The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-04
REPUBLICAN, IN
TRENTON DRIVES
RUBBER SLAVES
Stokes Men Work Is
Hours Without Stop
yBy q Worker Correspondent

TRENTON, N. j., (By MaiD.-The
republican campaign of humbug and
deception is in full swing here in New
Jersey. It is practically conceded that
Ex-Governor Stokes will receive the
nomination for United States sena-
tor. To make the prim>ry campaign
seem real, some weak opposition is
being shown In attacking the CAPT
talist rivals of Ex-Governor Stokes
for the nomination, statement was
made by his henchman that the OPP
posing candidates kept silent as to
their merits due to guilty con
science. Ex-Governor Stokes de-
scribes himself as not being a dollar
man. To the mind of the Trenton
workers, if he isn't who is?
Owns Banks, Factories.
The Stokes family of capitalists
and bankers is well-known in Tren-
ton due to their influence and con-
troll of a number of banks and manu-
featuring plants.
One of these is the Stokes Rubber
Co. The workers in this mill are
exploited and driven to the limit Of
endurance. The plant itself is COM
posed of a number of low and poorly
ventilated wooden structures. 1t is
veritable hell-hole during the sum-
mer season.
The plant, until recently employed
about 1000 workers. Today only
about 400 are employed, due to the
speed-up and piece-work system
which has been introduced. The
plant was recently shut down and
only the "best" workers were reem-
ployed on the piece-work basis
Those who were rehired at day rate
cents an hour. Even tho hundreds of
workers were thrown out of work.
the production itself increased and
the wage decreased. Each worker
must produce much more for much
smaller pay. The highest weekly pay
before the shutdown was $50 week
at day rate. Now the highest pos
sible wages for some of the workers
are only $24 to SIG week.
Men; Presses.
Before the shutdown five men OPP
Grated four presses. Under the pres
ent system two men operate five
presses. Where about IS mill mer
were employed mixing compounds
(lamp-black, sulphur, etc) with rub
Der, now with the introduction Of a
new machine, only two men are used
on each shift. The other 80 were
disposed of.
Exploit Negro Women.
There is some hard, dirty, unhealth-
full work to be done, that no white
workers want to do. For this strong
husky Negro women are employed.
Their rate is eighteen cents an hour
The plant operates day and night
and two shifts are employed. The
day shift works ten and one half
hours from seven in the morning until
six at night with half an hour for
lunch. The night shift works 10 hours
straight with no time for lunch. The
workers are tired and weary when
their nights work is done.
One thing is certain in Trenton
and thruout New Jerse-, unemploy-
y"Ant is here to stay. The speed-up
system has thrown hundreds of men
out of work. There is no immediate
relief. Prostitution is becoming com
mon and men and boys are turning
criminals in order to exist.
There is but one solution. The
workers must get rid of the domnat-
ling influence of the Stokes, the Muir
Rays and Roeblings. The workers
must have their own representatives
VA united Labor Party must be
Armed at once. A Labor ticket with
a program must be placed in the
fielN. Organized lnhor must lead the
way and the unemployed and exploit
cd workers will do the rest. Men
from the ranks of labor must oppose
the Stokes and Eatons. Men who will
say for the masses, "Open up the
mills or we will open them"
Sold out f.cials of the American
Federation of Labor must be swept
aside
Now is the time for the workers
Of Trenton and all New Jersey tc
solve their problem. With Stokes in
Washington, only misery and lower
standard Of living awaits them.
w