The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-28
BY /. AMTER

M llLblONS OF boys ana girls nave
IVA graduated from the high schools
and colleges and have never seen
the inside of a factory. Not that
they do not want to work; they
want to work, but the growing gap
between production and distribu-
ton, caused by capitalist exploita-
ton, brought about the crisis, and
their entrance to the factory was
barred. Even if the crisis should
lift" and there is not the slight
est prospect of it, they would not
get jobs. Millions of workers are
doomed to permanent unemploy-
ment-and today the young work.
ers and children are the worst Suf-
ferers.
Not long ago-in the days before
the present crisis-it was seen that
young workers were taking the
place of the older men. This be-
came SO sharp that organizations
of men above 45 years were formed
to fight for Jobs. Young workers
would work cheaper and faster,
and skill was becoming less of an
asset, owing to the application of
highly complicated machinery.
Since the crisis broke, and particu-
larly in the past two years, young
workers have been turned out of
the factories in masses, and
wherever there was need of work
ers, their places were given to the
older men.
These older men, on the other
hand, are given the pay of young
workers, and they are speeded to
the limit. Out of fear of the direst
hunger, they are working like
slaves.
Only one exception can be made
in this respect; in the lighter in
dustries-food light metal, needle.
textile, etc.-young workers still
play a large role, but their wages
are miserable, going down to as
low as 2 cents day for part
time work and Sl.0S for 80 hours
of work in Connecticut! This is
utter slavery and starvation even
when workingl
THE masses of young workers in
i the streets get no relief what
ever and no jobs. They are openly
Disseminated against. They are
supposed to have supporters" at
home-the unemployed father who
fAf hn re
any at all. The Negro young
workers are the worst sufferers of
all, for their parents get no relief
or a greatly reduced relief, it be-
ing the theory" that the Negroes
and certain foreign-born workers
Oatin-Americans and Italians in
New York; are used to a Clover
standard of living" and therefore
must be satisfied with less relief.
The young and single workers get
relief only when stiff fight is
put up for them.
The task oil nobilizing and or
ganizing the young workers for re-
lief is a MAJOR task. The CAPT
talists do not regard it of no
moment. The many clubs being
organized, the interest taken by
such "hunanitarianS" as Newton
d. Baker CORNER secretary of war;
and Alfred E. Smith, Tammany
chieftain, shows that the capitalist
class realizes the potential power
Of the youth.
This is seen particularly in con-
nection with the homeless youth.
Who are the homeless youth?
| They are American boys and girls,
who are driven out of their homes
by hunger. Their families are I'M
employed; relief is insufficient
They starve at home, and in order
to relieve the family of the bur-
| den of feeding more mouths, they
leave home, hit the road in search
of something to eat, somewhere to
work df that can be found.
Out on the road, they are re-
| garded by the bosses as enemies
of society. The police are against
them. The railroad guards regard
them as criminals. They are shot
down in the railroads, many of
them are killed and injured climb
ing on and off the freight cars.
They wander from place to place,
going to the warmer climates in
winter and returning north in the
summer, in the hope OF finding
food and possibly work.
They have been treated as out
casts--as untouchables they. are
nomads. Therefore they band to-
gether. They feel that the com-
~