The daily worker. [volume], October 09, 1924, Page Page Two, Image 2

About The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958

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Page Two
NEW TASKS IN
WOOLEN MILLS
FORCE STRIKE
Workers Walk Out Un
der Heavier Burdens
(By Th* Federated Press)
MIDLEBORO, Mass., Oct. 8.
—Two hundred and fifty woolen
workers in the Nemasket Mills
are on strike against additional
tasks. The company ordered
each of the two-loom weavers
to do additional tasks connected
with the fancy fabrics.
The strike is partially under
the control of the Amalga
mated Textile Workers’ Council,
an independent organization re
stricted to the woolen industry.
This anion claims 1,600 to 2,000
members. It sprang up after tho
1922 strike. Its program calls for In
dustrial organization with depart
mental features and it declares its
readiness to recognize the card of
any other union without insisting on
affiliation with its own organization.
• • •
Develop Open Shop Polloy.
CROMPTON, R. 1., Oct. John
Swanson, superintendent of the
Crompton mills, who worked himself
up from weaver, has been on a pro
longed vacation, which seems likely
to be permanent. His place has been
taken l?y a Crompton company sales
man named Moran.
The latter is now trying to “sell”
a. company union to the workers.
Moran used his sales car during the
big strike of 1922 to transport strike
breakers. Recently he fired five mem
bers of the Amalgamated Textile
Workers’ organization. The theory of
union workers is that the change in
superintendents is in line with the
developing open shop policy of the
company.
• * •
Investigate Conciliator.
BOSTON, Mass., Oct. B.—United
States conciliator Charles G. Wood is
under investigation by the joint com
mittee of the Boston Central Labor
Union and the Waltham Central Labor
Union for misuse of his office in con
nection- with tho Waltham watch mak
ers’ strike.
The charges are that Wood wrote
a letter to Ernest Faulkner, president
of the Waltham Employes' Protective
Association, strongly urging
ance of the company’s "shop plan of
settlement” and the acceptance of a
wage cut.
At a meeting of the Boston Central
Labor Union it was decided to proceed
judicially in the matter —tho the facts,
as borne out by a copy of the com
missioner’s letter, seem perfectly
clear. Should Wood be formally de
clared guilty of the charges, a strong
protest to the U. S. department of la
bor, based on his unfitness, will be
made. •
Standard Oil Trust
Protests That It
Is Serving Public
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Oct. B.
An answer to ouster proceedings
seeking to bar it from further oper
ation in this state on grounds that it
was guilty of violating the anti-trust
laws, was filed in the supreme court
here today by the Standard Oil com
pany of Indiana.
The answer makes specific denial
of all charges in the petition for
ouster and declares that "the corpora
tion has served the public and has
voluntarily enlarged the trade op
portunities of its competitors, instead
of reserving all the benefits of its
patents for itself as it might lawfully
have done.
Join the Workers Party!
HARD TIMES HIT THE MOVIES
An army of seven million men out
of work looks bad to the owner of a
small “picture show.” The movies are
the theatre of the working class, and
when workers cannot go to work they
cannot go to the show either. In the
largest houses in New York and Chi
cago the pinch Is not felt so quickly,
but It has hit the smalled houses so
hard that many of them have had to
close up.
Wide-awake sections of the labor
movement have taken adavantage of
the little movie-owner’s plight to per
suado him to run working class Aims
which otherwise ho would never touch.
If a local committee representing trade
unions, fraternal societies, or even the
Workers Party alone, approaches one
of these managers with a proposal of
organized support for a certain picture
they are interested in, he will be
found, these days, to be thoroly in
terested. He needs crowds In his
Uuduo if he is to make money, and
our crowds look good to him.
in several Minnesota and Michigan
towns the Finnish workers have done
this. In a single day three dates were
made in small communities for "The
Fifth Year,” ono of the older pictures
released bg the International Workers’
PAYROLLS IN NEW YORK STATE ARE
SLIPPING BACK TO 1921 LEVEL
By LELAND OLDS
(Federated Press Industrial Editor)
A gain of 1 per cent in total wage payments by the manufacturers of
New York state between Juiy and August indicates to state industrial com
missioner Shientag that the low point in the industrial depression has been
reached. His report, however, shows that the depression is still general and
that the change in total wage disbursements is small.
It is estimated, says Shientag, that weekly payrolls are about? 4,800,000
less this August than August, 1923. This is not a measure of the full differ-
ence for payrolls for August, 1923,
were slightly reduced on account of
the closing of many places for presi
dent Harding’s funeral.
