The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-20
OPEN SHOPPERS.
RULE NAUCATUCK
VALLEY SECTION |
Copper, Rubber Trusts
Cypress
(By a Worke9 Corresnondontj

tween New Haven and Waterbury,
is one hell hole for the workers and
a gold mine for the capitalists. 1t
stands out as a monster, with it's
tentacles gripped around the necks
of the workers and their families,
who happened to get caught by this
blood sucker of the capitalist sys-
TEN. The valley, at the head of
which stands the city of Waterbury,
the blacklist of it all, insofar as the
conditions of the workers are con-
cerned, is the most developed in
dustrial section in the state, and is
one of the most industrialized sec
tions in the country.
The valley as it stretches between
the above mentioned cities, covering
distance of rs to 80 miles, in
cludes the following cities; Derby
Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon
Falls, Naugatuck and Union City,
each having population of five to
ten thousand, over 80 per cent of
which is either foreign born or of
foreign descent.
As one enters into this territory,
he feels as if this portion of the
land does not belong to the United
States. 1t is completely cut off
from the rest of the country, geo.
graphically, with long chains of
mountains, like prison walls stretch
ing on each side of the valley, be-
ginning little ways above New
Haven, ending past Waterbury, and
by the very disinterested, tedious
and monotonous life, undisturbed
except by its inner economic con-
tradietions, which at times seem
hopeless.
The whole object of life in this
part of the country seems to be to
work in these huge shops and fac
tories, to produce wealth for some
one whom we never see in all our
lives.
The very trains and freight We
hicles that pass by here, only come
here to pick up and take away the
finished products, which are the re-
suit of our hard toll, and leave raw
material for US to turn it into more
finished products for the train
again to come in and take away.
The industries that predominant
in the valley are but three in num-
Der: brass, copper and machine
shops; textile, and rubber. The 7.
s. Rubber and the American Brass
are the biggest of them all. The
New Haven Copper Co., owned by
the Anaconda Copper, is the third
biggest. Each one of these con-
Germs employ between three and
four thousand workers. One other
needs mentioning, the Waterman
Ideal Fountain Pen Co., situated in
Seymour, which employs at the
present time over 1000 workers.
The. central city for the entire
valley, both in industry and in popu-
lation, is Ansonia, surrounded by
Derby, Shelton, and Seymour. AS
you enter the city of Ansonia, you
are Immediately attracted by a
beautifully decorated billboard with
the insignia, "You are now enter
ing Ansonia, the Industrial Heart
of the Naugatuck Valley" When
leaving the city, you are again con-
fronted with similar sign, "Come
Again" Similar signs found along
the roads, mark the boundaries of
the towns, which is the only way of
knowing in what town you are. The
whole Naugatuck Valley is one
huge, contiguous town, consisting
of scattered houses all over the hills,
in which workers live. Factories
and chimneys and church steeples
prominently stick their heads above
the workers novels. In some places
there is a clump of houses togeth-
er. This forms the "Main Street."
Movie houses and stores, etc., form
the center of the outfit. Invariably
the shops and factories are punched
together, as if purposely located to
protect themselves against the silent
monster that surrounds them in all
directions, the workers homes. In
the midst of the stores and houses
stand out the bank and the city hall,
representing the club with which
the workers are compelled to sub
nit to a merciless exploitation and
oppression. The numerous churches
and movie houses also serve their
purpose in brow-beating the work.
ers in their "spare time"
The two significant facts that
stand out which are of immediate
Importance in our efforts to drive
home class consciousness among the
workers are the low percentage of
bourgeoisie in these towns, the in
ter-connection between the local
government and state officials and
the local company officialdom. This
is of course typical of the Amer
lean small company towns, but the
extent to which this is true in the
towns under discussion is unequalIed
anywhere else in America. For
example, with the exception of one
or two the whole officialdom of the
Blumenthal Mills in Shelton are in
one way or another also officials of
the city administration in Shelton.
and vice versa; all the officials of
the city administration are con-
nected with the Blumenthal Mills,
which employs from 800 to 1000
sunrkaI.s In Chnltn,, tho hnntlnnora,.