The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-15

lutionary days and which now trA
SCENTS a picture of bourgeois states
manship gone to seed.
Little Industrial Development
The majority OF the people are
small truck farmers, whose crops ma
ture later than those of Tidewater,
Virginia, across the bay, and conse-
quently never bring top prices. People
usually grow enough corn, potatoes,
greens and cabbage to see them
through the winter. This, together
with the seasonal oyster dredging and
shucking, constitutes the principal
means Of livelihood.
A few small cannerieS, shirt fac
tories and box factories, employing
no more than 100 to 200 people,
been opened, mainly in the water
front towns, but many of them have
closed again in the past four years.
In those that have remained open,
wages run as low as 10 cents an hour,
working more than ten and q half
hours day.
Few Negroes Own Land
Contrary to the general notion
there are more than twice as many
whites as Negroes on the eastern
shore. While more than two-thirds
Of the whites owned their land in
1881, only little over a third Of the
Negroes we're owners. The proper
ton of Negro share-croppers to the
total number of Negro farmers has
generally been about third higher
than among the whites.
AS far as values Of farm lands and
buildings went, the whites in each
county owned more than 100000
worth, while the Negroes In each
county owned between 100000 and
100000 worth Of property. In other
words, the Negroes comprising almost
half the population owned one-twen-
ty-fifth Of the estimated wealth in
land and buildings. With the sharp
ening of the crisis In the past two
years, there is no question that
far greater proportion Of the Negroes
has since been forced into depend
ence.
Negroes Denied Education
More than four times as many Ne
groeS as whites are forced to remain
illiterate. In Worcester County, which
seems to have the worst record, one
out of every four Negroes Is illiterate,
and one out of every 20 writes. Thir-
ty per cent of the Negro children
stop school after the age of IS, and
20 per cent of the whites. Negro
schools only run for eight months a
year, white schools for nine months.
There is also discrimination IN the
salaries Of Negro school teachers. In
Wicomico County, for instance, Negro
teachers have recently been cut from
SOS to $50 month, while white
teachers still get from $500 to $1,000
a year, on the books. This year the
teachers in Wicomico have as yet re-
ceived no wages at all.
Masses on Verge of Starvation
The majority Of people on the East
ern shore have always lived pretty
close to the subsistence level, and
deaths from pellagra and malnutri-
ton figure in the health records
always with a greater percentage
among the Negroes. In the past lew
years, with the drop in farm prices,
the closing Of many of the seasonal
industries and the falling off In
clustering and grabbing, the struggle
for existence has sharpened a great
deal.
Until very recently, however, lead
ing citizens have protested that no
distress existed, that the people OF
their county, being used to a low
standard OF living, are no worse Off
than they we're and need no help"
The ruling class has covered up the
sore spots and refused to allow any
outside agency to intervene. with,
offers of relief.
The local relief consisted of little
food in return for forced labor, With
some fuel, no rent and accommoda-
lions in the city jail for transients.