The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-30
By s. r.

ny Do fs
NEW BEDFORD, once big textile center IN
New England, is today a city Of mass hunger
and poverty Fully 10000 men and women are
today jobless. Last week TOO more workers were
added to the already large army Of job seekers
There is no relief in sight. Rumors are that the
few mills still operating on part time basis will
soon shut down completely.
The unemployed eof New Bedford share the
same fate as those of other Massachusetts, towns
The city refuses to give the unemployed adequate
relief. The city government is doing everything
possible to hide the real facts of mass hunger and
poverty among the workers
One of the methods used to keep the workers
from organizing and from fighting for cash relief
is through the so-caed city "poor farm employ
ment In the extreme part Of the South End
there is the city poor farm where the poor and
elderly men and women are usually sent.
But now this spot is used for a more ''bene-
f1ciar' purpose. Now the unemployed are sent
there to work. The system followed in sending
the jobless to work there is very interesting.
Every unemployed man who applies for relief
Is registered in the City Welfare After whole
series of questions are asked from the applicant
after the city welfare department is convinced
that the worker does not belong to any organiza-
ton Of struggle (and above all after they make
sure that he is not a member of the unemployed
council or Of the N. T. w, w. the application is
accepted and the man is told to report to the
poor farm" to work
Every unemployed works one day week on the
poor farm" The work on this farm" consists
in carrying rocks from one rock pile to the other
Some carry wood from one spot to the other side
Of the farm. After the rocks are cleared from
the given spot the men are put to work to carry
the rocks hArk m the Az r1lana
In addition to that, the workers have lately
been put on the job OF cleaning the beach.
Formerly this work was done by city hired help
at union wages. Now the unemployed do it at
starvation wages. That Is one way Of saving
money for the poor CITY,
This week another method Of slavery was intro
duced on this poor farm" While until now the
cultivator was pulled by horses, now the horses
were put into the barn, and jobless workers are
forced to pull the cultivator. Workers resented
this latest scheme Of enslavement and refused to
do the work, pointing out that the work is too
heavy, and that they cannot stand the strain.
The overseer. informed these workers that if
they don't keep on working they cannot get their
relief check.
Day after day hundreds of men come to work
on this poor farm" Every unemployed is forced
to do one days work every week. For this he
receives a check varying from 50 up to So The
'hand-out" is made according to the number of
children the person has. One dollar per child a
week is the calculation. Nothing is given for the
parents. No consideration is made for the rent,
gas, light, etc.
Many workers live four or five miles from the
elections to the national convention in Milwau-
kee. failed to elect prominent Negro member
in New York as delegate, even though he is con-
sidered "a good socialist" because white lily
socialists, as leading socialist remarked, did not
want him In the delegation!
This is the Socialist Party in action--its