davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

shops. In their struggles against the
bosses, the workers must he armed
20 refute the fake information" of
the capitalist economists.
THE report. according to the news
1 papers all over the country, is
supposed to show that the cost of liv-
ing for the working class rose only
0.0S per cent during May, supposedly
the first rise since September, 1880
The report also is supposed TO show
that the cost of living for the work
ers is still IA per cent below last
year, and n per cent below 1929.
False Figures.
These figures, taken by themselves,
give wholly false and distorted pic
ture of the actual situation of the
workers, AS used by the capitalist
press they are deliberately distorted
to conceal the appalling starvation
and misery Of the workers which ex-
listed long before 1929, but which have
been intensifying without interruption
since the beginning Of the crisis.
The figure used by the capitalist
economists called the cost Of living"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

pertly designed to raise pro-
fits, and at the expense not
only of the workers employed
in the dry goods trade but of all work
ers who are still expected to wear
shirts, Undertaking or other dry
goods sold by these stores.
The workers in the trade had not
enc word to say about wages, hours
or conditions.
The main purpose of the code Is
to bring down the wages OF the
higher-paid male workers to the
level of the poorest paid young fe-
male workers.
without stating that the major
ity of workers in this trade are
Young girls, the code actually sets
maximum wage Of s12 a week for AZ
hours for these workers.
Wage Scheme.
The complete wage scheme Of the
retail dry goods code is stated as fol-
lows: Experienced male workers in
cities of 100000 population in the
United States, that is in only SIX
or seven OF the largest cities in the
country, are to get q maximum wage
of sl8 a week. Many of these work
ers have families which they are ex-
pected to support on this wage in the
period of skyrocketting prices In
smaller cities, the wages step down
for these experienced male workers
to SIS and $l2 week.
Women workers are given the max
mum wage of s12 week, stepping
down to s1l and $40 week.
Young workers are given maxi
mum wage of $1l, stepping down IN
various cities to $40 and SO week.
The code gives the bosses the right
to slash these wages further. 1t says
that ct is recognized that these Sug-
gested rates are subject to further
adjustments
Before even considering wage rates
the $500 bosses, some Of them in
GLIDING large department STORES eih-
ploying thousands of workers, declare
they must have an increase in prices
Of 10 per cent. This hits all workers,
as we'll as the dry goods workers.
Food prices in the past two months,
according to Dunn g. Bradstreets, q
credit and economic association, have
gone up is per cent, and now the
most necessary articles of clothing
will be showed up 10 per cent in or
der. with the appearance of estao-
fishing minimum wage rate, to raise
the profits of the retail dry goods
bosses.
The introduction TO the dry goods
code submitted to General johnson
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

right to elect their committees IN
every store TO put forward their
demands.
a. The possibility to discuss wage
scales and hours, calling for meet
ings of the workers in all dry good
stores. The bosses have already
held their meetings, and are we'll
organized. They now will get tbs
sanction of the government for
their starvation wage levels.
81 No firing Of workers for or
ganization of negotiation commit
tees to lead the store discussions
and to draw up and negotiate de-
mands.
~ Recognition Of a workers
elected store committee to take up
all grievances Of the workers.
81 The right of the workers TO
raise the question of wages at any
time. as the cost OF living speeds
up. in order to break through the
attempt of the industrial recovery
bill and the National Retail Dry
Goods Association to rivet starry
atton wage on the workers while
the bosses go ahead with their
price raising schemes.
81 The right OF the workers to
organize against rise In hours,
for shorter hours without reduc
ton in pay and against the insidi-
Gus overtime scheme OF the dry
goods bosses, under the threat Of
firing the workers Demand ex
ira pay for overtime.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

