The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-19
BY ANNA LOUISE STRONG.


CRIMEA, Oct. 11-Some folks think
- there are never any strikes in the
Soviet Union,-that these are sup
pressed with an iron hand. It is
true that there are infinitely fewer
than in most places. But none the
less they occur; in the past two days
there have been two of them in the
newspapers.
The first was a little strike of
boot and shoe workers in eight work
shops in the town of Seezeran, which
refused to grant the demands of the
union for increase of pay. The cen
trail committee of the boot makers
union sanctioned the strike, which
was completely successful. The I'M
dertaking signed a collective agree
ment granting the demands, and the
strike-days were paid wages like or
binary work-days, since the strike was
considered the fault of the manage
ment! That's a typical strike in a
private establishment.
wore SERIOUS AITatFs
pUT here is a more serious strike.
- on a government railroad, under
conditions which sound like an l. w.
W. description of construction work
in the Imperial Valley of California
1t is a pretty bad situation: on the
far borders of Afghanistan in central
Asia, a railroad is being built across
hot, sandy desert shortening the
old caravan route by many days. 'Tt
is hard, very hard" writes the soviet
journalist describing the strike. ito
lay steel rails across shifting sands.
on a waterless waste, with tempera-
lures from 120 to 14O degrees. One
would think that the knights of spade
and mattock, called upon to conquer
this desert, might count on some at
tention to their needs.
But the affair proceeded thus.
They sent the workers to the desert,
gave them some tools, and some doz-
ems of technical bosses and said. Get
busy :" OF human dwellings
not a trace. Under canvas tents on
the glowing sands, hot enough to cook
eggs, the building workers must
sleep.
Private Manager.
THE food provision was let on con-
tract to a private manager. This fell
low creased his hands at the cost
Of the workers bellies A bit
ter complaint was the water sup
ply The administrator was obliged
to supply the workers with water
And they supplied 1t, muddy and
warm, in old kerosene and OH barrels.
In the matter of wood for boiling this
water, the regime of economy was
strictly observed.
From dirty unboiled water and
rotten food many got sick. There was
a doctor on the pay roll but no real
medical attention The techni.
cal bosses in their attitude towards
the workers revived all the mean
practices OF the old regime i
For long time the diggers actually
aid not know what pay they were get
ling. There was a collective agree.
ment, all right--two of them; one
signed by the administration Of the
construction with the representatives
,f the artel working gang) without
OF the union, and the 9th. |
n signed by the officials of the build. |
ng workers union, without knowl. |
'dge Of the first agreement and with. |
'ut consulting the workers on the |
oh. The actual situation first became |
'lear to many Of the workers when |
IN casting up accounts for provisions
md other eonveniences, they were
old they owed the railroad money.
THE district attorney came down
and the workers complained N
lin. He made many promises bnt