The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-13
for 1882 shows this clearly.

The number of deaths in 1882 has
increased extraordinarily compared
with 1881.
TURIN, however, is only single
example. Everywhere the indus
trial proletarians are dying more
quickly and in greater numbers
than formerly, as a result of I'M
REIMBURSEMENT and sickness, and
the number Of births is declining.
1t should be remembered that the
position of the metal workers is
relatively the best. In the textile
industry wages, according TO Off
cial statistics, amount on an aver
age to 7. cents an hour. In the
chemical industry the workers, who
are continually exposed to the risk
of frightful accidents and whose
bodies are eaten into by the most
terrible poisons, are paid only Is
cents an hour.
The average weekly wage Of the
building workers is about s625,
that Of the chemical workers
amounts TO about the same, whilst
that of the textile workers amounts
to $3.50.
How many workers are employed
the whole year round? According to
official figures the unemployed
army numbers 100000. In the metal
industry alone there are over 10O,-
900 unemployed.
In the meantime the employers
are demanding fresh wage cuts and
carrying them out with the aid Of
the fascist trade unions. In addi-
ton to wage cuts, however, the en-
ployers exploit the industrial prole-
tariat by employing women and
children in place Of men. In many
cases the wages of the women
amount to only half of those Of the
men, and the children receive still
less.
DUT it is not only in the textile
II industry, where women have al
ways played considerable role,
but also in the metal industry and
Of late also in the chemical indus
try, that women are being engaged
in order to perform mems work Of
lower wages.
And the children? They are
employed everywhere. The most
frightful exploitation of child la
Dor takes place in the sulphur
m'nes, where hundreds Of chill
dren less than 10 years old and
thousands between 10 and IA
have to haul the trucks laden
with sulphur. These sulphur
mines are simply hells for the
children.
Never was the misery of the in
dustrial workers Of Italy SO great as
it Is at the present time under the
double weight OF the economic cri-
sis and f;iscisnl. Starving and sick,
unemployed or absolutely exhaust
ed by toll, men, women and chill
dren lead an existence the misery
OF which it is hard to imagine.
POSITION OF WORKING
MASSES IN THE VILLAGES
Mr.. Knickerbocker. the we'll
known American journalist, has
written book on Italy. He is full OF
enthusiasm. In his opinion the Ital-
ians are better off than ever. He
has found industrial workers who
earn more than enough; in fact
even the home workers, although it
is true they had tired faces, "smil-
ed when they saw Knickerbocker
and told him Of the huge sums
they earn.
But even Mr.. Knickerbocker does
not venture TO write anything about
the situation of the land workers
and share choppers. Here the fraud
would be too obvious, for the mis-
cry is SO great that it cries to
heaven.
Nearly ten million people are en-
gagged in agriculture. Not many Of
them are farmers; the great ma
jority are share choppers and day
laborers. The big agrarians own
vast estates. Scattered over these
huge estates one sees r1iserahl