The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 13, 1934, Page 1

om —— a CIRCULATION DRIVE MEW SUBS RECEIVED YESTERDAY: el. XI, No. 62 Butered as second-class ma' New York, N. ¥., under the As Daily ,QWorker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. ‘tter at the Post Office at et of Mareh 8, 1870 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1934 (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL) WEATHER: Pair rising temper- AMERICA’S ON CLASS DAILY LY WORKING NEWSPAPER (Six Pages) Price 3 Cents 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES VETS’ BONUS BILL Daily tily Worker Will Print a Half Mil Million Copies of the 24. -Page | May Day k:dition Cab Drivers Plan to Spread Strike to Other Companies Write Articles, Features Lengshoremen Offer to Help Drivers Stop Cabs START NRA HEARING Gilbert Assails Plan of Labor Board NEW YORK.—The strike of the Parmelee taxi drivers | against a company union en- tered its third day yesterday, | with leaders of the Taxi Driv- ers Union of Greater New York taking up the question of spreading | the strike to other companies. While the hackmen were picket- | ing the garages, the Regional Labor | Board, with Mrs. Elinore Herrick | acting as chairman, continued | maneuvers to have the men call off strike and then vote on the question | of the company union. This plan | was once more flatly rejected by the union men. Sam Orner and | Joseph Gilbert, militant spokesmen | for the drivers, told the press that Mrs. Hertick’s proposition was en- tirely out of the question. “This pian is designed to break the strike,” said Gilbert. “The drivers are proving by their strike action what organization they wish to belong to.” Yesterday the union received a communication from longshoremen of the International Longshoremen’s Association, declaring their sym- pathy with the strike. The long- shoremen said thev will support the | strike by preventing scab Parmelee | cabs from’ picking up passengers at | the docks. Hiackmen at Code Hearing. A numbér of hackmen were pres- ent at the taxicab code hearing which opened at City Hall in the morning. Only representatives of | the fleet owners and gentlemen of the stripe of Morris L. Ernst, who aided in the betrayal of the. first strike, were allowed to speak in the first session. No representatives of the drivers got the floor. The meet- ing was presided over by William Allen, deputy N. R. A. administrator, who is responsible for the textile code, which reduced the wages of the textile workers in all sections of the country to a starvation level. Will Fight Code. Prior to the meeting Joseph Gil- bert, speaking for the drivers, said, “The proposed code is entirely un- satisfactory and means nothing more than a further reduction of the living conditions of the men.” Speaking in the afternoon ses- sion Moris M. Katz, of the Queens Taxi Cab Service, who declared that he represented the owners of 6,000 cabs, made known his opposi- tion to even the miserable minimum $12 a week wage of the projected “T am in favor of the theory of reduced hours for people employed at a salary,” am opposed to reduction of hours when men work on a commission basis.” No less than a 60-hour week would be aceptable to him, he stated. Morris Hotchner. oily-mouted counsel for the National Taxicab Association and representative of the United Taxicab Board of Trade, | was just as emphatic in his opposi- tion ot the principle of the mini- mum wage. The gist of Hotchner’s remarks was that conditions ought to be allowed to remain as they are while “we wait until prosperity comes back.” Company Union Man Speaks Gerald E. Kamm, chairman of the Terminal System Drivers’ Asso- ciation (a company union), agreed with all the anti-labor remarks of Katz and Hotchner. The Taxi Drivers’ Union will present their code, which demands a minimum wage of $22 a week for day drivers and $25 for night men, unemployment insurance and rec- ognition of the union. In the Daily Worker Today Pre-Convention Discussion. “Between the of a Com- pany Unier To's.” PAGE 4 Letters from S‘cel, Metal, Auto Workers. PAGE 5 “Change the World!” by Sender Garlin. “What's Doing in the Workers’ Schools?” “What Is Role of Intellectual?” “I am a Communist,” by Don West. Leaders of the Red Army. PAGE 6 Editorials Foreign News. , take effect at once. 1 of his own fellow workers and union sd Pe ont CABMEN AT CITY HALL HEARING ‘4: Scottsboro Boys Are Put In “Solitary’ Letters Are Withheld in Effort To Break Their Spirit b) BIRMINGHAM, Ala,, March 12.