucks are A at $35-40 a.day st went LOUIS, for typewri 8 KS _ wor rented to the small owners get trucks, The t retail-at 12 ar prices paid for axes, picks and retail at 65 cents. and his Alder- have relief director, in dissolving that com-|amount of graft at the expense of | moval of Mrs, Lochinski as an election men an enormous the unemployed workers. Another Half Million Adde Unemployment Went Up for 4th Straight Month By CARL REEVE NEW YORK—Total employment decreased another 500,000 in the month of January, according to the figures of Mrs. Perkins’ Department of Labor, issued Feb. 20. For the fourth consecutive month unemploy- ment has increased, it is admitted by these government figures, which are themselves colored as highly as pos- sible to conceal the substantial in- crease in unemployment. In Janu- ary, payrolls declined another $5,400,~ 000 below the December figure. Taking the average for the year 1926 as 100, Mrs. Perkins’ figures ad- mit that, in manufacturing, the index for employment in January is only 69.3 and that payrolls are 49.4 of the 1926 average.’ In non-manufacturing industries, the figures show an even greater decline, Decline In Building Mrs, Perkins said: “The com- bined decline in employment in the and non-manufac- 500,000 wage earners and the com- bined fall in weekly payrolls ap- proximately $5,400,000.” But these figures of the Roosevelt government by no means tell the whole story. Mrs. Perkins admits, “Public Works construction projects provided employment for more than & d to Jobless Army in Jan. j Perki 265,000 persons during the month of January.” She adds, “The Civil Works Administration provided jobs for over 3,800,000 people during the week ending Feb. 1.” These figures of C. W. A. jobs are highly inflated, but certainly the rapid rate of firing of C. W. A. workers is not inflated. With all of the “Recovery” meas- ures of the new.New Deal, jobs have decreased by half a million in the month of January. This does not | take into account the nearly a million workers already fired from C. W. A. jobs by Roosevelt. And another 3,000,000 are to be laid off in the com- ing few weeks. It is indeed a revealing commen- tary on the “re-employment pro- gram” of the “New Deal” when we turn to Mrs. Perkins’ figures for building construction, to which the P. W. A. was supposed to be given the most jobs. “The decreases in employment, which were of consider- able size, included the building con- struction industry, with a decrease of 12.5 per cent,” says the Department of Labor. “Seasonal” Effects ‘The Roosevelt government is hard put to it to dress up these figures in such a way as to give the impression that “Recovery” is proceeding. Mrs. Perkins turns some fantastic somer- saults. She says that “Employment in manufacturing industry was char- acterized by marked seasonal de- But she does not state that January is the fourth month in which there was a progressive and steady decline in employment. The U. S. Department of Commerce bul- letin for February admits this steady decline with the words, “Factory em- ployment and payrolls declined in December for the third consecutive month.” Mrs. Perkins tries to show that the decline is “smaller than usual” in January. Furthermore, Mrs. Perkins conceals the fact that a “seasonal” increase in January in a few industries pre- vented a much more drastic decline in jobs. For example, in the anthra- cite industry payrolls increased in January 65.2 per cent over December and jobs increased 17.6 per cent. Mrs, Perkins does not state that Jan- uary is the one busiest month in this industry. Similarly for the auto industry, where jobs increased 21.5 per cent in January. The speculation in: this industry on higher prices, the tem- porary factor of this miniature “boom,” the effect of new models, is not mentioned by Mrs. Perkins. Her figures do not tell the story of wage cuts under N. R. A. codes in the auto industry, of speed up. She does not give the facts that increase in auto production, s‘imulated by government subsidies, came out of the hide of the workers. Nor does she dwell on the fact that in spite of these increases, which prevented a sharper drop in unemployment, hard coal mining was only 64.1 per cent in January of what. it was in 1929 and automobiles 72.8 per cent of the number of jobs in 1926 in that industry. ‘The manner in which the Depart- ment of Labor gives these figures, sugar coating a one month drop of half a million in the numberof jobs, calls to mind the statement of the Annalist of Feb. 2 on the statistics of the Roosevelt government. “Who would testify that