The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-04-22
Ey A. ULANOFSK Y


organized the first international
Seamen's Club in Hamburg.
In the narrow dirty port street,
squeezed in between the improper
tionately huge statue of Bismarck
and the huge old church OF
Michaelis, the new club had, it
seemed, small chances for successful
competition against the nearby ex-
cellently equipped Seamen's House
and Christian Missions, which were
so located that they were in full
prominence, right on the coast
Nevertheless, despite all the diff
culties for a stranger to find this
little alley, and despite the far from
attractive aspect of the old seven
teenth century building in -7hichs the
new club had its quarters, the sea
men began to frequent it.
In 1928 during the mass struggles
of the German seamen and port
workers, the Hamburg international
Seamen's Club was promoted to the
position of tn organizing centre for
workers employed in marine trans
port, a centre of organization of eff
fective international solidarity OF
seamen of all races and all flags.
Number of Clubs Grow.
During the seven years the Inter
national Seamen's Clubs have grown
both qualitatively and quantitatiTely
The Fifth Conference of Revolu.
tionary Transport Workers held il
April 1928, summed up the activities
of the international clubs. AT the
present time, not counting the in
ternational seamen's clubs in all the
ports of the U. S. S. R., there are
clubs in Hamburg, Rotterdam, Mar
settles, Bordeaux, New York, Phila.
delphia, Copenhagen, Esbjerg anc
Bremen.
The popularity of these organiza-
tions amongst the seamen is col
lossal. The following few figures
gives a slight idea of the scope OF
the activities of the international
Seamen's Clubs: During the whole
of 1927 the Hamburg Club was
visited by 9,593 seamen. The aver
age monthly attendance of this In
ternational Seamen's Club in 1928
had already reached the figure of
1900. In 1927 the Rotterdam Inter
national Seamen's Club was visited
by 1905 seamen. In 1928 the aver
age monthly attendance Of the club
was approximately 1000.
Good Agitational Work.
The attendance of the club alone
is not sufficient, of course, to serve
as an indication of the extent of
work carried out. A great deal of
the activities of the clubs are con-
Quoted on the ships, themselves. Hun
dreds of ships nuclei and commit
tees, organized by the clubs, with
which they maintain permanent con-
nections, serve as sufficient guar
antee of the growth of influence of
the ideas of the revolutionary trade
union movement amongst the mass
of workers engaged in marine trans
port.
IN the general system of Interna-
tional Seamen's Clubs a special
position is occupied by the clubs in
the Soviet ports. Tens of thousands
of foreign seamen annually visit the
Soviet ports. Despite the lies of the
reformist and capitalist press with
regard to the Soviet Union, the sea-
mems interest in the country of the
Soviets is very great.
Naturally, the overwhelming
majority of questions put by the
seamen at meetings organized by
the international clubs in the USSR
ports, refer to the conditions of la
Dor of the Soviet workers and the
socialist construction being carried
on in the Soviet Republic. The class
educational work of these Interna-
tional Seamen's Clubs is colossal.
The average number of foreign sea-
men who visit these clubs in the
Soviet ports during the year is about
$4,000.
Stimulated by the attacks of the
reformist press, the police also do
not neglect the International Sea-
mems Clubs.
Not all the International Seamen's
Clubs are able to claim the same
scope of work. Some international
clubs were orgc- zed but recently
(the Philadelphia Club (USA), or
the Esbjerg Club have not yet
gained sufficient experience and
popularity amongst the seamen.
HOW speedily the International
a Seamen's Clubs, given a correct
line in their work, can become the
centre of the mass movement is
shown by the example of the New
York Club, which has taken upon
itself the task of modelling the sea-
mems masses around the question of
the shameful loss of the "Vestris. u
The experts" of the bourgeois-re-
formist press FASTENED to throw the
blame for the loss of Ill passengers
and the crew upon the colored part
of the crew.
This time, thanks to the energetic
and widespread campaign developed
by the New York International Sea-
mems Club, this attempt was de-