— Four of the Scottsboro boys here have been put in solitary confine- ment, in an attempt to break their militant spirits, it was revealed to- || day. Meanwhile, Haywood Patter- son and Clarence Norris, held in| the death cells in Kilby Prison, Montgomery, are deprived of letters sent them by workers throughout the country. Roy Wright, Eugene Williams and Willie Roberson have been put in solitary because a Negro stool- pigeon picked a. fight with Roy Wright, and Roy. defended himself. One of the turnkeys has admitted that the whole affair was a frame- up. Andy Wright has been in solitary confinement for two weeks because | he refused to obey an order by Dan Rogers, one of the wardens, to go! out into the cld and sleet inade-| quately dressed. While in solitary, the boys are not permitted to have baths or change of clothing. Charlie Weems is suffering from severe pains in the chest, and has received no medical attention what- soever, Protests against the inhuman treatment of the Scottsboro boys should be sent to Gov. B. M. Miller, and Attorney-General Thomas F. Knight at Montgomery, Ala. and to the warden of Jefferson County jail, Birmingham, Ala. Protests should also be sent to} the warden of Kilby Prison against (Continued on Page 2) | British Government Demands Navy Up to Full Treaty Limits LONDON, March 12.— The British Government intends to bring its navy up to full treaty strength by the end of 1936, when the. treaty expires, Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell, First Lord of the Admiralty, announced in the House of Commons today. || This is Great Britain’s answer to the Vinson Bill, designed to bring the U. 8. fleet to the top of treaty strength in the same period. The government estimates, as previously reported, call for $286,- 849,875, to build 17 new big war- ships and a nurfiber of smaller craft, and to add 2,038 men to the navy forces. One of the new Ships is to be an aircraft car- rier of more than 20,000 tons. Dividends Assured, Sloan Tells General M-tors Investors NEW YORK. — A statement by | Alfred P. Sloan, president of Gen- eral Motors, J. P. Morgan-controlled holding company of automobile manufacturing companies, assured stockholders today that they would collect their usual quarterly dividend this year. “It is impossible to make any statement at this. moment in respect to earnings,” Sloan de- clared in his letter to all stock- holders,” but in my judgment you may consider that this divi- dend will have been fully earned.” General Motors controls — more than 40 per cent of the automobile industry, and is in turn controlled by Morgan banks. It controls such companies as Chevrolet, Fisher Body, Plymouth, etc. Paterson NRA Board Cuts Pay With Aid of A. F. L. Officials By JOHN J. BALLAM PATERSON, N. J., March 11.— Right after Roosevelt’s recent speech about “reducing hours and raising wages” the Paterson Indus- trial Relations Board forces a wage cut on_9,000 broad silk workers to The Paterson silk workers after a 14-week strike were tied up to a no-strike agreement signed by the Silk Manufacturers’ Association and the Associated-United Textile (A. F. of L.) local union. This agreement establishes the Indus- trial Relations Board, composed of three bosses, three U. T. W. mem- bers and an “impartial” chairman. This board is empowered to make @ survey of the two highest paying silk areas and on this basis to ad- just wages every 60 days, without consulting the workers and merely by a majority vote the board promulgates its decision. The A. F. of L. union representatives on the cept the new wage scale thus estab- lished without protest. Elias Makes Motion The silk workers of Paterson are incensed at the action of the A. F. of L. unin representatives on the Industrial Relations Board. It was the union leader John Elias who made the motion to cut the wages members. The other A. F. of L. union members of the board voted for Elias’ motion. ‘| Here is the motion taken from the minutes of the Industrial Relations Board of its meeting held Satur- day, March 3, 1934: “Upon motion made by Mr. John Elias, and seconded by Mr. Charles Kapanjie, it was decided, by unanimous vote that the re- adjustment of wages, as provided for under the agreement, and sub- mitted at the meeting of the In- dustrial Relations Board on Thursday, Feb. 15, 1934, become operative for all shops affected by the agreement, beginning with the next day period following Tuesday, March 6, 1934, and shall remain in effect for sixty (60) days thereafter.” These minutes are signed by Benj. Kaminsky, Chairman pro tem, Industrial Relations Board. Strike Sentiment Strong This proposal is for a 3 per cent wage slash. The bosses wanted to give a 10 per cent cut, but were advised to give it in small doses every 60 days. In return for the United Textile Workers’ local lead- ers’ services in forcing this wage cut down the workers’ throats, the (Continued on Page 2) | | | for strike, particularly among auto | Fisher Body. The conference is set |for March 14th, Five hundred thousand copies 7 the special May Day edition of the Daily Worker will be printed this year, to reach workers in every big industry, every city and farm area in the United States. This edition, which will appear in at least 24 pages (large size), will be the biggest the Daily Worker has ever printed, and will contain a wealth of historical, feature and political material by leading Communist writers here and abroad. The decision to print a half million copies of the May Day edition was based in large measure on the success of the. 250,000-copy Tenth Anniversary edition. But so huge a distribution will only be justified, can only be successful, if the proper organation and full co-operation of the districts is forthcoming. Steps should be taken in all districts to insure the widest possible