The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-15
By JOHN PEPPER.

4 capitalists are trying constantly
to make the country believe that we
are having a great economic pros
perity at the present time. The facts
gainsay these official and semi-offi-
cial fairy tales.
The general economic situation as
= whole is continuing TO deteriorate.
Partial Improvements cannot change
the situation permanently. In pro-
duction, pig iron and steel is the only
branch of production which increased
on a national scale in January and
February. The number of employed
workers increased in February in
New York state and in Illinois. The
report Of the New York State De-
partment of Labor says:
Factory employment made a good
recovery in February from the dull
ness of January. The advance
amounts to about 1 per cent and
brings the level back to that of De-
cember. There has been no evidence
thus far, however, of repetition
Of the upward swing of year ago."
In Illinois the number of employed
workers increased % per cent dur
ing February. Nevertheless there
were in February 1856 registered with
the Illinois Free Employment Offices
for every 100 jobs reported to the
Offices. In January the proportion
Of workers to jobs was 166 to 100,
a year ago it was 104 to 100, and
during the worst period, during 1920
it was 209 to 100 In -0hio unem-
ployment increased in February.
Applicants for work at the thirteen
employment bureaus maintained by
the state numbered 9,9f9 for the
week ending February %, and only
1883 got jobs. In Iowa the Public
Welfare Bureau was forced to issue
a warning at the beginning of March
against the ever-growing unemploy-
ment in January and February.
The surprising and sudden increase
of pig iron and steel production is
most likely only of a short duration.
The causes of the increase are prob
ably the concentrated railroad orders,
and work for Japanese reconstruc-
ton. The New York Times of March
2 reports on March / from Pitts
burgh concerning the pig iron market
that: "There is, however, practically
no disposition to buy at this time"
And about the steel market: Seen
eral buying of finished steel products
by jobbers and ordinary manufactur-
ing consumers has been running dis
tinctly lighter in the last fortnight
than in January. A fair volume of
business is being placed, but the mar
ket is distinctly less active. By
precedent, if there is any change in
the volume of activity at this time
Of year it should be in the other
direction. The steel mills are much
less sold up than they usually are
when as active as at present"
On the front page and in edi-
torials the capitalist papers continue
to spread professional optimism
about the economic situation, but in
their financial columns they are fore
ed to tell at least a part of the
truth. The New York Times of Feb
ruary 25 writes: Leading mining
interests in Illinois and Indiana are
preparing to operate more economi-
cally and work the most valuable
mines, closing the others, thus keep
ing the supply of coal more adjusted
to requirements" Says the report
of the New York Times of March 8:
Business conditions turnout theWest
are spotted. In Minnesota and the
Dakotas it is poor because of the
small returns to the farmers" Dunn's
Review says about the first week of
March: with conservatism still the
predominant sentiment, rapid
growth of business is not to be ex-
pected." Bradstreet's establishes:
"Trade and industry present spot
ted appearance, and caution for buy
ing for anything beyond immediate
need is still the central feature J.. !.
Nowhere except possibly in the auto
mobile trade does there appear the
great onward sweep visible at this
time year ago." The World Of
March admits in its Business Out
look the same tendency: "Neverthe-
less, intead Of growing more liberal,