The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-27
PASSAIC .BARONS
ATTEST TO Low
WAGES IN MILLS
Starvation Pay Proven
by Own Figures
Especial to The Daily wOrker)

OWuSTS ATTEST 10 the low wages pdlQ
in their factories. In another desper-
ate attempt to break the seven-month
strike of the $4,000 wool textile work
ers they are falling into line with an
nouncements that they will not deal
with any organization of the strikers
United Front Committee, Lauck com
mittee, or United Textile Workers.
Botany and Garfield mills led off,
Forstmann-H followed, all pro-
posing to deal only with their COM
pany unions.
Fake Figures.
Forstmann-Huffman promises to pay
as good wages as those prevailing in
the industry. Botany Mills spokes-
man, Col. c. F. R. Johnson. said that
the average hourly wage for workers
in his mills has been 40. cents. Null
tiplying this rate by 4S hours, he gets
$22.71 for weekly earnings. But, as
observation-disclosures admit, they are
not able to give full time employment.
The mills were on part time for
months before the strike, halving the
workers earnings often.
Observation-Disclosures offers $1S min
imum weekly to the least skilled work
ers and their company union, indus
trial democracy" form. In figuring the
average hourly wage, the mill owners
do not say how many grades of straw
bosses are included.
Pay Envelopes Are Proof.
Pay envelopes collected from strik-
ers by the United Front Committee
earlier in the strike show actual earn
ings of the workers. Seldom. even in
full weeks, we're earnings for men $40
or more. Women earned still less.
The strikers are lining up on the
United Textile Workers applications
and have no intention Of abandoning
their fight because of this fresh at
tack by the mill owners.
They are confident that their chosen
committee, w. Jett Lauck, Henry Hunt
and Helen Todd, will have something
to tell Senator Borah about the Pas
sale mill owners and their property
during the war.
b~l
Strikers Playground a Success. %
PASSAIC, N. j., Ag. 25.-That the
opening Of Victory Playground by the
textile strikers for their children will
have an important effect upon this
community as a whole now begins to
appear likely.
Quick Change.
In their panic lest the equipment
and organized play at Victory Play
ground would show up the miserable
Fairgrounds maintained by the city,
the Passaic authorities rushed to put
in a wading pool and showers at the
First Ward Playground. Prior to the
opening of Victory Playground none
of the local politicians had ever
thought 1t worth while to give the chill
dren such hot weather comforts as a
wading pool and showers.
Even now they don't think 1t is nee
essary to give the children dressing
room, but leave them to change their
clothes in a clump Of bushes. OF
COURSE Lulb ISL 81 Ddu DIS at Inc OhhCA
municipal Fairgrounds, where there
are neither showers nor wading pool.
And certainly not as bad as the Wilson
school playground at Louise and Mon
roe streets, where there is no comfort
station.
Organize Playground Spies.
That the city authorities are in a
panic over the existence of Victory
Playground is further indicated by the
recent swearing in of twenty boys
from the city Fairgrounds as play
ground police" for the remainder OF
the season, which, by the way, is al
most over now.
While the city authorities declare
that these boys are organized as play
leaders. the union officers maintain
that the purpose Of this move is to
have a corp OF youthful spies at the
municipal Fairgrounds in order to dis
courage strike games and the singing
of strike songs, which are very popu
lar even among the children Of non
textile workers, most Of whose parents
are in sympathy with the strikers.
Huffman Threatens Also.
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