Shientag goes on to make a compari
son between the low point of the pres
ent depression and the low point of
approximately 14,000,000 or 8 per cent
higher than the lowest point of that
depression which came in August,
1921.
Industry Irregular.
The comparison shows that the in
dustrial situation is very irregular.
On the one hand are the building sup
ply industries with payrolls half again
as high as in 1921 and actually higher
than in previous periods of prosperity.
On the other are the textile and cloth
ing industries where payrolls are to
day lower than in the middle of 1921.
Between the two come the metal and
wood industries with payrolls one
third higher than in August, 1921, and
the chemical, paper, paper goods and
food industries which are to a smaller
degree above the 1921 level.
The most significant thing about the
clothing and textile industries, accord
ing to Bhinetag, is not the reduction in
employment so much as the slowness
of recovery, in contrast with the way
in which they led the movement of
1921. This is part of a downward
trend for these industries in New
York state which shows in good and
bad times alike.
Shientag’s comparison with 1921
should be carried further. Factory
payrolls 8 per cent above August 1921
are still about 13 per cent below Au
gust, 1923 showing that they have
fallen nearly two-thirds of the way
back in the direction of the worst de-
j THE THREAT OF SOVIET RULE
When the Workers Seize Power. J
Shoe Strike In Sixth Week.
CHELSEA, Mass., Oct. 8. The
Amalgamated Shoe Workers’ local un
ion No. 1, is in its sixth week of
strike against the James Miller com
pany. The workers went out when a
12% per cent wage cut was given af
ter a 25 per cent cut had been in ef
fect only a month. The Chelsea al
dermen offered to select a committee
to arbitrate the matter. The Amal
gamated is really a part of the old
United Shoe Workers’ organization
and may join the Protective which
grew out of the United.
It’s your paper—Build on it!
Building Bolsheviks—the D.
W. B. U.
Aid. The showings are at Rock, Mich.,
on Oct. 12; at Sebeka, Minn., Oct 14;
and at Lawler, Minn., on Oet. 15. What
the Finns did in these three instances
can be done by workers of other na
tionalities elsewhere.
The pictures are furnished by the
International Workers’ Aid, 19 8. Lin
coln St., Chicago, 111. Two dramas,
one comedy, two full-length educa
tional features, and several short sub
jects are on hand —all of them made
in and dealing with Soviet Russia.
The proceeds go to the workers’ relief
funds, but in special Instances, where
labor organizations or newspapers
thru their work alone make a show
possible, a share of the proceeds goes
to the co-operating organization. This
Is an ideal method of raising funds
locally for press and other purposes.
Sometimes the theatre manager pays
a direct rental, sometimes he pays a
percentage of his ticket sales, some
times he takes the film free and al
lows our committee to keep all pro
ceeds from the admission tickets he
sells. If there is a chance to run our
films on any of these methods In your
locality, get in touch with the Interna
tional Workers’ Aid, 19 S. Lincoln St.,
Chicago, 11^
*-■ —. ■' .1.,,.
pression the country had known in
years.
Getting Close to 1924.
If we take the employment figures
instead of the wage disbursements it
appears that the number on factory
payrolls in August was less than 6
per cent above the level of August,
1921, indicating that industrial employ
ment has fallen more than three-quar
ters of the way back into that depres
sion.
The outstanding fact about the pres
ent depression down to most recent
reports is that it has resulted in less
severe wage cutting than in the 1920-
21 period. This accounts for the fact
that total factory payrolls present a
somewhat more favorable picture than
actual employment figures.
|treetcar Men’s Gains.
MONTREAL. —Great improvement
in conditions among Montreal street
railway workers in the last 15 years,
owing to the operations of the union,
are called attention to by W. B. Fitz
gerald, first vice-president Amalga
mated Assn, of Street & Electric Rail
way employes. Fifteen years ago, he
said, wages were 12 to 16 cents an
hour as compared with 60 cents now.
Nine hours is the average today with
some runs involving 14 to 15 hours,
while 15 years ago the working day
ran 17, 18 and 19 hours. Fitzgerald is
here to prepare for the biennial con
vention of his organization next Sep
tember. A thousand delegates are ex
pected to represent the 135,000 mem
bers of the union.
Sure to Show “The
Beauty and Bolshevik”
In Philadelphia, Penn.
