The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-11-09
Article !.
Nv Labor Research Association.


BY Labor Research Association.
Editors Note: This is the first of series of
articles prepared by the Labor Research Associ-
alton. exposing the starvation conditions in the
United States. These articles will be run as part
Of the preparation for the National Hunger
March to Washington.
While Owen D. Young democratic politician
and anti-union head of the radio trust observes
smugly that there will be no suffering in the
United States during the coming winter, workers
and farmers children are dying OF slow starva-
ton. From the industrial cities, from the cotton
tobacco and grain districts as well as from the
isolated mining textile and other one-industry
towns, come reports of increasing suffering
among the children of the working class.
Slow starvation of children has resulted from
the last two years of crisis and unemployment
reports the National Organization for Public
Health Nursing 1t tells of one health center
in New York where the percentage of under
nourished children" has been carefully diagnosed
for three years. It found that "malnutrition'
has increased from 10 percent in 1928 to rs per-
cent in 1890 to so percent in 1881 In other words
six out of every ten children are now suffering
from malnutrition. And the U. S. Childrens
Bureau while doing nothing about federal re-
lief admits that the crisis brings permanent
injury to children's health, cut-down in milk
consumed, lack of fuel and clothing, overcrowd-
ing, and general "undernourishment."
$4,000 Chicago Children Face Starvation.
In Chicago alone, one capitalist paper admits
that $4,000 children Of school age face starvation
this winter and in one Chicago high school 80
percent of the boys we're found anemic and I'M
cernourshed in a survey made by the Chicago
tuberculosis institute In Detroit, when the
schools opened last month, in single school in
the working class district 500 children failed to
report for classes Investigation showed that
more than half of them lacked even clothes and
shoes.
recent health study of 29O typical children in
West Virginia coal towns by Dr.. Ruth Fox Of
Fifth Avenue Hospital of New York City showed
that the average weight of all children in Ward,
". Va, was IL percent below the standard, their
diet being beans potatoes and salt pork, result
ing in much lowered resistance to all types of
infections colds, tonsilits, etc. And in the min
ing town of Gallagher, w Va, conditions were
worse with high incidence of scarlet fever
diphteria and typhoid DR.. Fox writes that the
children I examined had never been given milk
of any rort after they Weaned, nor had
they known fresh meat or vegetables except on
rare occasions" She goes on to state the obvious
fact that there is q. direct connection between
undernouriShment. lC7 wages, irregular work and
indecent living conditions the resistance 10
infectious disease among the children is start
lingly low, so that there is mortality of one in
every five children, while among those who sur
YiYe preventable diseases are notably rife.
Many Thousands Starving in South.
At the same time the 9uakers, who have under
taken some relief work in West Virginia, and
Kentucky this winter, report that "the amazing
figure. $4,000 is the minimum estimate of chill
dren who will need our care this winter in only
the most needy mine communities in seven
counties in west Virginia and four in Kentucky
Something Of the extent Of starvation in these
two states can be understood when we remember
that there are 100 separate counties in Kentucky
and IS in West Virginia The Quakers are doing
little feeding in only II of these IT'S. Yet their
reports are typical of conditions throughout the
mine fields of the two states. They tell "of the
desperate need for clothing. Mothers have made
clothes for their children from flour sacks and
say if. they could have only one change, they
would be able to keep them clean in school. At
present, however, many children unable to go
because they have not sufficient clothing. At 8
school with normal enrolment of over 300 about
100 came when school opened this fall" At
Logan, heart of the non-union coal district of
West Virginia, a DR.. Deeson told 3 representa-