the data emitted today by Federal agencies have not already been warped by ad- minis‘ration statisticians to show whatever the exigencies of the moment require,” states this finan- cial and business journal. “The ad- ministration prostituted our money; would it hesitate to pervert its own statistics? The fact is that all of the federal statistical agencies have been brought under the absolute con- trol of one man, an ‘interpreting economist’ who perhaps has_ his tongue in his cheek all of the time.” This certainly applies to the figures of Frances Perkins. Speed Up and Wage Cuts Added to the steady decline in jobs for the past four months will be the army of those millions laid off from C. W. A. jobs., Mrs. Perkins will probably not include these increases in her February “statistics.” The government wishes to hide the facts of increased starvation it has wrought. The Annalist of Feb. 16 states edi- torially: “In view of the well-known fact that the C. W. A. and other re- lief disbursements have been a direct cause of part of the recent rise in general business activity, the ques- tion now arises as to how much the curtailment of these expenditures will bring about a decrease in business activity.” The employers, of course, are not concerned with how many millions: of jobless starve ‘to death. They are concerned with their profits. At what cost to the workers has the “busi- ness” index for January risen (ac- | cording to preliminary es‘imates) 3.3 | points, remaining at 729 of “Esti- mated Normal” (Annalist of Feb. 16), | at the same time that payrolls and jobs have markedly gone down. At} the cost of increased unemployment, | of wage cuts put over by the Roose- velt N. R. A. codes, and at the cost of the speed-up. This speed-up is | admitted in the New York Sun of} Feb, 20, which states: “Thanks to the growing use of more efficient machinery,” that production slightly increased, while employment went down. “That turn 1s forced by the rising costs of doing business under the N. R. A.,” states the Sun. The figures of Perkins and the business journals leave out these fac- tors which vitally concern the work- ers—the wage cuts under the N. R. A. codes; the speed-up; the increase in unemployment for the four months past; and the fact that wages are doubly cut by the inflation and rise in prices of necessities of life at the same time that wages have been kept down under the N. R. A. codes. One-half million were laid off in January, A million C. W. A. work- ers were laid off in the month of February. Speculative booms, subsi- dies to employers, inflation, and a slight temporary increase in produc- tion has given the employers more profits—but at the cost to the work- ns F igures Admit Roosevelt Government Again Fals “Statistics” ers of increased unemployment, cuts in relief, speed-up, wage cuts and high prices for necess This attempt of the employers and their federal government to maintain profits at the cost to the workers of unemployment, wage cuts, relief cuts and speed-up, brings the working class face to face with the necessity of a united fight for security, against unemployment and starvation. Un- employment is increasing. The esti- mate of 16,000,000. unemployed is it~ self conservative. ‘ It is being added to from month to month.-The-un- employed army is permanent. The Workers’ Unemployment and Social Insurance Bill (H.R. 7598) is now before Congress. .This _ bill, backed by the Unemployment Coun- cils, and by many hundreds of thou- sands of workers in the A. F. of L, unions and other workers’ organiza- tions, is the only bill which will wrest this security from the employers and the Roosevelt government. Only a mass campaign, on the basis of the broad unity of all workers, no matter what their organization, only a fighting program, only a real fight, can win the workers this security. The war funds of the government, the profits of the subsidized employ- ers, must be turned over to the starv- ing jobless. This is the lesson of Perkins’ figures on unemployment. all forced labor or | each for wheel | Strike-Breaking Acs Tieket in Elections [Pro pose Seven Point Platform Against Hunger ST. PAUL, Minn, Feb, %—The Workers Ticket, supported by the Communist Party, is conducting an active campaign here in the coming elections. The central campaign of the Workers Ticket is the fight against hunger, On this central issue, the Workers Ticket of the Communist Party is putting forward a seven potnt program, With 40,000 jobless workers in &. Paul, less than 20 per cent of whom ave been given jobs on C.W.A, and who already face dismissal, as