share. toward making the May Day Daily Worker a landmark of share toward making the May Day “Daily Worker” a landmark of achievement in the paper’s history, by sending in their May Day greet- ings without fail. Every single greeting will appear in the special edi- tion. If necessary, additional pages will be added to the proposed 24 pages in order to include every individual and organization greeting. Not a single district can afford to neglect the opportunity to reach newer sections of the working-class with the message of proletarian Solidarity and struggle which the huge May First edition will embody. Not a single individual, mass and Workers’ Club, can fail. fraternal organization, youth and All out to insure an unprecedented circulation for the 24-page May First Daily Worker! Auto Union Delegates Go toCapital te Ei Renee Beieayell | Form 10 Locals in Largest Plants DETKOLY, Mich. March 12— Workers in three departments of the Plymouth anto plant won a victory today under the leader- ship of the Auto Workers Union when the company was forced to increase the bonus to 144 per cent and guarantee 150 on next pay. The struggle started Saturday when Department 96 struck. It was joined by two other depart- ments today. The committee of nine representing three shifts went to tne company demanding an increase and reinstatement of an Auto Workers Union member fired tor organizing the men. The company said it would take up the question of reinstatement to- morrow, wo departments re- fused to work. not reinstated tomorrow all wil! strike. The Auto Workers Union, Ply- mouth Local, is leading the struggle, rallying the workers on the basis of the united front. Many workers are joining the union, Cet anne DETROIT, Mich. March 12—A delegation of the Auto Workers Union, representing Ford, Chevrolet, Murray Body and other auto plants will appear Wednesday in Washing- ton at the National Labor Board Hearings on the auto situation. Workers in various shops have elected delegates over the week-end and have raised funds to finance their trip. Phil Raymon, National Secretary of the union, is on the delegation. The Washington hearing was If the worker is | German Expansion Special Page on Co. Unions Will Appear Tomorrow In ‘Daily’ A special page on company unions and the N.R.A., as well as the fight against them, will appear in tomorrow's Daily Worker. Among the features on this page will be a report of The fake company. union referendum || in the United States Steel Cor- poration subsidiaries in Gary and .teport of the sbruggie against the company union. A feature’ ar- ticle by Marguerite Young, Daily Worker Washington Correspon- dence, on the Bosses Congress and Company Unions will ap- pear. Besides, there will be an article by Bill Gebert on the Struggle Against Company Unions; How the N.R.A. and A. F. of L. Leaders Fostered Com- pany Unions, by Harry Gannes. Italy Moves for Treaty Against Calls Three-Power Con- ference; 40,000 Troops at Austrian Border ROME, March 12. — Intent on keeping German capitalism from expanding its influence to the de- triment of Italian imperialism, Mus- solini has just arranged a confer- ence with the rulers of Austria and Hungary, Dollfuss and Premier Goemboes. The conference will discuss 9 treaty bringing these three powers government. Mussolini fears the expansion of German capitalism |down to the Southern Balkans called by the National Labor Board,| (union) with Austria. with the help of William Green and Detroit A. F. L. misleaders in| an effort to block the rising demand workers in Buick, Chevrolet and Strikes are continuing in many auto plants. The Auto Workers Union is making big progress in organizing the workers on a united front basis. During the past week ten new locals of the union were established in ten of the biggest plants. Car Men, Printers. Strike in Spain; Troops in Streets; Workers Walk Out in Protest at Gov't Actions MADRID, March 12—A wave of strikes and mass actions is sweep- ing over Spain. Workers engaged in hand to hand street combat with police in several parts of the city as they sought to make effective the strike on the street car lines. All printing and allied trades went out in a one day strike today in protest against reactionary govern- ment actions. Police and Catholic students are acting as scabs. Despite all denials of the Gov- ernment, the possibility of a gen- eral strike is strong. Government troops ara4 with machine guns Meanwhile, Italian imperialism is concentrating its troops on the Aus- trian borders. More than 40,000 troops have already been stationed ready for immediate action at the Austrian borders. Mussolini has al- ready intimated that if Hitler takes any steps “against the independ- ence” of Austria, it will be con- sidered as a war provocation. South Chicago. Do not miss this || into an alliance against the Hitler |, through the proposed Nazi anschluss| Leading Communists Will Thousands i inN. Y. sf ‘To Get No Relief After April First ‘ | Will Thomas Back Out? | Billed With Communist | |In Boston Talk on War BOSTON, March 12.