The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-11-27
THE NATIONAL HUNGER
MARCH AND THE MINERS
OF PENNSYLVANIA

form Of food to the unemployed OF course, the
food is bought through the company store at
robbers prices. H. G. Prick gives relief" to the
unemployed, who in turn must give the company
the titles to their autos and deeds of their
property. Other companies refuse to do even
this much.
Local Government Relief"
What is the government doing? The local
township, borough and county governments are
doing practically nothing. The township Off
Gals generally claim that they have no money
The borough governments claim they can only
help the residents of the borough, while the
counties claim poverty. Only in counties where
we carried on sharp struggles Washington the
county is paying 81 to $3.50 to a person per
month. This starvation relief is given in the
form of an order upon store selected by the
county representative and in a great majority
Of cases, the prices are equal to the company
store prices. The workers receiving this relief
must accept what is given to them, and not
whai they want.
Forced Labor Under Pinchot.
The State Government under the liberal" Pin
chot is proposing special tax upon gasoline,
autos, cigarettes, ETC., commodities that workers
use in the main The revenues thus raised will
be spent by employing the unemployed upon the
state roads. These unemployed and their fam
lies Will De 1OICGQ 10 leave JD6lr MONIES ana
live in the road camps work for non-union
wages, and live under the worst slave conditions.
They talk about forced labor in the Soviet Union
but have it under our democratic form of
government with friend of labor at the helm.
UMWA Aids Starvation Program.
The A. F. of L. unions and mainly the UNWA,
have given their unstinted cooperation to the
program of the bosses and the government in
placing the entire burden of the crisis upon the
backs of the workers. 1t was the UNiWA that
attempted to lead new Is per cent wage cut
in the Terminal mines, in order to outscab the
scabs. In all the struggles of the miners it is
the holy trinity of the corporation, the state
and the UMWA thss the miners must fight.
We were able to organize two county hunger
marches that involved over $4,000 workers dur
ing the last strike. Since then on October 18th,
marches were organized in Fayette and West
moreland counties with nearly 10000 participant
ing. The miners are fighting on every front
Mass Support For Hunger March.
Due to our struggles for the unemployed, we
we're able to approach organizations to support
the National Hunger March whom we never
could speak to before. We got delegates and
funds for the National Hunger March from or
carnations formerly controlled by the Socialists
All the United Front Conferences held I'D to now
were successful, and the delegates elected to go
10 washington u. e., represents the employed
and unemployed Negroes, youth and women.
There were some weaknesses observed in the
course Of the work, such as:
1. insufficient attention to the setting up of
the hunger march committees by the local
unions and sections of the union.
2. Lack of an organized drive to penetrate
into the Negro organizations
g. insufficient attention to the youth de-
mands.
4. Failure to Immediately set up Unemployed
Councils based on delegates from all working
class organizations, thus limiting the work to
purely union forces.
5. insufficient linking up Of the demands of
the unemployed with the struggles of the en-
ployed workers.
6. No district NMU leaflet dealing with the
National Hunger March.
Z. Slowness in raising finances
However, these weaknesses and shortcomings
are being overcome, and the Pennsylvania min
ers stand in the front ranks of the workers in
the support of the National Hunger March and
the struggle for the Social Insurance