The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-21
WEALTHY REvEL
ON BOAT while
CREW SLAVES
Sweating, Must Get Ice
for Caviarre

The Daily Worker herewith con-
tifues the description By a seaman
correspondent of the conditions on
board the Lamport and Holt Liner
Vandyck, sister ship of the VeStriS.
on which the Lamport and Holt Line
sent ouer 100 people to their death
off Cape Hatteras. The terrible
oppression of the Negro seamen, the
revels and teasts by the aOealthy
passengers, are described.
The Negro workers, most of whom
hail from the Barbados, are the
worst treated of all the slaves on the
Vandyck. They are treated like
dogs and starved. The officers de-
liberately impress on these Negro
slaves that they are dogs in the eyes
of British imperialism. They are
ordered to respect the name of the
British empire, and are fed all sorts
of bunk about the might of the i'm
perialist British empire, which they
are sensible enough not to believe.
Starved Slaves.
These poor slaves are SERVED I'M
mentionable food. I, as a pantry
worker, used to slip these workers
loaves Of bread on the sly.
These Negro slaves come from a
colony which has been drained and
impoverished by the greed of the
British imperialists. There are many
thousands unemployed in the Bar
BADGES, and starvation is the lot of
most of the natives there.
The Negro slaves on the Vandyck
are the most militant of all the OPP
pressed workers on the ship. They
would listen readily to me when |
ted them of the wrongs committed
on the Negro workers by the British
empire and by the capitalist system.
They were happy to find a white
worker who showed them he was
their brother in slavery.
Religious Bunk.
Whenever a Negro worker came
ito the pantry, the chief steward
would yell at him, "Take your hat
off" This, to impress on him the
Superiority" of the British i'm
perialists. The wages paid the
Negro seamen were $45 month.
These Negro slaves have been fed
all their lives religious bunk by the
agents of capitalism and imperial
ism in the churches. This was done
to keep them ignorant and willing
slaves.
Starvation Wages.
Other. wages on the Vandyck are:
Seamen, S45 a month; Chief Pantry
man, S55 month; Second Pantry
men, $50 a month; Assistant Pantry
men, S45 month; Bakers about
$50 month; Butchers, $50 month;
Bakers Assistant, $45 a month.
The printer, who printed the
menus in two languages, Spanish
and English, had his wages reduced
from $40 to $50 month. "If you
don't like it, clear out" he was told.
To show how the officers make
the slaves work every second, the
pantry was painted while in Buen }
Ayres. The kitchen men were made
to wash over the paint, an unneces-
sary job, but ordered by the Of
.ers because the men had few
spare moments as respite from
the killing slavery. / had to clean
the ports while the spray came up
from the sea, unnecessary work, to
keep me busy.
The sleeping quarters are pig
pens. No air, cold stone floor, II
men in a room. The Negroes were
segregated into separate sleeping
carriers. The chief steward asked
me on pay day, hastily, eff I thought
| earned it." l asked him if he did
earn his big salary by walking
around finding more slavery for the
men to do.
ReveIs of Wealthy.
The wealthy parasite passengers
sed to have revels and special feasts
every other day. This meant that
in addition to the regular slavery,
the kitchen and pantry slaves had
to work long hours extra, with never
thank you, let alone cent of
overtime pay. These revels and
reasts meant that the slaves had to
work until 2 a. m, no sleep that
slcy. No extra pay.
At one feast twenty-five mil
l'caa:rcs were present. This. was
II "c..tra special feast The mil