Montana labor news., 1933-01-05
THE EDITORS SCRATCH-PAD


While we are soothing at the Five-Year Plan of Russia
Wise-cracking about its success, here are a few items
regarding the Great American Plan for 1888 and as long
as people will put up with it:
Cleveland-One-eighth of the population of the
county will be receiving food, lodging and clothing
from public relief agencies this winter. Three years
ago 700 families were on the relief roll, two years
ago $500, one year ago $1,000, now $4,000, and
new ones are being added at the rate of 200 a day.
Pittsburgh-35,000 families are being fed, and it
is expected that $1,000 antilles will be on relief this
winter. Public funds amounting to S~5,175,00O are
now available, and a welfare fund of S2,400,0 900 is
being raised for permanent institutions and char
acterforming agencies as well as relief.
Bethlehem, PA typical one-industry town of
$4,000 people, the home of the Bethlehem Steel Co.
Three thousand families are on relief. Rev. Paul
Cotton of the South Side Presbyterian church of that
city, in a sermon on Sept. II, 1882, said: Although
the government plead with industry to keep up
wages, on order that the buying power of the nation
might be upheld, the steel industry has cut and cut
their mems wages. This was in spite of a surplus of
S114, 900, 1000. In good times huge bonuses were paid,
with no preparation whatever made to take care of
their men in hard times. Until recently preferred
dividends were continuously paid, although wages
were disgracefully low"
Chicago-A year ago 1OO,O 900 families dependent
on relief; at present 146,000, with the number in
creasing. Already expended more than $38,0O0,-
900, Of which $40, 000,0 1000 has come from the federal
government and will be gone by December 1.
Butte has about so per cent of its population living on
charity and the numbers increase. The only decrease
comes when the A. G. N. Co. Master Minds can find a
of Communism in some poor devil that objects to
bacon, macaroni and beans seven days a week.
And speaking of Relief. One poor soul, out Of coal,
was told to buy some somewhere as the Relief had no
and wouldn't have any for a few days. AT that
there was plenty of coal in Butte, but what was
meant was that the chosen coal yard did not receive its
from the chosen coal fields and it would not
be fair to let some other struggling coal dealer get the
money for that order.
Why have charge of the distribution of relief if you
can't benefit by it and help your own business?
Another interesting thing is that a man who is a radical
can be cut off the relief without any protest being made.
Yet a large part of this relief comes from the government.
The radical who paid this money in taxes can now starve
% death in time of need.
If radicalism is a test for w~orthiness in receiving relief,
radicals should be exempt from taxation.
And we'll bet the next hunger march to Washington
Won't be turned back.
The next hunger march will be a mass assault by
vould-be jobholders, March A.
Two headlines, side by side, indicate how clever our
masters of finance are: WORLD CHAMBER OF COM
MERGE URGES SCRAPING OF SHIPS TO AID
TRADE; NEW LUXURY LINER, EQUIPPED WITH
STABILIZERS, SAILS TO-DAY.
BERTHE Hoover seeks to recoup his fortune, says a news
TEN.
He's going to live on a measly $95, 900 a year after
larch A.
FORD