The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-07
Corrupt Officials Use
Gangsters and City
Leaders
By A. S. PASCUAL

NEW YORK.-Ramifica-
tons of a $25, 100000 water
front ''kick-back'' racket in
clu de millionaire steamship
ines, American Federation of
Labor officials, their gangster
aides, politicians, stevedore bosses
and contractors, all Of them uniting
TO gouge the longshoreman Of part
Of his wages.
This amazing, highly organized
system Of extortion and terror squat
ting on the piers of New York OPP
crates with the blessings Of Joseph
P. Ryan. president of the Interna-
tional Longshoremen's Association
Gangsters cooperate with union dele
gates to collect as much as So per
cent of longshoreman's daily pay.
Workers are black-jacked into sub
mission or murdered to insure the
carrying out OF this lucrative racket.
And the corrupt officials work
hand in hand with the government
Of the city. Last year the Joseph P.
Ryan Association held their annual
dinner-dance at the Hotel Commo-
core. Every department Of the city
government including the judiciary
was represented, according to the N.
z. Times. Among the guests were
John F. Curry, Tammany leader;
Samuel S. Koenig, Republican County
chairman; District Attorney T. G..
Grain; Marty Madden, brother of
Owen Madden, Police Commissioner
James s. Bolan, Senator Robert F..
Wagner, and Samuel Rosoff, con-
tractor"
Shipping Board Graft
The Times" reporter probably did
not know T. v. O'Connor, chairman
OF the U. s. Shipping Board and SO
could not say whether ne was present.
OConnor, former LILA. president,
was TO have his innings with the
press later on when the U. S. mail
subsidies investigation illuminated
hln1 as q go-between for the Morgan
Astor shipping interests, the govern
ment and the LILA. officials.
but Martin Madden was present.
He is Ryan's personal bodyguard and
brother of frankie and owen Mad
len, all Of them notorious Brooklyn
gangster5. They protect Ryan and
collect the 'kick-back money,
With 81 per cent of the $4,000 long
shoremen IN the port Of New York
unemployed the racket flourishes. On
the Cunard Line in New York, the
boss stevedore sells jobs for $55:
sampson, the LA. delegate, black
lists those Who complain. In Brook
lyn. Frank Napoli, No. / Gang Boss
y the Grace Line. sells Jobs for $50:
w from every $40 in wages earned
by fortunate workers goes toward the
racket. Every single deep water pier
controlled by the LA. has a "kick-
BACK ranging from 10c to as much
IS can be wrung from the terrorized
workers, ano the lila. officials
share in this.
Then Ryan, posing as the friend
Of organized labor" has the crust to
distribute q leaflet on the piers in
Which he says: 'It has been brought
10 my attention that someone OUT
side the lila. is soliciting money
from Our members, promising them
Jobs at certain piers in preference to
others"
Book Sold for So
The Daily Worker has in It's pos
aezsion an LILA. union book that
was sold to Howard j. Farmer for
% by E. Busso, secretary Of Local 3ss.
The imitation fee is $40. The racket
IS centralized inside the lila. by the
Officials.
The leaflet continues urging the
men to report any such racketeering
practices to Joseph Ryan. Ryan has
been told Of these conditions scores
Of times by indignant workers who
refused to pay the racket.
Ryan is even afraid to cali local
membership meetings Of the long
shoremen in order not to have the
workers voice their hatred of the
gouging they must submit to in order
. work two or three DAYS a month.
There are locals In the city that have
7N% met TSr. a,7I