The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-24
By EVA sHAFRAN.

WHE 18th Plenum of our Party held recently
i has not only devoted special attention TO
shop work generally but especially hit over the
head the formal, stereotyped methods of work
used hitherto Such methods have made it inn
possible for our Party to become a mass factor
in the shops, mines, mills and railroads etc
This in spite of existing favorable objective con-
ditions.
Only four weeks after this Plenun the same
week that the Plenum resolution was printed in
the D w. and only about two weeks after its
own Penum the N Y district called confer
ence to take up shop and shop paper work.
This conference is the clearest expression OF
Journalism and old methods Of work that the
18th Plenum condemned.
The decision to call this conference was made
BY the District Shop Paper Committee. 1t was
approved bv the comrades in the Agit Prop Dept.
The district Org. Sec approved of this decision,
and put it into the district Org. letter to the
units-two consecutive times prior to the week
of the conference but not the week of the con-
ference.
The shop paper comnlitte has not met to work
out a plan for this conference. 1t was not
called together with the Agit Prop and Org.
Dept. to work out specific suggestions on what
shops to concentrate where to start and where
to resume the issuing of shop papers, etc. 1t
had merely a general vague idea that at this
conference I'VE will have a general discussion
On shop paper work
How does this compare with what we read
In the 18th Plenupl resolution regarding shop
work?
THE building of shop nuclei demands
fundamental change Of all our work the
transferring Of attention by the whole Party
and each particular unit to this work
The building of shop units under the present
conditions demands a change in the work IN
the Org. Dept. agit prop, language and Won1-
ems dept-a change in all activity OF our
central and district office"
Not only this. But:
1.-THE task of the districts, sections is to de-
velop the work in the shop units individually,
with an individual approach to each unit; to
discuss with the members of the shop units
or with one or two Communists the constant
possibility for work during short period,
working out the special tasks that can be ac-
compished during week or two, and develop
ing this work regularly and systematically"
AS can be very easily seen nothing of this
sort was done by the N. Y. district in prepar-
ing plan for the conference, by calling first
upon the comrades working in shops, shop
units street units concentrating on particular
shops to discuss and work out plan OF action
in these various shops to be taken up by the dis
trict conference on shop and shop paper work.
Instead of that there was general vague
idea about the conference, but nothing specific.
Not only we're there no plans made, but the
calling of the conference was done in typical
formal general onlnunication-circular" man
ner.
The. announcement about the conference was
placed in the Org. letter. About Is or 40 general
letters we're sent out to agitprop directors, shop
paper committees of the sections instructing
them to get in touch with the units and see to
it that the units and also comrades engaged IN
shop and shop paper work be present at this
conference.
These were all the preparations" and upon
this We are told the Organizational Sec
retarv of the district and leading COM