The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-08-19
The Adventures of a Gas Man
in Australia

mon. l used to be member of the A. L. P.
myself"
"But l bet you're Communist now and it's
the likes O. you blokes that causes more
trouble than there need be-
Gust the very thing l used to say myself,
digger. But let me explain. Now, what is
the trouble? There are thousands (gawd
knows how many thousands) of us unable to
get decent feed; well, you know it all as we'll
as / do-as this marvellous system of society
progresses, we're worse off. The wealthy ones
press more and more electric buttons and bah
BILE of the wonders of modern science and by
Christ we starve and shiver. How could Com
munists cause that?" f's :.
"When this cursed unemployment first came
heavy the A. L. P. League here ran concerts
for a shilling time, the money to go to the
worse cases of unemployed; also got the pic
ture show owner to give US his theatre free
for one afternoon for the same cause. The
idea of this was that those in work should
help their unfortunate mates. Saved the
bosses and government lot of trouble.
suppose we managed to give some of the I'M
employed decent feed now and again, SO they
did not seem to be doing very much. Still it
was all my weak brain could think Of. "s
"Then as things got worse, there were less
workers who could afford to buy bob u
shillings-Editor) ticket, and more of us who
needed the help. Naturally could see through
this punk idea of overcoming our troubles.
'One day teller came to the door and
asked was | out of work. Oh, gee, was I
what? He said he had come up to form
branch of the Unemployed Workers Move
ment and wanted me to help. Well, he talked
to me for couple of hours and I wondered
how 1. ever lived so long in such blindness.
i
was in control of things was unfit to carry on
making such mess of it ALL ] agreed, q
course, and said l believed in specialization e
industry. I didn't quite understand what that
meant or how it would happen but those
blokes in parliament were supposed to look
after that
"'Do you know how the workers will come
to own all the wealth. he asked.
81 didn't know.
"'By taking it with their own strong hands
like the workers did in Russia. Comrade,' he
says, we've got to do it for ourselves Even
if the politicians wanted to do anything like
grabbing the glass works. the bosses police
would have them in Jail or dead if necessary
in half an hour. But if thousand trained and
armed workers want the glass works, it'll take
a hell of lot to stop them from having
victory
the only thing that we care about. 1t means
everything for us, everything" emphasized
Bill. gr,--,.
ITO get down to some actual work. You
gas workers can be very useful. You should
talk over things to the rest Of them in the gas
company and between yourselves elect Shop
Committee One of the first things you can
do is to assist the U. w. M. by deciding that
whoever is sent out anywhere to cut off gas
should inform the secretary of the u. w. NJ. SO
that arrangements can be made to prevent
him. This saves the gas worker from losing
his job by refusing to cut the gas off, Or
course those workers who are already men,
bers of the movement notify us themselves,
like Bert here, and we are prepared. But
everyone hasn't joined up, yet.
Nov l want to accompany you on your
tour round this area to see how many more
gases you're likely to tinker with. And I'll
interview your unfortunate victims and tell
them our plans and enrol them as members
The gas collector was amazed. He showed
resentment but he knew it was hopeless I'd
object. Also he hated hist job.
"You may as wen come friendly" con.
tinued Bill, "and you can ask me all the ques-
tions you want to know about the class
struggle we 60 along. l won't be able to-
answer them all satisfactorily, but it'll be prac-
tice for me. Pm learning to become a
speaker"
He led the way to the gate. "Hooray!" he
yelled back at the Robinsons. "Don't forget
we meet at Number 26 at $780, And you fell
lers mind the kids while Comrade Mrs. Robin
son goes to that women's meeting this after
noon" At