The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-01-23
AUTO OUTPUT is
DOWN 50 PERCENT
CRISIS IS SEVERE
Deep Crisis in All Basic
Industries

fContihueG IRON rage One)
being thrown on the streets, Hoo
yer, Lamont, Davis and Barnes had
been emphasizing their propaganda
that there was no severe unemploy-
ment. Suddenly, the imperialist
chief executive admits that drastic
unemployment existed since the
stock market crash; but that things
were turning for the better.''
What are the facts? The most
Optimistic" report from capitalist
sources is that steel production has
risen 81 per cent, bringing the av-
erage production in all plants up
to 50 per cent, as against the low
est point during the past few months
of 40 per cent.
This still indicates a drop of 23&
per cent below production during
January of 1929. The increased in
steel production does not affect en-
ployment for the simple reason that
the steel corporations, in order to
hide unemployment, and prepare for
drastic wage-cuts, have been keep
ing their forces on part-time basis.
decentralization, speed-up, ETC., is 60
ing on at rapid pace in the steel
industry, and more steel is being
| produced with less forces.
This basic industry of capital
ism is in the throes of severe cri-
sis, with the future prospects, adj
mitted by the capitalists themselves,
as mot very bright"
On the very day that sleek Mr..
Hoover issues his pack of lies about
advancing employment, the Depart
ment of Commerce gives some dras-
tic figures on the decline in another
basic industry, the automobile in
dustry.
Automobile production in Deem
Der, 1929, dropped 80 per cent, as
compared with April, 1929! The New
York Times points out that the au-
tomobile industry is in the severest
crisis since 1921. They say:
Yesterdays Commerce De-
partment statement Of DEFENDERS
output, 1880 cars, is the lowest
monthly figure reported by the
department since February, 1922.
December always shows some re-
duetion from years. previous
high monthly production. but in
this case the decrease, as COM
pared with 621, $40 of last April,
is no less than S0M per cent. Even
the extreme curtailment of the
deflation crisis, as between March,
1920, and January, 1921, has been
figured by the Automobile Cham
Der of Commerce at only IS per
cent, and production at its high
point in that period would nova
days be considered very small"
Recently the automobile bosses
held auto shows in various parts of
the country in a supreme effort to
boost sales. But their efforts were
a complete flop and the Wanted Gin
creased orders" have not material
lied. This is shown by daily re-
ports from Youngstown and Pitts
burgh steel mills. Pittsburgh steel
mills, while reporting slight in
creases in general production, point
out that auto body sheets continue
to be the exception with orders still
light"
Another indication of the contin-
ued severe crisis is statements of
freight car loadings for the week
ended January IL. While there
was an increase over the preceding
week, there was a drop of 51,247
cars below 1929, and drop of
44,110 cars below 1928. The Jour
nal of Commerce commenting on
freight car loadings (Jan. 2D says:
'All districts, except the PO-
cahOntas. reported reductions in
the total loading of all commodi-
ties, not only compared with the
same week last year but also COM
-