(Special to The Daily Worker)
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Oct. B.—ln
spite of the fact that the Pennsylvania
board of censors fears that, this new
film will start a revolution in America,
and on that ground refused to grant
a license to show it, Philadelphia is
going to experience the rare thrill of
seeing the first Soviet film that has
yet come to America. This is made
possible only after legal pressure was
used to convince the board that it
had no authority whatever to hold
up a film on grounds of differences of
political or social theories.
"The Beauty and the Bolshevik,"
the fascinating Red Army romance,
tells the story of the young com
mandant of the Red Army and the
daughter of the reactionary land
owner and priest of the village in
which the army settles after four
years of severe warfare. It is very
humorous to follow all the incidents
that lead finally to the marriage of
Kombrig, the commandant and the
girl, daughter of Kulak, the priest,
and the final stirring scene of the Red
Army marching out of the village, led
by Kombrig and his bride, and fol
lowed by the curious population of the
village.
This picture has been postponed for
this Saturday night, Oct. 11, at Lulu
Temple, Broad and Spring Streefs,
Philadelphia. There will be two per
formances starting at 6:30 and 8:30
p. in. Those who have already bought
tickets, may use them for this week’s
showing. There will be additional
programs consisting of special music
and a three reel picture "Russia in
Overalls,’’ a graphic picture showing
the industrial development of Russia
since the revolution.
Saturday, Oct. 11.
Freiheit Singing Society and Man
dolin Orchestra. Dance at Roosevelt
Hall, 3437 W. Roosevelt Road, 8 p. m.
Admission 50 cents, including ward-
THE DAILY WORKER
WOOLEN TRUST
FOR METCALF IN
RHODE ISLAND
Backs Millionaire for
the U. S. Senate
(By The Federated Press)
PROVIDENCE, R. 1., Oct. 8.
—Nomination of Jesse H. Met
calf, millionaire woolen manu
facturer, strikebreaker and
father of the two-loom, speed
up system in the woolen mills
of Rhode Island, for United
States senator by the repub
lican convention, surprised few
persons in the state.
The Rhode Island textile
manufacturers control the po
litical machine of the high tariff
party and it is considered logic
al that a woolen manufacturer
should take the field in person
instead of leaving the job to a
political satellite. Metcalf was
named for the unexpired term
of another open shop manufact
urer, the late senator Le Baron
B. Colt.
Wars on the Workers.
Jesse H. Metcalf is remembered by
woolen operatives for the long drawn
out strike in his Providence mill
thirty years ago when a movement
for better living conditions led by the
American Federation of Labor was
crushed.
Several years after the strike Met
calf inaugurated the two-loom system,
by which each weaver ran twice the
machinery he had run before. Other
manufacturers followed; the two-loom
system became universal and its au
thor today is backed by his fellow
manufacturers for the highest legisla
tive office in the land.
Australian “Big Biz”
Has Few Stunts of Its
Own to Put Over
ADELAIDE, South Australia. —Sen-
sational evidence showing how* the re
cent anti-labor government of the
state of South Australia tried to drive
state-owned trading concerns estab
lished by a previous labor government
out of action, in order to prevent com
petition with private enterprise, was
given by the manager of the South
Australian state shipping service be
fore a commission appointed by the
present Labor government.
By order of the recent anti-labor
government profits from the state con
cerns were paid into the general fund
of the state, and if subsequently a
concern showed a loss, instead of sub
tracting the loss from the previous
profit, the loss was set down against
the concern. In this way, some were
pronounced as losses and closed down.
Compulsory Labor in Bulgaria.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8. A report
from Bulgaria, issued thru the inter
national labor office, Washington
branch, shows that the compulsory
labor law in that country is now in
operation. Any municipality which
needs labor for its local work may ob
tain a minimum of 50 porsons from
the compulsory labor office. The max
imum who may bo so compelled to la
bor for the city or town must not ex
ceed the number already at work.
Payment of wages must be made, half
of it in advance, to the office furnish
ing the conscripts. The municipalities
must see to the feeding, clothing and
other care of the laborers, according
to a fixed scale by the office, and must
employ the labor not less than two
months nor more than six months per
unnum.
Sunday, Oct. 12.
Grand opening of Freiheit Singing
Society and Mandolin Orchestra at
3837 W. Roosevelt Road, 8 p. m. Splen
did program. Workers invited.
Build United Front of
Native and Foreign Bom
to Aid Communist Press
By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL.
TODAY, on the editorial page, we publish an appeal of our
* Lithuanian Communist daily, Laisve, calling upon its
readers to support the subscription getting drive of the
DAILY WORKER.