While wages Of the workers have
been deeply slashed, and living
costs have risen, the strongest sec
tions if the American capitalist class
have not done at all badly during the
crisis.
With the breaking out OF the crisis,
the golden flow of dividend and in
terest collections increased. The fol-
lowing table compiled by the U. s.
Survey OF Current Business shows
only the payments Of the largest
compar
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
Huge Drop in Wages As Dividends Soar

an all-tine high in 1881 of 1882, 798,-
600. And last year the payments de-
clined only fraction to slo7,0oo,ooo
And the cash boards now lying in
the Golfers of the leading American
corporations are greater now than at
any time in the history Of the coun-
try. In 1929, y OF the ,eadin~ Gov
porations, including such companies
as U. S. Stctl Allied Chemical, etc,
had cash or its equivalent totalling
s6e8,25S. 900. But in 1882, after three
years of crisis the same companies
had increased their cash to 1885,
54sf- =.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
Bail for Herndon Is
Refused by Atlanta
Judge Who Tried Him
Evidence Against Negro Youth Who Fought
for Jobless Warranted Death" Says Judge

ATLANTA. Ga. June 26-Judge
Lee B. Wyatt in Fulton County Court
refused to set bail for Angelo Hern-
don, young Negro organizer of the
unemployed, and reserved decision on
the International Labor Defense de-
nand for new trial for him, in a
hearing Saturday. Wyatt is the
Judge before whom the original trial
was held.
Judge Wyatt refused the bail ON
the ground that the evidence against
Herndon, who is under sentence of
from 10 to 20 years on the chain
gang on a charge of "inciting to in
surrection" warranted death.
Herndon was arrested because he
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
1929-S7,584, 900, 900
1930-SS,592, 900, 900
1931-S8,5 $50, 100000
1g32-S7 200. 900, 900

For the first three months OF this
year, dividend payments were greater
than the first three months last year,
this years payments totalling sl,l25,-
o43 900 as against sl,12l 100000.
The banks have also been doing
very nicely--that is the stockholders
have. T1nirty-fiye OF the leading New
York Banks increased dividends
steadily since the 1893 crash reaching
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

which has kept the troopers OF this
region in terrible debt-slavery for
years. Fear of the share-croppers'
union forced both Smith and Ward
to consider it advisable TO return the
cut at once.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27

and ill-informed conjecture that there
is some mutual fear between labor
and industry which has slowed up
the preparation of industrial agree
ments for submission at the present"
This refers to the clash which re-
suited when in his very first bull
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
DRY GOODS RECOVERY" CODE SETS
STARVATION WAGE LEVELS FOR
WORKERS IN $500 RETAIL SHOPS
Wages of Experienced Male Workers Pushed Down Lew
of Girls in Dry Goods Shops
Only Program of Struggle Will Smash Down Employers
lied Struggle Against Workers

YORKAnoh
o The a
National Retail $500
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
Gen. Johnson Admits
Discomfort Is Rising
But Tells Bosses to Go Ahead and Make Own
Wage Scales, Ignoring Labor's Demands

WASHINGTON 2sAdming that the antlabor actions
bill
Hugh johnson forced
Brodcastng
recently
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-27
Strike of Negro
Farm Workers
Stops Pay Cut.
Southern Industrial College Heads Cut Pay
from 81 to 40 Cents Day

CAMP HILL Ala s6-Nero employed
aion the Southern College struck
last which college officials tried to
put They forced the college o rescind the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10

