The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-11

THE economic and financial crisis in Bulgaria
is becoming more and more threatening.
All branches of economic life of the country
are now involved and all sections of the popu-
lation are feeling its effects The bad harvest
of 1929 and the fall of agricultural prices on
the world market caused sharp drop in the
purchasing power of the broad strata of the
Bulgarian peasantry. As regards the purchas-
ing power of the workers and employees In the
towns their position has gone from bad to
worse since their wages amount only to 40 or
so per cent of the pre-war. In comparison
with 1928 the deficit on the trade balance in
creased three-fold in 1929 Income from in
direct taxation fell by 20 per cent in Novem-
Der, 1929 and from direct taxation by 40 per
cent in comparison with 1928. Complete slump
has set in in commerce, the handl-craft trades
and industry, which with the exception of the
tobacco industry, works exclusively for the
home market. Several large-scale industrial
concerns have closed down operations alto
gether or have either considerably curtailed or
are now curtailing output. The result has been
an incredible growth of unemployment, accom-
panied by an unprecedented worsening of the
miserable conditions of those in employment.
According to the figures drawn up by the
independent unions catering for the tobacco
and building trades, in certain districts prac-
tically all these workers are now unemployed.
There are some $4,000 tobacco workers unem-
ployed and about 10000 building trades work
ers walking the streets today. According to
reports published in the reformist press, of
the 25 tanneries in Gabrovo only two or three
factories are working today after the per-
sonnet had been drastically reduced. Facts
published by the independent unions show that
in the same town, Gabrovo, $50 out of the
400 workers employed in the tanneries were
discharged. According to the same source two
of the largest boot and shoe factorles-the
Luna" and "Mondal" plants-have suspended
operations altogether. At the first factory
70 workers were discharged, at the second
80 workers. All the other leather plants
in Sofia and the provinces have drastically
curtailed their output. Reports published In
the Independent Press show that 80 per cent
of the workers in the textile mills in Yambola
have been thrown idle. The rest are working
only five hours a day, getting only half pay;
in Slivena, only SO per cent of the workers
have been kept on, while in Sofia, the Cor
tune" textile mills, the largest in the country,
are working every other day. only one shirt
being put in.
This is approximately how things stand in
the other textile mills too. According to bour-
eeos press reports only $40 workers are find
ing employment in the carpet trades out OF
the 1,500 workers employed previously. All
the pottery workers are out in Yambola to-
day. In fact in Yambola, 80 per cent of the
workers employed in the various handi-craft
trades are unemployed. This was the state of
affairs in all the other towns according to in
formation published up to January Is last.
News items published in "Pladne" show that
a further curtailment of production and mass
discharges took place during the second half
of January in all the large factories in Sofia,
Plovdiva, Gabrovo, Sliveni and Burgas. We
learn that more than 5000 workers were dis
charged in Sofia alone. When we add to this
that unemployment had affected not only the
workers but also large numbers of the en-
ployes in the private and state institutions,
the picture is clear.
The Independent Unions report that more