Similar appeals have already been published in the Ita
lian Communist Daily, IL LAVORATORE, and our Russian
Communist daily, NOVY MIR. We shall gladly publish these
in early issues. All of our foreign language publications,
daily, as well as weekly and monthly, will join hands in this
campaign of the DAILY WORKER, because they realize that
the triumph of the American Communist movement will only
be assured when it has enlisted the workers of all national
ities under its crimson standards.
• • • •
The DAILY WORKER is just as much the weapon of the
foreign-born as of the native-born worker. It is the champion
alike of all oppressed labor. It speaks the common language
of the universal fight against the enemy, capitalist class.
The foreign-born worker, intelligent and aggressive in
his own language, must not dodge support of the English
language Communist press by the excuse so often heard,
"I cannot read the English language.” That is the excuse
of a shirker.
That the Communist foreign-language press does not
intend to shirk any responsibilities in the present campaign
of the DAILY WORKER for a greater army of readers, is
shown by the enthusiasm with which it is taking up its
share of this task of today.
• • • •
Every foreign-language worker is in close touch, in his
neighborhood, and on his job, with English speaking workers.
This present drive is a good time to introduce the DAILY
WORKER to native-born toilers, many of whom are dropping
much of the 100% pay-triotism with which they were super
saturated during the war. The growing unemployment, the
continued high cost of living, the efforts of the bosses to cut
wages, are all contributing to the complete awakening of
“The Great, Free-Born American Citizen.” He is beginnnig
to realize which side of the class struggle he ought to be
fighting on. He will welcome the Communist message that
the DAILY WORKER will bring to him.
• • • •
That is a very good suggestion that the editor of the
Lithuanian Daily, Laisve, has to offer to the foreign-language
speaking fathers of native-born children. He urges that the
fathers subscribe for the DAILY WORKER for their children.
It is pointed out that in this way the children will develop a
desire for Communist literature. They will be won away from
the capitalist press.
Winning the children for Communism is probably the
greatest task of the American Communist movement. It is
the same in other countries. Unless the children turn against
the Moloch sooial order of capitalism; the social revolution is
impossible. For the children of today are the grown workers
of tomorrow. Public school education, the contents of the
whole capitalist press, the movie, the radio and every other
avenue of communication and propaganda are all used to
hold the children as staunch supporters of the established
sooial order, which clutches them frantically in its profit grip.
• • • •
The slogan of the Laisve should be raised by every other
foreign-language Communist publication. Every reader of
our foreign-language press should get a young worker to
read the DAILY WORKER. Bring the DAILY WORKER into
the home 6f every foreign-born worker.
• • * •
But there Is away for the English-language speaking
workers, who have already been won for Communism, or
who sympathize with its message, to reciprocate. They also
have a task to perform. Their duty is also clear.
Let every English-language speaking worker, who reads
this appeal, interest some foreign-born worker, not yet
reached, in the foreign-language Communist publication
issued in his language.
• • • •
The foreign-born toiler constitutes the majority of those
who labor in the nation's great basic industries; in the mines,
and in the steel mills. This is also true of the great textile
and other industries. Criminally long hours give them little
time to learn the English language. The cruel exploitation
of the body numbs the brain and leaves it incapable of study.
Leisure moments are rare. The days of unemployment are
worse than those on the job, because they carry with them
the nerve-wrecking hunt for another place to toil. But the
foreign-born worker will read literature In his own language.
The Communist message will come to him like a welcome
deliverer.
It is the duty of every English-language worker, while
the DAILY WORKER is carrying on its subscription camp
aign, to get as many new readers as possible for our foreign
language Communist press. In order to acquaint our readers
with our press published in the various foreign languages, a
list of these publications, is published herewith;
UKRAINIAN DAILY NEWS, 17 E. 3rd St., New York City.
NOVY MIR (Russian) 231 E. 14th St., New York City.
IL LAVORATORE (Italian) 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago.
ROVNOST LUDO (Slovak) 1510 W. 18th St., Chicago.
DESTEPTAREA (Roumanian) 4534 Hastings Bt, Detroit, Mioh.
PROLETAR (Armenian) Box 441, Madison Square Sta., New York.
ROBOTNICZY TRYBUNA (Polish), 1113 W. Wash. Blvd., Chicago.
TYOMIES (Finnish) Box 663, Superior, Wise.
TOVERI (Finnish) Box 99, Astoria, Ore.
SAZNANIC (Bulgarian) 1343 E. Ferry Ave., Detroit, Mich.
RADNIK (South Slavic) 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago.
NY TID (Scandinavian) 2003 N. California Ave., Chicago.
