The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-22
builders of the workers

present day builders Of the workers
fatherland."
What are the rations on capital
ist boat, you ask? Good enough for
the first and second class passengers.
Third class not so good, including
tea brewed from the leavingS of the
second. The stewards chow Is leav-
ings or fourth class. The sailors have
their grub thrown at them, hunks of
meat and potatoes, whole. loaves Of
bread to be chopped up on the bare
table. Salt horse, their traditional
diet from the days Of sail, Is yet on
the meanwhile the ship has a mod
ern refrigerating plant and carries
dozens of tons of fresh meat, fish,
vegetables, fruit-for the benefit of
passengers and officers"
Same Food As for Passengers
"See for yourself the rations for the
senger have chicken for dinner today.
So do we sailors have chicken, just as
fresh and well cooked. There it Is
on the big platters with boiled pota-
toes. We had soup before. You see
there is plenty of butter and good
bread, black or light as we prefer.
Jam for desert unless there is pud-
ding. Lots of tea All nicely served
on chinaware. A man steward waits
on you; a girl comrade on us; per-
haps we are better off"
What are the hours on the La
coma? Longer hours go with shorter
pay since the depression. The stewards
slave fourteen hours day, do all
kinds of double duty between bed
rooms and dining rooms, scrub floors,
hustle baggage. They are always tired
to death and can't even get an hours
rest during the so-called divine serv-
ice on Sunday; no, they are forced
to attend this service, at least forty
of them punched together in spick-
and-span uniform, under penalty of
a fine. The sailors are luckier and
have an eight hour day"
ION the Sibir there Is an eight
hour day at sea and seven hours in
port. A few stewardesses may put
in overtime, not more than an hour
and half allowed, and they are paid
extra for it. The crew is large enough
to provide three eight hour shifts and
there is no capitalist trick If going
to sea shorthanded and putting an
extra burden on the workers"
No Tips Needed
what about the tipping system
on a capitalist boat? A self-respect-
ing worker does not like to put out
his hand for aims, but the boss own
ers force us to it. With small pay.
unsteady work, a wife and children
at home to provide for, we must get
tips or just about starve to death.
Trouble is, the passengers are cutting
down the tips too. It's fine business,
what?"
Happily the workers on socialist
ship like the Sibir do not have to
panhandle for living; they are paid
adequately and politely refuse hand
outs from uniformed passengers"
do women have an opening to
work on capitalist ship? Yes, they
can wear themselves out as steward
esses or laundresses or obtain some
lighter jobs as manicurists to the
plutes or as salesgirls in the curic
shop"
ION Soviet ships no position is
barred to women. The Sibir has q
young woman radio operator who
takes turns with man operator
There are women mates and other Of
ficers on several vessels. :. Did you
know, incidentally, that the Sibir
which is a first class diesel-engineo
ocean-going craft, was built entirely
in the Soviet Union with all Soviet
materials with the sole exception o.
one small auxiliary engine and the
foreign patented boat davits? CUES.
you heard too the establishment Of
that German importer with marine
experience over the excellence Of the
whole job after he inspected it from
stem to. stern. As Lenin said, VI
Communists must equal and surpas'
the construction Of the most advanced
countries. We are doing it. We have
already better ships than this. And
all the workers together will ,soor
make a new and different world"