The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-12
(Continued)

| PUT quite plainly and openly to this capt.
talist parliament to the social democracy
the question, why, if the Young Plan is better
than the Dawes Plan-as the social democrats
and the rest of the government parties main
tain-why, then, do witness just at the
present time the tremendous offensive against
the standard of living of the working class.
Why, precisely now are the new taxes beng
imposed, the custom duties being raised?
The capitalists and the present government
do not wait until the Young Plan has been
adopted, but began already after the first
Hague Conference with their attacks on the
standard of living of the broad masses of toll
ers This brings me to what we Communists
call the inner Young Plan: The complete trans
fer of the financial burden, amounting to thou
sands of millions, on to the shoulders of the
working class.
We are threatened with new taxes to the
amount of 1000 millions. Four hundred mil
lions in new taxation was decided on in the last
few weeks. Moldenhauers announcement that
a further 900 millions taxation will be imposed
on the German people in the near future shows
wther this development is leading. At the
same moment the bourgeoise are granted tax
moratorium of 600 millions.
The increased customs duties on meat, rye,
wheat, flour, butter, fat, even on shoes and
frozen meat, represent the extension of this
campaign of plumber. But not only these new
customs increases, which we estimate at over
150,000,000 marks and which for every work
ers' family means on an average an extra bur-
den of $50 marks a year, show the actual situa-
ton. Today the social democracy votes for
increased customs duties which two years ago
the bourgeoisie bloc did not venture to carry
out against the proletarian masses. At the
same time the most important items of food,
the clothing and housing expenses of the work
ers and of all toilers, are being enormously in
creased in price. If the Communist Party had
not led the masses to demonstrations on the
February I, if the masses had not offered resis-
lance to the starvation government, then there
is not the least doubt, but that already on
February the rents in most towns would have
been increased by 10 to 20 per cent. 1t is
only the fear of the demonstrating masses
which causes the ruling class to consider it
advisable not to raise rents before April 1. In
all these burning and vital questions, the work.
ing women, the whole mass of the toilers, come
to experience the blessings of the Young Plan.
Why precisely in the last few days. partcu-
larry in Berlin, have the costs of the municipal
services been so greatly increased? Because
the Young Plan is leading the towns and NUM-
cpalites to certain bankruptcy. Of late one
town after the other is raising the price of
gas, water electricity, light, tramfares and all
other means of communication. This fact (at
the present stage when the Young Plan is only
being discussed) shows what high prices will
prevail in the whole country as soon as the
Young Plan comes into operation. Every single
one of these measures means reduction of
the real wages of the workers, deep and per-
ceptible reduction of the standard of living of
every proletarian family.
Already at the time of the Dawes Plan we
Communists took up the fight against the muir
derous methods of capitalist naturalization In
the most important branches of industry hum
dreds of thousands of unemployed are thrown
onto the streets. With the reduced stats
enormously increased profits are recorded at
the cost of the working masses The criminal
theory of the social fascists of increased pros
perity and capitalist naturalization is cruelty
refuted by the facts
In the "Fnanzpoitischen Korrespondenz" of
January &c, $780, the we-known national eco
nomist Kuczynski draws the balance of the
wages development in the year 1929 and shows
that the real wages of the proletarat have
fallen 1879 per cent in the period from June
to January l, 1880. That is the result of the
long-term arbitration awards imposed on the
working masses in all the branches of industry
by the social democracy.
The general campaign of plumber is now be-
ing continued in the sphere of social policy.
Everywhere in the country, in the provinces
and in the municipalities, expenditure on pub
lie welfare is being cut down. But expenditure
on public banquets and receptions is not re-
duced by one penny. ! might mention that in
Berlin nearly all building work has been
stopped. In spite of increasing figures regard
ing sickness and accidents no new hospitals
are being built-a fact which had to be ad-
mtted by the Prussian Minister of the Interior,
in the recent discussions in the Prussian Diet.
No new hospitals, new children's homes, sport
and playing grounds, public baths and IL
braries are being built
During the discussions regarding covering