The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-06
BY THE PROGRESSIVE LEATHER
GOODS GROUP.

Shiplacoff's administration issued
statement in the form of leaflet
which was distributed among the
Fancy leather goods workers at
meeting held in Cooper Union on
Aug. IS. This statement is So
called answer to a number of facts
which we, the Progressive Leather
Goods WorE ers, have stated in
leaflet ard a. the press.
In our ST t.nent we have shown
that the yeah income of our union
from dues SuI initiation fees should
be about $40, 10. We also pointed
out that the Unions yearly regular
expense for suth as rent, salaries for
all the office wCrkers, and officials
should amount to not more than
100000.
No Organization Work.
We have pointed out that no nor
ganization work of any Importance
was done since Shiplacoff took over
the administration of our union. We
have mentioned the fact that when
Shiplacoff came to our union there
was in the treasury $128,000 We
have shown that besides the above
mentioned yearly income, our union
had an additional income of $4,000
from the Cloakmakers' and Furriers'
tax, out of which only $4,000 were
given to the strikers. That means
that $4,000 should have remained
in the unions treasury from the two
assessments alone.
Should Have Accumulation.
Considering all these factors we
came to the conclusion that a very
significant sum should have accumu-
lated on top of the S12S,000 which
had been in the treasury when Ship
lacoff assumed office, and, had it
been so, not only $50 tax, but a
60 cents tax would have been I'M
necessary.
We have been forced to come to
this one conclusion; that something
is rotten in Denmark" We there
fore demanded that the administra-
ton should allow an impartial COM
mittee to investigate the finances of
the union before $50 tax is forced
upon the membership.
Shiplacoff Challenge.
Shiplacoff's answer to all these
statements. was challenge that we
prove that our figures about the
unions income are correct and if we
prove them so, the administration
will give 81 900 to a Communist in
stitution.
We declare that we accept the
challenge But before we go over
to any investigation work, in order
to make the task of the investiga-
ton committee clear and definite, we
ask of Shiplacoff's administration to
enlighten us upon these few ques-
tons:
/. Our figures of the unions year
ly income from dues and initiation
fee is based upon a report concern
ing the size of our unions member
ship. The report is not ours. 1t
was taken out of our unions journal,
the February, 1925, number. The adj
ministration tells us now that the
unions income is tens Of thousands
Of dollars less than the sum we have
been given in our statements. We
therefore wish to know: When was
the administration lying; was it in
its report of February, 1925, when
it spoke about the size of our men,
bership, or in its statement distrib-
uted at the last Cooper Union meet
ing
Who Are Privileged?
2. If the furrier and cloakmaker
tax brought in only $4,000 as the
administration tells us in that same
statement, we should like to know:
Who are these privileged ones that
did not pay these taxes? Are these
the same that so strongly desired
the present $50 tax?
3. In the same statement the adj
ministration tells US that our state
ment to the effect that no organiza-
ion of any Importance has been done
since Shiplacoff is in office is not
correct. The administration gives us
list of few insignificant Shops"
which Shiplaeoff claims, were organ
i2ed during his administration. We
should like to know. How much did