The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-19

catch up with the rise in produe-
ton costs and prices. Orders
are beginning to expire with little
promise of early renewal. In
cases where seasonal spring mer-
chandise is involved /. the sit
uation is already resulting in the
shutting down of machinery, tenn
porarily. In print cloth and
sheeting markets reports widely
circulated from the South lead
buyers to believe that goods have
accumulated far in advance of
current shipment requirement."
60 prosperity isn't coming to the
y textile industry as the result of
codes. On the contrary, goods are
piling up, and greater unemploy-
ment looms.
How are the codes working out?
We will call in a witness, very
much biased in favor of the NRA,
especially in the Massachusetts, tey-
tile centre, one of the biggest bally-
hooers for the textile code, the
Massachusetts, state federation of
labor.
At its 4Sth convention recently
held in Springfield, Mass, com
plants of worse conditions on the
code poured in to the great en-
arrassment Of the A. F. of L. lead
ers. Talk was rife of a general
strike-against the codes.
The Boston "Globe," friend of
the textile barons, concluded thct
the 10th Massachusetts State A. F. L.
convention proved the workers
weren't finding any blessings in the
code. cit showed lack of conf
dence on the part of organized labor
in the success of the NRA, as it is
now operating"
Why this lack Of confidence on
the part of the workers, especially
in the textile industry?
Because in practice the codes are
lowering the standards of living of
the workers.
When the textile code was first
passed, "Fibre and Fabric" organ
for textile bosses, discussing wages
and hours, from the viewpoint of
the bosses, said:
sit (the 4o-hour week. is no
handout to labor as none of US
are going to get a penny more
than we earn whatever the work.
ing-week may be, and labor, or
ganized or otherwise, will give 4
increased effort and produce as
much in 40 hours as in 48 or 81
or it will get only 4o-hour pay
What actually happened is that
the textile workers are being forced
to produce as much in 40 hours as
they did in AZ or 81 hours-with
only 40 hours pay.
WE have some detailed reports
" from the American Wooden Co.
and the Pacific Mill Corporation.
Hours have been cut, it is true, but
wages are also being cut. For ex-
ample, combers who used to receive
SIG for a week of 81 hours work,
now get $13.36 for 40 hours work.
New types of speed-up are being
put into effect. No time is allowed
for lunch in some departments.
There is no time for washup. Night
work is being introduced for
women.
THE most damnable piece of news
comes from private letter
written by Southern textile owner
to his New York representative.
The letter was published in the Bal
timore Sun by M. Farmer Murphy,
special Washington correspondent.
The letter says that in those
cases where wages were increased
to conform to the code, where
workers were getting less than S12
week, this was a mere bookkeep-
ing stunt. The boss took every
penny back. He raised rent on the
company houses, and he installed
electric meters IN the workers
homes. He not only made them pay
for the electricity, but for the cost
of the meter. 1--WE have done sew
eral things" says this boss, ito
ofc5et the increase"
Finding himself successful with
this stunt, the Southern exporter
will see how much more he can
offset until wages are far below
where they were before.
The results of the textile code.
definitely brand the MIRA as slave
law.