relief is being cut to the bone, the N.RA. is slashing the wages of those who have jobs, the entire burden of the crisis, here as well as elsewhere in the United States, is being placed on the shoulders of the workingclass. The platform of the workers’ candi- dates, endorsed by the Communist Party, call for, in part, cash relief to all jobless workers; increased wages to meet the rising cost of liv- ing; no O.W.A. layoffs, and the re- hiring of those already fired at union wages; public works projects te oon- sist of slum clearance, Candidate Is Welder Louis M. Larson, candidate for mayor, is @ welder, employed in one of the local metal shops and is active in his union. When he was unem- ployed he played an attive part in the struggles of the unemployed work- ers, Ossian E, Anderson, candidate for the City Council, is a steel worker | and a leader of the Steel and Metal | Workers Industrial Union, Mabel Peuschel, candidate for the City Council, is‘a ©.W-.A. worker, ac- | tively engaged in building the. st Paul Relief Workers Protective As- sociation, Wm. T. Olds, candidate for the City Council is a Negro worker, who is a black-listed Pullman porter, and has been in the forefront of ‘the strug- “| gles of the Negro and white workers of St. Paul, | Lucille Bartlett, candidate for the | City Council is a housewife and | mother of three children, active in | the struggles of the unemployed workers, | Youth Is Candidate Ernest Heikkinen, candidate for the City Council, is a young worker, ac- tive in the struggles of the youth. and section organizer of the Young Communist League, At the present time he is working on # ©.W.A. job, | and is @ member of their organise- | tion, Carl D, Wayne, candidate for the | City Council, is @ laborer, | A vivid picture of the real role of | the Social Fascist Farmer-Labor | group is being unfolded in the East~ | Side of St. Paul, a concentrated work~ ing class neighborhood, Workers in the 17th precinct, = | great number of whom are unemploy- | ed, have been long terrorized by 8 | Mrs. Lochinski, This woman, because | of her service to the Farmer-Labor | Party is the recipient of many favors | from the clique headed by Mayor Ma- | honey, formerly a member of the So- | cialist Party, who is once more séek~ | ing election, | This woman, formerly a police- | matron, has muleted $5 and $10 « | piece from impoverished families so | that they might receive relief. from | the welfare board, The extent of political protection is further accen- tuated, when we find that she has no official connection: with the dis- | tribution of relief, Efforts had been made in the pasi on the part of the Unemployed Coun- cil and the Communist Party, to have action taken against the grefter. The workers,, mostly Polish, . Were so | thoroughly terrorized that they failed | to respond, Recently, these. Polish. workers under the leadership of militant | members of the Steel and Metal | Workers Industrial Union, selected | several large delegations, who went to the court-house to demand the re- judge, @ position she has occupied for | many years. Armed with petitions, | containing the names of large num- | bers of workers in the neighborhood, | they pressed their demands for her | removal, before the election board, | Before thsi board, the workers pre- | sented testimony, pointing to the policies of Mrs, Lochinski, who was | present with a lawyer, They also | pointed out how she had used the | position of election judge to intimi- | date workers into voting for pry | candidate she chose, | Much to the consternation of the | Workers in the neighborhood, they | were notified by Mr. Scott, the City | Clerk and now a candidate on the “Progressive Labor Ticket” (Farmer- Labor), that Mrs, Lochinski was com- pletely absolved because of “lack of evidence.” The workers, however, do | not consider the case closed, They have once more seen reactionary deeds performed under the cloak of radical phrases. They haye learned that they now have only one recourse —mass action, .... They are organizing. public.hearings and mass meetings, where they will challenge Mayor 7, Mrs. Lochinski, Mr. Scott and others to answer for their abuse of workers rights, They are organizing to pro- tect themselves against any further | intimidation and abuse, IMPRESSED BY “DAILY” R Traverse City, Mich. Sirs: * Am enclosing money for subsctip- tion to the Daily Worker. I was muck impressed by the news I read in two issues that were passed to me. If they continue the same, I think you will be sending se here in- stead of one, Please start my sub. at once, One of the Unemployed.