The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-25
BY FRANK RoGERs

now ON tbs list for food and coal and the
number Of applicants Is increasing from thirty
to sixty families per day. The average mum
Der Of persons in a family Is FIve'-Report in
the Youngstown Telegram, March 9Th
The above report, although far from nom the
correct estimate of the number depending on
charity for their livelihood shows that the
miserable hunger conditions among the steel
workers and their families in the Mahoning
Valley. Let us examine the above report more
closely to get its full meaning.
The reported 5000 families" means a total OF
$4,000 persons Give per family and the "1n-
crease of so to so new applicants means total
of three to five hundred new applicants for
relief per dag. An earlier survey showed that
there are over 5000 single men and youths,
many Of them without homes, on the city soup
lines Thus very conservative estimate shows
that one-fifth of The whole population of
Youngstown are already on hunger rations and
the number is increasing at a rate Of 300 TO 500
persons per day.
How They Lie!
The next question is what kind Of rehef are
the poor and unemployed getting from the city.
First let us consider the report OF some fat
made a round OF the seven city soup kitchens in
a swell high-powered automobile to Investigate
the conditions OF the unemployed. Mrs. Cart
wright, the head of the Committee reports the
following after careful" investigation:
~The food Is clean. wholesome, and nourish-
ing ~ at the city soup kitchens"
But not one O fthe investigating committee
dared to even taste the soupl And the above
report was brazenly published the day after the
newspapers were full OF news items by the City
Health Inspector who found the meat and veg
etabes with which the soup Is made to be rotten
and poisonous! Thus the day before the buxom
society matrons round OF the soup kitchens the
soup had to be dumped into the city garbage
dump and the unemployed went without food
that day.
The relief on the city soup lines, on whdsu
men women and children depend for their
living, consists OF bowl Of soup and half loaf
of white bread When families were getting
cash relief dong since exhausted) the amount
consisted OF $3.50 per week. This Is a picture
Of the relief system in Youngstown. On top Of hun
ger rations the workers are faced with the brutal
force OF the police department which enforces
the law" Of shutting off the water supply:
lights and gas; and evtctions from homes by
those who cannot pay their bills Scores of
workers and their families are forced to live In
novels like the Infamous Hoover City"-the city
garbage dump On March 18th, the courts
handled eviction cases which effected sixty
children. And the merciful court (P) ruled that
time would be given to the families to place their
children in the Juvenile Home before the evic-
ions would take place.
Deprive Workers of Water
The most vicious ruling and decision handed
W
ciSiOn that WATER, necessity next only to
AIR, is private property just like bread, autos,
and money. Thus anyone caught turning on
the city water supply shut off for non
payment Of the water bin, Is liable to Grim
inal sentence In court. In the THIRD WARD,
working-clsSs neighborhood the water supply
win be shut off IN 2,o0e homes, according to
the announcement by the City Water Com
missioner.
Takers Are Busy among the Unemployed
Scores Of takers, some residents OF the city,
others Just passing on visiting hoodoo- doctors
offer all kinds OF fake schemes and promises for
the benefit Of the unemployed. At the head OF
the list is the denagog Mayor Moore. He and his
gang in the City Hall are tire biggest aggregation
Of takers assembled in one city Their election
into office was won directly with promises OF
Jobs and better relief to all who would vote for
them And today Mayor Moore and his Council
have to meet behind closed doors because the
angry unemployed are storrning the City Hall at
every meeting demanding that the takers live up
TO their promises. Several times the doors Of the
City Council chambers have been torn from the
hinges in a wild rush for Jobs and relief
The Negro Councilman, Mr.. Vaughn, who won
his seat in the Council by promises TO the Negro
people is today in the forefront demanding that
the unemployed be put to work on city jobs,
without pay, before getting any relief. This
forced labor scheme amounts to actual slavery
Of both the white and Negro workers.
The city has also proposed registration Of all
the unemployed. This registration includes the
question. Would you consider it your duty to
report any act or deed of fellow worker, thought
harmful to the city, to the police?" This regis
tration is nothing but large scale spy system
against the workers.
A. F. Of L. Aids Bosses
The American Federation of Labor Is doing It's
bit to confuse the workers in the struggle for
unemployment insurance. The members Of the
A. F. of L. unions raised the question Of the right
OF the unemployed to remain in the unions
without paying dues. The business agents (and
nothing but business-F. RI rejected the pro-
posaL But so many dropped out due to unem-
ployment and inability TO pay dues that today
the business agents are running after the unem-
ployed members begging for them TO remain in
the unions. With the union leadership closely
connected with the city officaldon there is much
discrimination in giving out jobs. The political
line up includes the A. F.. OF L. leadership