the mbearable conditions.
We cannot look toward the leaders
of the lila, IS.U., I.W.W. to lead
the coming fights against wage cuts
F'uresieth, of the IS.U., has told us
to accept wage cuts because there
was too much unemployment to fight;
has confused and divided the work.
ers with a campaign OF national and
racial hatred; and Scharrenbergi
Editor OF the Seamen's Journal, con-
tinues the vicious attacks against
Tom Mooney. Ryan Of the 1. L. A.
acted as the open strike breaker in
declaring the Boston longShore strike
illegal; in the sell-out of the Coast
wise men In New YorK and in putting
across the last wage-cut agreement.
None of these organizations has lifted
a finger in support of tst2 starving
unemployed. These leaders" have
been the ones who helped the ship
owners lower wages, Starve the I'M
employed and have betrayed the in
terests of thir own rank and file
members.
The Marine Workers Industrial
Union, alone, has organized and led
the actions aboard ship. 1t has Or
ganized and supported the fight OF
the unemployed 1t has stood by
the longshorenen and fought against
the betrayalS of the FurusethS and
Ryans and given full support to the
rank and file Of other organizations.
Since its first convention, the M. W.
I. U. has been one force in the indus
try that stood for militant united
action against the shipowners. 1t
now calls upon all workers in the
marine industry to mite in making
the second national convention a
rallying point for the united fight
which alone can stop the wage cuts
and win better conditions.
Help Prepare for Convention
In preparing for the convention the
Marine Workers Industrial Union
calls upon all of its members to do
their share in organizing ship and
dock committees for the purpose of
fighting against the immediate COLI
6itionS ana in carrying through the
drive for 1000 new members before
the convention.
Workers on every ship, dock and
shipping agency should discuss and
make recommendations to the con-
vention regarding what methods OF
organization are needed to best fight
the shipowners, how to improve the
M w. 1. u, and how to unite tie
workers of various organizations for
common struggle.
Election of Delegates
Election of delegates should take
place directly from ship and dock
groups (members OF N. w. I. U. work
ing in one place., from the branch
meetings of the M. w. I. u, from
opposition groups within other or
CARNATIONS, and from port confer
ences. The unemployed are invited
to send fraternal delegates through
the Unemployed Councils.
For the purpose Of working out a
united program of struggle against
wage cuts and the rotten conditions
the M. w. 1. U. invites all other
unions in the industry to elect fra
te!nal delegates to The convention
The rank and file of other organiza-
lions are urged TO take this call ur
in their locals Immediately. Bodies
elecUing such fraternal delegates mast
ma'le provisions for their expenses.
National Committee Marine
Workers Industrial Union
american Section, international
Seamen and Harbor Workers.
40 Broad St, N. Y. c,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10

the light of the aYoWed purpose Of
the government to do away with
non-paying roads the social and eco
nomic consequences for railroad
workers, and consumers, they pre-
sent picture Of hunger wages, I'M
employment and its ACCOMPANYING
misery and restitution that are APP
palling.
Isolate Towns and Villages.
Not only that, the elimination of
the non-paying lines means that
thousands of communities, towns and
villages along these lines will be de-
priyed OF transport facilities-cut of
from the rest Of the country and left
to sink into ruin All This because
the coupon clippers on Wall Street
are not able to obtain profits of their
watered stock. Profits, here as else
where, are placed above everything
else.
Must Answer Challenge.
This assault upon whole sections Of
the population, with the railroad
workers bearing the first blows, has
been long prepared for by the rail-
TOdQ IndSIldGGS WIFI lll6 dlu OIL Lie
officials Of the railroad unions who
have time and again betrayed their
membership by helping to enforce
wage cut after wage cut upon them.
The Roosevelt plan for co-ordinat-
ing railways is a challenge to the
railroad workers and to the whole
toiling population and must be met
by united and decisive action. There
must be set up on every railway d.
vision, in every railway shop, on
every section, committees of action
embracing organized and morgan
lied, employed and unemployed to
fight against wage cuts, against the
stagger system, for immediate unem-
ployment relief and unemployment
insurance equivalent to a living wage.
In this struggle, the railroad work
ers must receive the support of all
other workers and of the impover-
ished masses who will be further re-
duced to restitution if Roosevelt's
program goes into effect.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10

What Is g. few million dollars COM
pared to the millions a ten cent fare
would bring us. Unitication Of the
railroads is undoubtedly coming and
that in the near future. Under ex-
actly what conditions, is impossible
to foretell at this time. One thing
we know, the bankers will continue
to hold the financial reins and pocket
hugh profits accordingly, and the
city" will see to it that they get
theirs along with their allies, the
bankers. Consolidation of depart
ments, lay-offs by the thousands, re-
arrangement of schedules-less trains,
longer Roadway, all these things can
and will be done by Tammany ard
the bankers in their mad grab for
new and continued power to rob the
workers OF the railroads and the
workers of New York City.
Il. r. T. Worker.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10
ROOSEVELT AND
PERKINS PREPARE
R. R. WAGE CUT
Seek Help of Chiefs of
Brotherhoods to
Put 1t Over
RAILROAD LABOR NEWS

