The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-09-16
SPREAD WORK
MOVE IS CALLED
COMMUNIST,
Donald RiChberg, Attorney
and Author, AsSaiIs
Hoover Plan.
MORE DEPRESSION SEEN
Effort TO Divide Jobs and
Pay Held Further Fall
Into Poverty Depths.
BY MARSHALL M'NEIL
Times staff Writer

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16.-Presi-
dent Hoover's business committee
that will start its spread the
work" drive on Oct. 3, is attempting
to impose lopsided Communism on
America, Donald r. Richberg, labor
attorney and author, said in an in
terview today.
The next step, if this "communis-
tic" program logically is to be fol-
lowed, Richberg said, is to have
these big business executives them
selves divide up their own work and
salaries, and to have the profits
from property divided among all
property owners.
The essence of the "spead- the
work" movement, Richberg said, is
to level down the livelihood of all
workers to common standard of
poverty
This Hoover-sponsored movement
is the outgrowth Of the Presidents
business and industrial conference
held here late in August. Walter
Teagle, president of the Standard
Oil Company Of New Jersey, has Sc
cured leave of absence from this
job to conduct the drive to get en-
ployers to spread work to aid the
unemployed.
More Depression Seen
But Richberg sees the movement
as one that will help to further de-
stroy purchasing power, and insure
longer and worse depression.
The leadership of Communism in
the United States" Richherg said,
speaking entirely for himself, "ap-
parently has been assumed by Presi-
dent Hoover's 'share-the- work COM
mittee, which includes the president
of the Standard Oil of New jersey.
American Telephone and Telegraph,
General Motors, and other huge
corporations.
They have announced a nation
wide drive, beginning on Oct. 3, to
compel all those still employed to
share their work and wages with
the unemployed. Logically, we
should expect these high-salaried
executives at the same time to di-
vide their own work and salaries
also with the unemployed.
Presumably. a division Of the OPP
portunities and rewards of labor on
a Communistic basis is only the first
step in educating the nation to
similar division of opportunities
and rewards for the employment of
capital
Courts May Halt Move
"There has been considerable
complaint against continuing full
payments of interest to bondholders,
while stockholders, as we'll as en-
ployes, have been deprived of in
come and driven into the bread
/ lines.
ut is possible that the Constitu-
ton will prevent our industrial lead
ership from putting their Commu-
nistic program into full effect. Prob
ably property owners can not be
compelled to share income with one
another.
In truth, the courts might stop
the Presidents committee from even
advocating this application Of Com
munism. So it seems likely that
this business dictatorship only will
impose lopsided Communism on
the unorganized workers who have
no constitutional rights to their jobs
and whose jobs can be divided up
at the will of their employers.
Spur to Communism
How will General Motors. Stand
ard Oil and those other great corp
orations keep out of bankruptcy
after they have levelled wages so
there is little purchasing power left
for anything except the necessities
of life, thus insuring a longer and
worse depression?
How will our business dictators
stop the further spread of the Com
munism they are advocating? After
they have forced thirty million
workers to live as Communists, how
long will it be before they will vote
as Communists"