The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-08-31
RELIEF VICTORIES
SPUR MINERS OF
WESTERN PENN
Task of N.M.U. Is to
Develop Mass
Struggle
BY F. BORICH.


The starving unemployed and par
time employed miners Of Western
Pennsylvania have learned that re,
lief fro mthe government and tht
employers can be won only through
struggle. Recently they have begun
to develop organized struggle for re.
lief and have already achieved n1anJ
significant victories. The struggle
for relief was initiated by the Ma.
tional Miners Union and now is be.
ng led by the unemployed commit.
tees organized in the course Of strug.
gle, with the N.M.U. playing an i'm.
portant role.
In Fayette County, controlled BY
the U. S. Steel Corp. through it's H
G. Prick subsidiary, the miners sue
.ceeded in stopping the sale of houses
for non-payment Of taxes. A few
weeks later, through County Hun.
ger March and many local struggles
preceding the Hunger March, they
succeeded in putting hundreds OF
miners on the relief list and greatly
reducing discrimination against mill
liant miners. In Brownsville the
Borough Council was forced to Join
the fight for a milk station for the
school children
In Finleyville township, q nfne-
hour day on the so-called Public
Works was defeated by a strike and
the mass picketing Of the unemploy-
cd. AT the same time, through mass
pressure, practically every wo lker was
put on the relief list includ ng OUT
standing local leaders of the NMU.
who previously never received any
relief.
In Bethel Township, controlled by
the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Conn
pany, all unmarried men were put
on the relief list. The blacklisted
miners, who individually collected re-
lief for themselves, are now neceiv-
ing county relief. The county was
forced to pay electricity, gas and
water bills of the miners living in
tents and barracks. The rent Of many
workers who were ordered to be evict-
ed is now being paid by the county.
In Snowden township no relief was
given. Through a determined and
fierce struggle the county was fin
ally forced to give relief. Just few
days ago decision was made to open
relief headquarters. The unemployed
demanded that their committee ba
the one to distribute the relief After
many days of struggle the county was
forced to agree to this. The distrfb-
ution committee consists of three
workers, representatives Of the unem-
ployed, and a justice Of peace, rep
resentative of the county.
These are but a few Of the VIC
tories won by the unemployed miners
in the last few weeks. These victories,
although small, are Of great signi-
ficance. They gave new inspiration
and confidence to the miners. 1t
showed that relief could be won
through struggle. The Fayette Coun-
ty miners are now organizing mass
conference on September 25th to lay
the basis for big hunger march in
the near future. The Washington
County miners are demanding hun
ger march and are actually begin
ming to prepare it on their own in
itiative. The Green County miners
have established an unemployed COM
mittee and are beginning to develop
a fight for relief. The Allegheny
County miners, together with the
steel workers, are organizing q hun
ger march for August 31st to in
tensify the struggle for relief.
1t is the task Of the National Min
ers Union to stimulate the develop
ment of a mass struggle for inlrned-
late relief by helping the miners to
build a mass unemployed movement
in every mining town.