The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-26
UNITED FRONT OF
Is ORGANIZATIONS
WON SOME RELIEF
Detroit Workers Push
"Big Shot" to Wall
BY a Worker Correspondent

bS q nUIhEI OOITbSpohNcnt
DETROIT, Mich, Oct. 24.-We are
starting some united front action
in this section for relief. We have
succeeded to get together Is unen-
ployed organizations in the 22nd
Ward, three Unemployed Councils,
Youth Council, Polish Chamber Of
Labor, Ukrainian Toilers, church,
Scots Clan, three Forgotten Mems
Clubs, Tammsny Club, Citizens
League. We had an appointment
with John Ballenger, the big shot
Of the Welfare Department Of De-
troit, to take up the grievances Of
this Bedford District The welfare
workers were trying to keep relief
in the section as low as possible.
Mrs. Bakon was welfare worker,
but was canned for some Of her ac-
tivity ard she stated at this meeting
with Ballenger that the welfare work.
ers do not work for the welfare of
the people, but to cfisel the workers
out of their meagTe allowances. The
case workers have a meeting each
week and are given honors for what
they can chisel out Of us. This Is the
reason that they get a better poll
tical standing in this branch OF the
City Government.
So the understanding we got from
this was that the higher the official
in the Welfare Department, the bet
ter chiseler he or she Is. We de-
manded that the Welfare Department
at once grant us clothing and shoes
and coal. Also that the youth and
all single people be given So per
week; that rents, gas and lights be
paid to al, not some, as they have
been doing. That the case workers
do not discriminate against the for
eign born people; that people who
have boys at the camp and receive
only $25 per month, where the budget
calls for about $50, should be given
this difference.
That the Welfare Department does
not send people who are on the well
fare to scab in the factories that
are on strike. We had a couple of
hundred cases with us so they could
not pass the buck that it wasn't so.
Mr.. Balanger was surprised" to hear
Of conditions like this existing.
He'll, yes, he didn't know about this;
why in hell is he in the position he's
in now. It's about time our city gov
eminent finds somebody who knows
something about the needs Of the
people.
He tried to tell us that he would
investigate the very next morning.
but one of the committee got I'D and
said, II know your way of passing
the buck, I've been on these COM
mittees before and you used the same
language. We don't take any stock
in your words"
He was at the Redford welfare sta
ton the next morning and now the
people can see that united We stand.
divided We starve. We won some of
our der nds. The organizations
promised 20 work together after cleo
ton as we'll as before, but we had
two meetings since and the Forgotten
Mans Club and Citizens League have
not had representatives at these meet
ings. We pointed out in the begin
ming that the leaders Of these or
CARNATIONS were in this only for votes
and we are convinced now.
Now, through the activities of these
workers, we have penetrated a new
section Of the workers. A new Un-
employed Council has sprung up and
all of our Unemployed Councils have
increased in membership.