ELORE (Hungarian) 33 E. Ist Bt., New York City.
ETEENPAIN (Finnish) 64 Belmont Bt., Woroester, Mass.
LAISVE (Lithuanian) 46 Ten Eyck St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
VILNIB (Lithuanian) 2513 So. Halsted St., Chicago.
NEW YORKER VOLKSZEITUNG (German) 16 Bpruce Bt., N. Y.
FREIHEIT (Jewish) 153 E. Broadway, New York City.
UUS ILM (Esthonlan) 1787 First Ave., New York City.
EMPROS (Creek) 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago.
OBRANA (Czecho-Slovak) 326 E. 73rd St., New York City.
esse
Today we have outlined a big task to be accomplished.
Let all workers, native and foreign-born, unite in its complete
and successful achievement.
Thursday, October 9, 1924
RECOGNIZE THE
WORKERS' ROLE,
ÜBORDEMANDS
JV. Y. Toilers Also Urge
Prisoners Be Freed
(Special to The Daily Works' 1 )
' NEW YORK, Oct B.—Resolu
tions demanding the full recog
nition of Soviet Russia by the
United States and calling upon
the governors of the states, and
upon the president of the United
States to release working class
men and women sent to prison
under laws which limit and cur
tail the right of free speech,
were adopted and sent to Cal
vin Coolidge by a conference of
representatives from trade un
ions, fraternal and political or
ganizations held at the Labor
Temple, 243 E. 84th St., here
recently. •
The resolutions, which have
been sent to “Silent Cal,” are
as follows:
For Recognition of Soviet Russia
Whereas, the nations of the world
are one by one extending recogni
tion to the Union of Soviet Repub
lics, the union of workers’ repub
lics; and
Whereas, such recognition has not
only been of material assistance in
promoting employment for the work
ers, but also has been a step to
ward the establishment of friendly
relations between the workers of all
nations and those of the Union of
Soviet Republics and therefore a
step toward real world peace;
Be it therefore resolved, that we
call upon the president of the United
States to immediately enter upon
negotiations with the Union of
Soviet Republics to the end that
full recognition may be speedily ac
corded to them; and
Be it further resolved, that tye
call upon the workers of the United
States to use their organized power V
in order that such recognition may
be speedily extended to the govern
ment of their fellow workers in the
Union of Soviet Republics.
For Relaase of Political Prisoners.
Whereas, the prisons of various
states in the Union are today oc
cupied by the members of the work
ing class, men and women con
victed under laws which limit and
curtial the right to free speech anu
free expression of opinion;
Be it resolved, that we send greet
ings to these men and women and
pledge them our whole-hearted sup
port in order to secure their early
release; and
Be it further resolved, that we call
upon the governors of the various
states in which these workers are
imprisoned and upon the president
of the United States, to immediately
free these men and women, who
have been guilty of no crime but
that of freely expressing their
opinion, as guaranteed them by the
constitution of the United States;
and
Be it further resolved, that we
call upon the workers thruout the
nation to use their organized effort
to free those who have been im
prisoned in their behalf, and to use
every effort to have removed from
the statute books those laws which
in any way limit or prevent the free
exercise of freedom of speech, press
or assemblage.
Greek Government
Ousted for Failure
To Crush Strikes
(Special to The Dally Worker)
ATHENS, Oct. B—The democratic
party headed by Mlchalocaoponlos,
has come into power in Grece follow
ing the fall of the Sofoulis govern
ment.
A vote of lack of confidence in the
present cabinet is understood to have
been due to the failure of Sofoulis to
crush the recent strikes among the
workers in the printing trades and
on the rairoads. Members of the new
cabinet are expected to take severe
measures against the General Confe
deration of Labor, which has stood
solldily behind the strikers.
The ministry of the interior is now
in the hands of General Kondylis,
leader of the Fascist forces of Greece.
Kondylis recently toured the southern
part of the country, denouncing the
World War Veterans, a revolutionary
organization.
The democratic party is popularly
known as the Venizelos party. Veni*
zelos who is now in London Is openly
the agent of Paris allies, pledging
Greece to make use of the Greek i
army in the event of Communis,*
uprisings in the Balkan states.
Need the Law’s Consent.
Mrs. Shirley Iva Knox Hall-Quest
and the unidentified man for whom a
"perfect, passionate love” drove her to
violate conventions, leave the home
of her husband, Prof. Alfred Lawrence
Hall-Quest, noted educator, and seek
a "love nest;’ in exclusive Evanston
today were free to put the stamp of
legal sanction upon their relation*.