The daily worker., 1930-10-01

Communist Candidate in the 2Srd Congressional
District, Bronx
1t is again no accident that the state and con-
gressional platforms of the socalfascist Social
lst party have not a word to say on speed-up
because the socialist" party is capitalist party
and supports all schemes that are of benef1t to
capitalism. In addition unions controlled by the
socialists needle trades sections of the miners
and textile workers-either close their eyes to
intensified speed-up when introduced by the
posses. or help to put it across.
HiIIquit Silent
And it is not remarkable that millionaire law
yer Hillquit in his keynote speech at Schenectady
olo not even mention speed-up because he is the
lawyer Tor some of the unions that Cooperate
with the bosses in speeding up the workers
workers IN the shops and mines know what
speed-up is. They know what its murderous
eHects are, but in order to understand not only
the killing effect it has on the workers VITALITY
put what it means in productive output we will
quote few facts
At 40 "Too old" for Job
1t is a well-known fact that men 40 years and
over cannot get jobs, whether in good condition
or not The reason given is that work in the
shops is SO hard, so rapid, that the employers do
not wish to take Unnecessary risks'-in regard
TO workmen's compensation The. number of ac-
cidents, despite so-called compulsory" preventa-
tive measures, is rapidly increasing, older work
ers are not ninble enough to protect themselves
Secondly, the strain on the vital organs Is very
great and it has now been established that the
dangerous growth of heart disease is due to
speed-up.
What speed up actually does is to increase the
productivity and thus reduce the number of
workers At the present time in the midst of
the world wide economic crisis the capitalists are
trying to reduce costs of production" and keep
up or increase their profits This takes place by
cutting wages, by installing machinery and
by intensifying the speed-up. 81, ~
Driven by the Machine
The introduction of labor saving" machinery
and devices in every industry without exception
not only simplifes work that skilled labor is
not needed, but firstly makes each worker work
not according to his speed, but to the speed
of the machine which can be speeded up; or
according to the speed of the gang pool
which handles particular operation with a. stool
pigeon pace-setter at the head; by the con-
veyor belt system forcing the individual
worker to speed up not to hold up the
whole line.
the United States increased rs per cent. since
1900 according to government reports. From
1913 to 1921 railroad efficiency per man increased
34.4 per cent Between 1914 and 1926 produc-
tivity per increased follows in several
important industries: Rubber tires 211 per cent /;
automobiles, 210 per cent; petroleum refining 70
per cent; steel and rolling mills, so per cent !;
-four milling, 80 per cent On the railroads output
per man hour increased II per cent. from 1920
to 1926 result of the of more powerful
locomotives longer trains and longer hauls. Pro-
ductivity per in minerals rose 80 per cent.
from 1919 to 1925
More Work. Less Pay
From 1918 to 1927 there was decrease of
900 workers directly employed in the manu-
featuring industries (from 9,O96,ooO to 900
or 92 per cent?; on the railroads from 1918 to
1925. decrease of 175,ooO workers (from 2o35.-
900 to 1,S60O00); in agriculture in the period
900. And yet production and distribution have
continued to mount through speed-up
At the same time the workers have not bene-
flied by the increased productivity. The average
net cash income of the poor farming family (422
per cent. of the total farming. population) is
s224-despite increased production. Two further
facts will indicate the same trend (according to
government reports: From 1919 to 1927 produce
ton in the manufacturing industries increased