—N. Sparks, | District Organizer of District 2 | of the Communist Party, will | speak on the Communist Party’s attitude toward war, and Norman Thomas on the Socialist Party’s at a meeting arranged by the Harvard Liberal Club for Wed- nesday, March 14, at 4 p.m., in room 10-250 of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The meeting was arranged be- fore the recent Socialist Party decision to forbid its members to speak on the same platform as Communist speakers. It is not yet known whether Thomas will take advantage of this ruling to back out. Protest Cuban) Scab Cargo at N.Y. PierToday | Cuban Dock Workers to Resist Order to Smash Union NEW YORK. — Workers led by the Marine Workers Industrial} | Union will demonstrate against the |landing of a scab cargo from Cuba, in front of thé Ward Line pier on South St., at the foot of Wall St., Jat 9 p. m. today. This cargo was loaded by scabs |at Havana, under the protection of |Cuban army machine guns, in the Wall Street-Mendieta government's bloody drive to smash the Cuban workers’ unions. Since this scab cargo was loaded, the Cuban gov- |ernment has announced it will dis- |solve the union of the striking Havana dock workers. The |Broad St., has issued a call to all |New York workers to mass at the |. the Cuban workers. HAVANA, March 12.—The Caf- fery-Mendieta government’s armed warfare against the Cuban workers lis approaching a climax in Havana today, folowing a government an- nouncement that it would dissolve the dock workers’ union. Sharp clashes between the strik- ing dock workers and the 200 scabs who are working under the protec- tion of soldiers armed with machine guns have already occurred One scab was reported killed and nine injured in clashes at the Ward Line docks today, Despite the government decree which illegalizes every union which does not immediately quit its strike. more than 200,000 workers are still solidly out. it is dissolved by the government. Soldiers fired into a crowd of workers at Camaguey, killing one. Two of the soldiers were injured when the workers defended them- selves. —-—9 Marine Workers Union, 140 | |pier this morning, in solidarity with | The striking print-| lers decided to remain on strike to) force recognition of their union if} same | |Agreement With Bank- ers To Give Only 3 Million Relief | | PROTEST MARCH 18. LaCuardia’s ‘Insurance’ | Would Tax Workers | | NEW YORK. — The La- Guardia administration plans | |to keep off of the relief rolls |many thousands of C. W. A. |workers who have been fired, ft was admitted by La Guardia’s Commissioner of Public Welfare, | William Hodson, in a statement is- sued Sunday. Hodson also stated ; openly that those lucky enough to| |get back on the relief rolls will be} |taken at a greatly reduced wage. | | This is in line with the policy of | |the Roosevelt government of ‘“de- | mobilizing” the C. W. A. in such a| way as to drastically cut down re- lief appropriations as well as to do away with C. W. A. jobs. “We are going to have to xo | | back to a relief wage instead of a | working wage,” Hodson said. “and we are only going to be able to give this to the destitute.” Hodson said he “doesn’t know” | what telief the jobless will get after ! April ist or how many will get re- lief. “A good many people are go- | ing to be pretty bitter,” Hodson ad- | mitted, “It’s going to be very dif- | ferent after April 1. We're going right back where we started from | before the C. W. A. was begun, on a work-relief basis. That means a minimum subsistence basis for the | destitute only.” Bankers Get Their Money. Hodson admitted that the agree- | ment of La Guardia’s administration with the bankers allows the city to spend only three million dollars a month on unemployment relief. The rest must come, he said, from |the federal government. The La- Guardia administration insists on maintaining¢‘his agreement to pay the bankers tnillions in interest and old debts, and give no more for re- lief. This agreement runs until September. At the same time La Guardia is- sued a statement again advocating an “unemployment insurance” psn whereby not the bankers or the gov- | ernment would supply funds for the | unemployed, but where all workers would be taxed to secure funds. | The cost to the city and federal | government of this plan, La Guardia said, would be even less than the relief now given. The workers con- tributions would undoubtedly make up the difference. Hundreds of jobless men waited | jall Saturday night for jobs shovel- | ling snow, shivering in the cold in| |front of the Department of Seni- | tation offices. But not one job was | given out. Conference March 18 NEW YORK.—There will be a | united front conference of C. W. | A. workers, unemployed and un- employed organizations, at one o'clock next Sunday at Irving Piaza, 15th St. and Irving Place, to plan city-wide action for jobs and relief. eterans Fight Forces Hand a <. congress Congressmen Must Come Before Voters, Fear to Oppose Bill BULLETIN WASHINGTON, D. C., March 12.