The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-11
By EARL BROWDER.

by EAhL bhOW OGR'
THERE is so little data on exact
wages and working conditions in
China, that every little information
that can be added to the store of in
formation on the subject is of value.
Therefore, in the following acticle, |
have condensed the most important
observations made on this subject
during a five-month visit covering the
Provinces of Kwangtung, Kiangsi,
Hupeh, and Human. During this time
my colleagues and l made one trip
of 25 days thru the interior Of
Kwangtung and Kiangsi, and later a
trip of five days thru Human, most of
which time was spent in the smaller
cities and towns which are seldom
heard of outside of China Thus we
obtained a picture of conditions thru
out South and Central China, in the
large cities as well as small towns,
as they obtained in February, March,
April and May of 1927.
CANTON (Kwantung Province) was
" our first point of investigation.
This is a city of over million popu-
lation, the Southern gateway to
China, the center of the Nationalist
movement for years, and the only
place in China where trade unions
were legal before the middle of last
year. Canton was the headquarters
of the All-China Labor Federation
from 1922 to the beginning of 1927
It is not, however, a modern indus
trial city, like Shanghai or Hankow,
but almost entirely commercial and
handicraft industries.
IN spite of the handicap of this last
L fact. the workers of Canton were
enjoying conditions better than we
found later in any other place. Since
we were there, it must be remem-
bered, the coup d'etat of Ii Chi-sen,
lieutenant of Chang Kai-shek, has
placed power in the handsSof the enc
mics of the workers; this fact is prob
ably already showing itself in a
worsening of conditions, but of the
details of this we as yet know moth
ing. We deal with Canton as it was
in February.
THERE are approximately 100000
workers in Canton organized IN
the trade unions. Of these about
10000 are industrial workers in the
modern sense, the rest being artisans,
shop clerks, and coolies. These in
dustrial workers constitute a sort of
economic aristocracy, their wages and
working conditions being much higher
than the rest of the working class.
They consist of, in the main, seamen,
railway workers, chauffeurs, electric
light and waterworkers employees, ar
senal workers, the employees of a
few small textile mills and machine
shops, and modern printing plants.
THE ordinary, usual wage of work
crs in these lines is $50 per month.
Isl Chinese is nominally about the
same as rouble Russian, or Sc cents
U. S., but Chinese currencies are al
most universally deprecated about
20 per cent at this time.) This wage
allows for no rest days; Sundays are
worked the same as other days, this
being true in Canton for All workers.
The railroad workers get a wage
somewhat above this average, be-
cause, although they also work on
Sundays, they now get paid double
time for this day. Chauffeurs are
another special category; on accoun.
of shortage of skilled men they were
receiving $50 (Chinesel per month.
Almost all of these 10000 workers
have the 8-hour day, nominally, but
military emergencies" constantly
cancel this rule"
THE artisans (handicraft workers)
constitute the main body of the
Canton working class. The principal
groups are, the workers in mating,
bamboo work, ivory and bone, silk, F..
tea, metal, herbs, earthernware, fire
crackers, paper, furniture, wood .
carving, marble, and precious stones. !
They generally work, 2 to 6 arti-
sans, in the shop with their employer,
who also works alongside Of them.
These little shops are scattered along
the business streets, the entire front