NEW YORK.--In preparation for
negotiations between the railroads
and organized labor to start about
June Is, eastern railroads are cir
cularizing large employers of labor in
New York State to determine the ex-
tent OF wage reductions in recent
years. Employers are asked to supply
information on straight wage cuts
and cuts through other methods"
reduction in hours and wages paid
clerical, skilled mechanical and I'M
skilled workers.
That the roads will not wait until
June IS before making actual cuts
has already been proven in the case
Of the Mobile g Ohio. This road went
bankrupt and cut it's workers an adj
ditional 10 per cent last summer.
After having swallowed the cut for
six months, the men voted for strike
action on February Is. No strike oc-
Cured, the case going to the U. S.
Board of Mediation. The Board can
be counted on by the road to drag
out proceedings until after the June
is negotiations when this extra 10
per cent cut will be made legal" for
all railroad workers.
A similar situation occurred on the
Kansas City 81 Southern, a Loree
road. In addition to wage cuts an
attempt is being made to revise
working agreements in the same way
that Loree got the officials of the
train crew unions to sign away SEMI
or1ty rights, overtime and page after
page of protective rules on the Della
ware 81 Hudson. Loree recently
bought major interest in the New
York Central and sent his son into
its Board of Directors to extend his
open shop plan to the 100000 work
ers on that road. He recently told
President Roosevelt that $100,000,0O
could be saved annually from changes
in union agreements.
A $3.50 DIVIDEND ON S2S
The Chesapeake & Ohio maintain
ed its dividend rate OF $3.50 share
on stock valued at s25 during the en-
tire depression period, according to
its latest statements. Its net income
in 1882 was $23,527,755 or $3.06 g
common share. The Mahoning Coal
Railroad, a subsidiary of the N. Y.
Central, reported for 1892 a net in
come of $699, $3.50, equal to $22.23 a
share on its $50 par common stock.
LABOR CHIEFS AGAIN TALK 1T
OVER"
While railroad executives and their
| government get into action railroad
labor executives write manifestoes.
THE Railway Labor Executives AS
ISOLATION Is unalterably opposed to
any scheme that suggests further
railroad mergers" said Whitney, its
president. They are concerned with
sacrifice Of proper service to COM
munitieS" with impairment of pro-
perty values in cities where terminals
and shops are abandoned and loss
Of work for thousands Of employees"
Instead of consolidating the forces
Of railroad labor, organized and I'M
organized, to resist wage cuts and re-
| quire some form Of cash relief for the
! hundreds of thousands squeezed out
Of the industry by the consultations
and mergers already in effect, the
labor chiefs are asking for long
drawn out congressional inyestiga-
ton.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10

plOyeo a skeleton force" JUST enough
to allow the barest necessary main
tenance to continue in relation to
the essentials Of other departments.
Fifty painters have been fired al
ready as a starter in that department.
Two hundred more trackmen went
on April ist. Hundreds of men from
the shops, power houses, signal Dept,
Transportation Dept, etc, have lost
and continue to lose their Jobs. A
move is sf0ot to Clean out" all the
old men Of the road by retiring
them on pension that wouldn't keep
a dog In biscuits. This "clean out"
is being executed very quietly for OBJ
vious reasons, and is being performed
by each department individually, as
are all the lsy-oh and time cutting
policies.
The unificatl0n plans which are
now being pushed through with great
rapidity have a definite relation with
the terrific cutting and firing of these
workers. The City Of Rev York,
that is, Tamnlany Hall with It's pol
itical-oanker adherents, has taken
the greatest pleasure in robbing the
workers and Taxpayers. They ma
neuyered the profits OF the several
systems into their own pockets in
stead of allowing this profit to ind
its way into the city treasury where
it would revert back to the people Of
the city in the form Of less taxation.
cheaper assessments, etc,
What about the t1ve-cent fare?
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10
RGANIZE MASS DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST LYNCH VERDIC
Railroad Workers Victims of
Roosevelt Hunger Campaign

