The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-26
The War on Russian Coal
By FRED ELLIS

to the Russian miners as "serf labor" (Scran-
ton Times, April 14th) and Convict labor
These ISLANDERS are reprinted with relish by the
press of the reactionary UMWA, which does
not want to play second fiddle in this anti
Soviet Union drive
But in spite of themselves, the truth some
times slips thru the columns of the operators
press. For instance, in one of the almost daily
dispatches from the anti-Soviet Coal War
Front, read the following in the Scranton
Sun april 1Oth) according to the Soviet
representatives, Russian miners are paid at the
rate of $32.55 a month, Mr. Paul states. The
Carbonate banker declares that the biggest
part of this is deducted for taxes, ETC.. so that
the actual money received is insignificant
So when the facts appear, a president of
bank in Carbonate (Mr. PauD makes his own
deductions and leaves the Russian miner with
an insignificant" sum.
Of course, the actual conditions of the Rus
sian miners will never be made known to the
American miners, in contrast to those of their
American brothers
Conditions of Russian Miners
u 6 hour day and day week.
p 1 months vacation with pay
- Unemployment and other insurance.
d. Wages highest in history and rising II
to Is per cent each year.
81 Wages, conditions becoming bettered
81 Small rents, free passes for best theatres
y Powerful, industrial Union that controls
and determines working conditions.
Conditions of American Miners
u (and more) hours a day, 6 days week.
p ga months Observation-Disclosures pay.
81 No unemployment insurance or other in
surance of any kind.
~ Anything the operators consent to pay
them.
s. Wages becoming smaller, and worsenng
conditions.
g. Large rent, all kinds of taxes, lots OF
accidents, etc.
y A fascist-offical controlled UMWA that
betrays and sells out miners daily in the
anthracite
There are of course, other issues raised in
in this campaign against Russian coal. Rus
sian coal is being blamed for the growing I'M
employment in the anthracite. This is nothing
less than sheer Indictment against the Soviet
Union; and is intended to create blind hatred
and fury against the Russian enemy" Like
the stories of the Germans making sausages
out of little Belgian children.
The Five Year Plan
The fact that Russian coal now plays such
an important role is no isolated event. 1t is
bound up with whole series of important
problems and developments.
~ The question of the 5-Year Plan and the
rapid growth of the production of coal under
the 5-Year Plan. The following figures will
show this growth
In Gross Tons
1918 1922 1927
28,o00,OOO 11,OOO,OOO** 35,4O0,000
1928 1929 1882
40,600,0O0 51,6O0,OOO 75,OO0,000&"*
Figures obtained from "What is the 5-Year
Plan issued by the Workers Library Publishers.
~ 1922 was the period of the civil war.
*** Figure for 1892 will undoubtedly be far
exceeded.
q The relation that the growth of produc-
ton of Russian Coal has to the steadily cur
tailed production of American anthracite. For
instance in the Scranton Sun of March 18th we
read in an editorial entitled another Russian
Menace" of this amount of 100000 ton
altho only 2 small part Of the anthracite re-
quirements lor this region New England) is
sent in now much larger quantity may fol.