The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-15
By GRACE NJ. BURNHAM,
Labor Research Association.

"THERE is no large class in the United
States" says Julius Klein, assistant secre-
tary of commerce, writing in the New York
Times December Is, 1929, (which is without
ambition to possess the good things of life, or
without purchasing power to command a de-
cent measure of them" This is direct mis-
representation of fact.
In 1927 the yearly income of workers en-
gagged in manufacture averaged only S1,301. 80
while the cost of living of workers family
in the United States is estimated at about
$4,000 for the bare necessities of life. Sec
ton hands on railroads averaged less than
$1,000 year in 1928, while laborers in repair
shops, crossing flag men, janitors and clean
ers, messengers, switchboard operators, camp
cooks and kitchen helpers and deck hands on
steamers owned by railroads were almost as
poorly paid In fact, % per cent of all rail
road workers were in the under $1,000 class.
In 1926, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Stats
tics estimated that bituminous coal miners
and loaders-who constitute four-fifths of the
number of miners employed-were earning on
the average 1882 year, and S6.46 per day
actually worked. The smashing of the United
Mine Workers of America brought decided
drop in wages FOR the coal miners.
In the early months of 1929, the average
from $7O3 in 1929 to $3.50 in 1929 But since
the war, work in the mines has been ex-
ceedingly irregular, and in 1928 the men were
working only two-thirds of possible working
time AS result, in not one mining state in
1928 did the yearly earnings average as much
as $1,000. In Virginia they averaged only
1872 in Ohio 1888 and in Kansas 1914. This
means only $40, SIC and $3.50 week to live
on.
A recent study of 1000 families applying
for aid at three Boston social agencies showed
the greatest number of women wage earners
in the group earning from $40 to $14 in their
last job. For the men, wages in the last job
averaged between 500 and S24 week. Such
earnings render saving for an emergency i'm
possible. When the wage earners of these
1000 families lost their jobs, they were forced
to turn in desperation to the charities.
A Department of Labor report on the I'M
employed in Racine, Wisconsin and Spring
field Massachusetts clearly shows what hap
pened to families in those cities during the in
dustrial depression of 1920-21. From between
$500 and SITS a month, the incomes of 80
per cent of these families in normal times
the complete family resources had dropped to
between $25 and 500 month. These meager
resources, averaging little more than half of
what the families were accustomed to, included
not only what the father could pick up tenn
porarily, but also the wages of the mother and
children, savings taken from the bank, food
and other necessities purchased on credit and
. aid from relatives and relief agencies. Over
80 per cent of the families went into debt
Over half of the families had to turn to char
ity for relief.
"The unemployed of Seattle, during the
1929 depression, drifted to the missions, the
Volunteers of America and the Salvation
Army" an article in the Survey magazine tells
US. "The bread line of the Volunteers was
1898 for 1927, an increase over 1926 of "a
per cent. In January and February 43,400
meals were furnished and 22,6OO free beds.
The Salvation Army from the first of Novem-
Der, 1927 to the last of February, 1923, gave
$1,000 free meals, an increase of over 100 per
cent over the same period of the previous
year. Some relief work was provided by the
Park Board for these men. sum of $4,000
appropriated toward building new NUM-
cipal golf course" This gave work to about
$50 men, no man being allowed more than
six days employment.
Private charity is the medium through which
the employing class in the United States COM
petes the degradation and subservience of the
workers. Since there is no maintenance of
the unemployed by the government, the insti-
tuition of private charity is the only choice
which stands between the worker and COM