—The House of Representatives voted to- day fer cash payment of Patman $2,200,000,000 sol- diers’ bonus. Continuous pressure by rank and file veterans forced the House to pass the measure. WASHINGTON, D. C. March 11 —The House today approved im- mediate consideration of the Pat- man greenback bonus bill by a vote of 313 to 104, more than the necessary two-thirds required to override a presidential veto. The Patman bill was expected to be voted on momentarily as the Daily Worker went to press. Debate was limited to two hours to secure an early vote. The House was expected to pass the Patman “bonus” bill over the insistence of President Roosevelt that he will veto any measure al- | lowing veterans compensation or | bonus. The Patman bill does not | call for payment of the full cash bonus but calls for paymens in greenbacks, accelerating inflation. However, even this modified bonus Dull is being fought strenuously by | the Roosevelt administration. The Patman bill was assured of passage by the house as all Con- | gressmen come up for re-election | this year and are afraid to-tate the | voters with the record of voting against the veterans. The Roose- velt leaders, including Speaker | Rainey, let it be known that the administration will now try to kill the bonus bill in the senate. The amendments to the Inde- pendent Offices Bill which grant the disabled veterans some com- pensation are also expected to be voted on this week, and the Roose- velt administration is trying to kill these amendments as well. ‘Postal Workers Protest Against Starvation Order Mass Desnidetresinn To Be Held Today in N.Y.C, BULLETIN CHICAGO, March 12. — The United National Association of Post Office Clerks (Regulars), Chicago Local, voted to support the demonstration and march called for March 19 through the Loop by the National Association of Sub- stitute Post Office Employees against the layoff of all Chicago subs last week. The work of the subs has been added to that of the regulars in the Post Office. The action of the regulars was taken after a committee of subs visited their meeting. The march- ers will mobilize at Liberty Square, Congress and Michigan Boulevard. (Continued on Page 2) Elected to Dist. Con- yention from Harlem NEW YORK. — Section conven-| tions of the Communist Party were held Sunday throughout New York) City, leading up to the New York which opens with a public session in the Bronx Coliseum on the evening of Friday, March 23. Harlem Convention The Harlem Section Convention of the Communist Party of New) York had 119 delegates in attend- ance, The discussion on the re- port of James W. Ford, section or- ganizer, reached the highest poli- tical level ever carried out in Har- Jem. That section of Comrade Stalin's report to the 17th Convention of, the C.P.S.U. dealing with the na- tional question was very useful in Negro question here ang to organize patrol .<¢ streets in armored cars.' the struggle against Negro re-| District Convention of the party) helping to clarify our line on the) Browder and imcassabecba’ formism\ andits ‘petty’. bourgeois} nationalist influences in our party | in Harlem. The growth of Negro reformism } | and the spread of white chauvinism | by the social-fascist leaders (So- | cialis; Party and A. F. of L.) as a | result of the radicalization of the) Negro masses and the growing in- fluence of the Communist Party Cleveland Workers to Greet CLEVELAND, Ohio, March 11. — The Cleveland district of the Com- munist Party will welcome the dele- gates to the Eighth National Con- vention of the Party, on the evening of April 2, with an opening mass session in the Public Auditorium (Music Hall). This large hall has been obtained for the first time in | the history of Cleveland for a gath- ering called by a workers’ organiza- tion. the Communist Party, will make the | keynote speech at this meeting, bringing out the historical impor- aan toed Earl Browder, general secretary of | The 8th Convention of Party tance to the entire working class and to the farmers of this conven-| tion. The convention meets at a time when the workers are answer-| ing the attacks of the Roosevelt) “New Deal” with increasing mili- tant strikes and unemployed and| farmers struggles. At least 500 delegates are expected to attend the Eighth National Con- vention of the Party. All Cleveland workers’ organizations are urged to secure at once biocks of tickets to | make the huge mass opening of the convention the biggest Communist gathering ever seen in the Aty of Cleveland Coliseum Meet to Open N.Y. Convention of Party Section Conventions Held Last Sunday among Negroes call for a strength- ening of our struggle on two fronts, to make a strong fight against these enemy influences in the working class and to heighten the struggle for international unity. There was unity of opinion on this question, There were 59 employed, 55 unem- and 5 fraternal delegates. Purther analysis showed office, food, needle, tobacco, building trades, metal and paint workers, laborers, housewives and domestic workers. There were 46 T.U.U.L. and 10 A. F. of L. delegates. A new section committee of 15 | and 24 delegates to the district convention were elected. Com- rades Earl Browder, general secre- tary of the Communist Party and Charles Krumbein, district organi- zer cf New Y¥ were elected to the district convention where we are sure they will be elected del- gates to the national convention of the party which meets in Cleveland ‘in April,