journal Of Commerce states:
1.-THE amount of traffic which the
railroads have to carry now does
not justify financially either the
present volume of employment,
reduced as it is compared with 1929
levels, or the existing rate Of pay
Any sincere effort to elini-
nate duplication and waste, OF
course, must necessarily involve the
wholesale elimination of jobs"
The confidential advice to bust
ness executives put out under the
name of the Kiplinger Washington
letter Of March IS, discussing wages
in general, said:
"AlI indications are that these
will further trend down. Railroads
probably will succeed in reducing
wages more than the present 10
per cent after midyear Miss
Perkins, secretary of labor, now
seems to be preparing the ground
work implications in RooSe-
velt's new unemployment program
are not in direction of trying
to maintain wage standards for the
present"
In the Kiplinger letter OF April LIST,
executives are informed that there
will be considerable losses on the
railroads because quite a number Of
roads must go through reorganiza-
ton within the year"
Big Bankers VIII Gain.
1t has been notorious for decades
that the stock of railroads was wat
cred to an enormous extent; that the
physical valuation OF the equip
ment was far below the railroad Sc
curities; that these securities were
based upon the expectation of a
continuous rise in profits as a result
of increased business.
The economic crisis has shattered
the foundation upon which these Sc
curitieS are based, with the result
that a reorganization is imperative.
The smaller fry will be squeezed out
and after the reorganization process,
the entire rail transport of the coun-
try will be in the hands of the big
gest Wall Street magnates and OPP
Grated through their own government
agencies.
Non-Paying Railroads.
So. devastating has been the crisis
that railway operating income for
February Of this year was 54.5 per
cent below that of the same month
last year d932). The aggregate for
149 Glass railroads in February was
$9,854, 1882, against $21, $685. in Feb
ruary of last year. Seventy -four
roads failed to earn expenses and
taxes the first two months OF this
year-eighteen in the East, fourteen
in the South and forty-two in the
West.
Such figures are meaningless taken
in themselves. But interpreted in
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-10
TAMMANY, BANKS
RUSH TRACTION
COMBINE PLANS
9Th Ave. City Subway
Grab Sought by Banks
Means Wage Cuts

NEW TORK.-LateSU reports OF the
proposed traction combine in New
York and the campaign for the &c
fare shows that it has entered the
bargaining stage. Behind closed doors
with Mayor O'Brien presiding the
IR.T. big stockholders and the B.M.T.
big stockholders are figuring Just
what they can get out of the deal.
The workers are not being given
any consideration in these conferences
IS thousands of them will be fred
when the traction deals are consum-
mated. Wages have been cut and viii
be cut further.
City In Subway Game
The Walker Tammany administra-
ton put the city in the subway bust
ness to the tune Of millions of dol
lars. They undoubtedly got theirs
in the well known Tammany fashion.
One method well known according to
past investigations is through the
contractors who get the city job.
There were also rumors at the time
that some made pretty penny in
real estate operations through the
speculation in property which the in
5iders in Tammany knew would be
benefited by having a subway near
it.
Now that they find that the city
h loaded with debt, and there is a
city traction system 18th Ave. line)
which doesn't earn its keep. The
process to be used by these people
is to pass the expense Of their mis-
management onto the shoulders Of
TIRE workers. With this in view the
dernagogue Al Smith, who poses as
the friend of the people comes out
for a seven cent fare. He says we
rouet face realities.
Watered Stock
From the very start the IR.T. was
f. oYercapitaized by J. P. Morgan g.
Co. and Belmont & Co. From present
indications it does not look as though
the capitalization vii, be cut dras-
ticaDv. TIL certainly does not show
ar o.tenpt to face realities.
The Cnly ones who will have to
face realities are the workers who will
be thrown out Of their jobs, which
. CC3V hare existence,
and will have 10 face the relief bur-
eau and the bread line This will be
done in the nan C naturalization
and eficienc~.
( Undoubtedly now that the city trac-
ton system IS completely built the
bankers will vancouver to get it for
nothing Such things have happened
before in this country.
The IR.T. Group which is calling
on the workers to struggle points out
Z t'le 10 consolidate the
traction companies threatens destitu-
ton to subway workers and can be
defeated only by the organization of
the workers. Subway workers, get
in touch With the I.R.T. Group at 1893
Broadway. Room 238.