The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-28
To the Workers in the Heavy Industries
rNEAR Comrades.

NEAR Comrades,
II Permit me to relate to you how
we live and work now that the power
is in the hands of the workers, and
to compare our life with what it was
before the revolution. will speah
only Of the work in the rolling mills
and of the life of the workers of our
factory formerly the "Houson," now
the Sickle and Hammer'), because
our life and work are characteristic
Of the industries thruout the Union OF
Soviet Republics. In former times we
used to work in our mills in two shifts
Of u hours each. We used to work be-
cause we were goaded by fear, not
from any love for the work. For
every mistake the worker was pun
ished either by blow, or at best by
2 fine, losing about five roubles or
more every month. The manager and
he foreman were the gods and czars
Of the mill. Any worker who display
ed intelligence Of any degree was
mercilessly driven out and thrown IN
to prison. At the close Of a hard
working day we had no facilities for
sensible recreation. We had no clubs
a our own; the thehtFes were too ez-
pensive for us, and the secondary
schools were only for the intelligen,
zia, not for the workers children.
In the same way the sporting clubs
were in the hands Of the bourgeoisie
and the only thing left to us were the
beer shops, the government vodka
shops, card gambling and fist fights
Many Of us succumbed either to these
pleasures or to the dope of the priests,
who told us to await the kingdom of
heaven.
After the October revolution of 1917,
we began to lead quite a different life.
1t is true that at first, harassed by
the white guards who were aided by
your bourgeoisie, we experienced
great hardships. We starved while
our transport was in state of chaos.
Our factories were at standstill and
most Of us fought at the front. Cur
own factory, which employs 1000 peo-
pie, had hardly 400 at that time, and
any kind of production was out of the
question. AS you know, we have
smashed the white guards and attack.
ed new front, the front OF useful toll,
and here, comrades, we have won one
victory after another. To quote an
example: In the year 1894, our
record year Of production, we turned
out on the average 100000 pools Of
wire in month, working "a hours a
day. Now, we work in two shifts OF
eight hours, that is only 16 hours a
day. and we have already produced
102,170 pools, and in view OF our con.
slant increase and expansion of pro
duction, we may confidently expect q
much larger output when we start
working "a hours. l. e., in three shifts.
All this is done without any compul-
sion, but by our own good will and or
forts. feel that to produce in eight
hours upon an old bench the quantity
that used to be turned out in IL hours
on a new one. is quite big victory.
and you will surely share in our jubil
alton.
A roll-worker in our mill used tc
earn 20 to rs roubles a month. now he
earns from 1870 to $50 roubles.
You are told all manner Of horrid
tales about our Bolsheviks, which arc
nothing without our consent. Our
Communists. our teachers, do nothing
without our consent. We support then
all the way thru and we shall always
follow their lead, because they protect
our own and only our own interests.
Not all are In the party, we do not
think ourselves sufficiently developed,
but in spirit we are all Communists.
We now have our own club. with an
endless variety OF circles: dramatic,
CHORAL musical, art, radio and sport,
There are scores of members In every
circle, but In the sporting circle we
have nine football teams alone, where
as in the past we had only Ave foot.
ballers In the whole factory, and even
those played IN tho bourgeois club.
Our sporting grounds arc full OF
children during the day. and In the
evening, after work, the adult work.
] ers engage in physical culture. Our