The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-25
The Rise of the Lra- Campaign for Lower Price

the Ira made in its recovery" the became the
economic crisis. Considerable groups of industrial
lists began to make their voices heard in protest
against heavy taxation and customs dues. the dam
ger of the ever-increasng foreign loans and in de-
mand for-wage cuts The government made up
it's mind 1t undertook the formulation and limita-
ton of the attack on wages.
The famous Labor Charter was the smoke
screen under of which the fascist government
and the fascist party are leading this attack
Two weeks had hardly passed after the publica-
ton Of the Labor Charter when Augusta Turati
general secretary Of the fascist party accomplished
a veritable fascist miracle. Calling in Brescia a
meeting Of representatives Of the fascist agricu-
tural unions in this province, he persuaded them
voluntarily" to pass a resolution on the lowering
Of the wages established for agricultural workers
in the collective agreements. This diminutOn was,
according to the resolution to assume "eXtcnt and
form found most convenient and fair by Turati"
This turned out to be-a ten per cent cut! The
workers concerned, were, of course not consulted.
Mussoni and the dictatorship of the fascist party
approved and made an example Of the Brescia ag
rleultural workers resolution which they hoped
would be a signal for further generous acts by
the workers and peasantry"
The example Of Brescia was followed by Pavia,
where the fascist unions decided ito accept uncon
ditionally the wage decrease for seasonal agricu-
tural workers in the Paya and Lemeli districts,
established by the decision Of the Brescia agrcul-
tural workers. 1t should, moreover, be known that
in these very districts strike recently occurred
account Of the attempts of the landowners to impose
lower wages on the workers. The same thing &C
CURED in other localities After the agricultural
workers came the turn of the urban workers. At
the Bologna conference of union secretaries de-
cison was taken for a 10 per cent nominal decrease
of the cost-of Living bonus. In compensation the
workers were promised society for the sending of
sick children to seaside watering-places. The Boil
ogna Federation of Employers Organizations took
the greatest interest in these sacrifices made by the
workers and worked out rates for decreasing wages.
II appears ID the decrease viii be 10 per cent but
not from the cost-of-living bonus, bit from wages
as a whole: (2) the decrease will come into force
from the 9th of May, ie, from the very day of the
decision Of the secretaries organizations while
(3) each organization viii have the right to demand
revision of rates in case of considerable changes
in the conditions of the respective industries and in
the cost-of-living index.
After Bologna came the turn Of the Genoa dock
ers etc.
The tone, however given to the attack on
wages by the fatherly fascist government itself
On the 9Th of May the Council of Ministers ruled
cut the costof-Iivng bonuses for the highest cate
gories of civil servants and lowered them 80 to SO
per cent for the lowest including postal, telegraph
and railway employees. The given for this
decrease was that wholesale prices had gone down
considerably by the end of April. The Council OF
Ministers, it is true, acknowledges that the fall ir
the cost of living is far from corresponding to the
fall in wholesale prices, but it contents itself with
the remark that "in some towns the price of bread
macareni and other products has fallen considerably
during fine last six months,