The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-05
NEGROES ID
AS HUNGRY COME
FROM entire U. S.
Speedup, Slave Condi-
tons Promised
by a Worker Correspondent
LOS ANGELES (By MaiD.-As

by Worker Correspondent
LOS ANGELES (By MaiD AS
a general rule, workers graduate
from the university of hard knocks.
But III. H. Slocum, boss on the
job" or general superintendent of
the work at the San Gabriel dam,
claims to have been graduated
from the loose end of g pick handle"
For the greater part of his life,
however, he has, figuratively speak
ing, made use of pick handles to
drive and speed up the workers
for the sole purpose of squeezing
profit out of their hides to the limit
in the interest of Big Bosses. Slo-
GUMS present employer is the con-
tractor firm Of Fisher, Ross, Nc
Donald and Kahn, with headquar-
tiers at Azusa.
Work Started.
Anyhow, the S25,00G,000 flood
control dam is under construction
near Azusa, Calf, and from $50 to
200 men are working there now,
putting up the camp. EXcavating
will be in full swing about March /.
1t will take 10 months or year be-
fore any concrete is poured in at
all, those in charge said. The ex-
cavating part is very dangerous
job.
From every corner Of this "coun-
Try of prosperity hundreds of tired,
hungry, foot-sore and often ragged
workers have descended upon the
booming community of Azusa, and
small armies of job-seekers keep on
coming in every day at all hours.
The bourgeois element is well pre-
pared to take good care" of the
workers slim pay checks.
Job Office Closed.
"No more men are needed for a
month and half. Then we'll open
up again." the agent at Azusa said.
This month the number of work
ers will increase to about 500, and
a month later to 800. Part of the
time from 1900 to 1000 men may
be used.
Many workers are flat broke
when they reach the promised
land" and the rest are generally
badly bent. A number of "automo-
bile hoboes," as they call them
selves, are bringing their families
with them. The suffering is great
among those with empty stomachs,
or nearly so, who are forced to
spend these cold nights on the out
side. Temperatures below freezing
were recorded at Pomona and even
in the Imperial Valley, the weather
bureau reported yesterday. The
streets Of Glendale Suburb Of Los
.Angelesl were covered with hail,
three inches thick, recently. Such
conditions means almost murder to
natives of "sunkist" California and
butterflies" from other parts of the
sunny, "solid' south.
"The magnitude of the job" Slo-
cum said, sis its big features.
We've got to place concrete about
three times faster than it has been
placed before"
So speed-up are in sight for the
workers-and plenty of risks to life
and limbs, to say nothing about the
rotten deal injured workers can ex-
pect from the State Industrial Acct
dent Commission, ruled over by the
master class.
Slocum said that number OF men
applying for the skilled jobs have
worked for him before, therefore
newcomers need not apply.
Color Line Drawn.
The W. L. Anderson Boarding and
Supply Company has secured the
feeding contract from the super
visors of Los Angeles county. The
men are paying S1.36 a day for
board. mo worker Of color need
apply for jobs in the kitchen de-
partment," the contract stated in eff
feet. l.. +. II.