Montana labor news., 1932-07-07
PRESIDENT GRAHAM'S REPORT
Continued From Last Week.
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.


Unemployment of great masses of the workers is going to be a per-
manent feature of u industrial system for a long time to come. The
simpificaton of production, the onward march of the inventive genius
that is producing rapidly the machinery that is diplacng human activity
all these tax our resources to find work for those displaced.
The only solution to the problem is a rapid and steady decrease of
the work day until all those willing to work have a opportunity to do
SC at a wage that will give the comforts a well as the necessities of life.
However, the problem is how to adjust the reduction of hours with the
wages paid. The employer cannot, or will not, reduce the hours without
reducing wages, and a stalemate is reached.
To take care of those who are willing to work but cannot find a market
for their labor, some plan must be devised. Unemployment compensation
provided for them. Therefore, we should lend all our energies to a cam
paign for a federal unemployment compensation law. Our international
officers as well as our representatives in congress must be given to under
stand that the right to live must be guaranteed those who are unemployed,
as well a their dependents.
the report of the executive council, went on record against unemployment
insurance During a n au-dav debate on this mesion. Mabon of the Street
Carmen and Tobn of the Transfers were the only two international Off
GERS who spoke in favor of the same. Almost all the international officers
were opposed to unemployment insurance but they have nothing to offer
as a practical substitute.
With unemployment increasing and all indications that it will continue
to Increase for at least another rear; with wage cuts being taken by the
workers, and hard-won conditions being lost; with no work being done by
our international officers to organize the unemployed, it is time that the
officials of the international organizations were told by the membership
that they had better take a nor IA and practical course and make
an effort to get a law enacted by congress which will provide for adequate
unemployment compensation for the victims of or mercIess Industrial
system of society, or resign from their positions of labor executives. We
can hardly expect congress to pass legislation to compensate the unem-
ployed when III own officials are not in sympathy with it.
THE DEPRESSION.
The depression that has been with us for the past three years shows
no signs of letting up, and there is little hope for any improvement within
The financial and industrial world is in a tanspn, and what the end
will be is impossible at this time to forecast.
The captains of industry, congress and the administration have failed so
far to work out a solution for the problems that confront society, and this
applies to all countries, ave Russia, of which we know little.
The international bankers, who re mostly to blame for the deporabe
condition that the world has been plunged into, are acting like the little
boy who set a house on fire panic stricken and helpless to stop the disaster
they started.
BANKERS PSYCHOLOGY.
A craze of budget balancing" is sweeping owe the land. The wage of
those who perform social service is being drasicaly cut n a mad attempt
to bring back prosperity.
Those who are advocating the cutting of wages of school teachers, jani-
tors If public buildings, or the discharge of a stenographer at the court
house, in order that there may be relief from the depression. are displaying
evidence of economic stupidity.
This budget balancing" craze vas started by the international bankers
two and a half years ago in Australia and New Zealand, after these coun-
tries had been bhd white by the bankers in rushing gold to Wall Street
to bolster up the wild orgy of speculation that was running rampage three
years ago.
After the collapse in Wall Street, the international bankers sent a COM
mhee to Australia to have the government of that country balance the
budget, SC the bankers could get nor gold. The wages of all public Off
Gals and social service employees were ordered cut by the bankers. The
Labor party retaiated by demanding that the interest on all public debt
be reduced to three per cent, some of the interest o. this debt being Is high
as even per cent. The Labor party did cut the interest to three per
cent, and the fight in Australia and New Zealand now is between the work
es and the international bankers.
The budget balancing stunt was then moved to Great Britain, and last
August re witnessed the big play in London of budget balancing" The
international bankers, ably assisted by Secretary Stmson, if press reports
are correct, forced the British Labor party to resign; the wages of all
British social workers, including teachers, policemen, postal employees, office
workers, soldiers and sailors, we're ordered reduced 20 per cent by the
bankers; the old age pension and unemployment insurance also were ordered
reduced.
The sailors of the British navy went o strike and like all previous
strikes of the British navy won their case, and the buejackets who handle
the business end of the big guns did not have to contribute anything to-
wards balancing the budget.
The budget balancing epidemic or international bankers psychology has
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