The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-16
Party Life
New Members Class
Spurs Recruiting
Drive of Party

CECTION SIX, Brooklyn, has con-
y Quoted a new members group for
nine weeks. Certain LESSONS can al
ready be drawn from this procedure
of new members groups.
/. Out of some 43 recruits in the
first six weeks, moEt of them are
today in the Party. More than ten
are unit functionaries, speakers, etc.
D. 1t is now possible for the mem
bership director and instructor to
become acquainted with every new
member and to make the strictest
check-up on the units in the han
ding of recruits. The problems and
questions of the new members can
be given proper attention and their
difficulties can be dealt with.
8. During the course of the three
weeks discussions, it is possible to
judge the comrades abilities and
weaknesses, so that the cornrade
can be placed in the work for which
he or she is best fitted. At times it
will be found that new members be-
long to as many as three or four
mass organizations. 1t will be nee
essary for the organization depart
ment to release the comrade from
all but the one where he or she is
best fitted in order to carry out
basic Party activity. At other
times new members belong to A. F.
of L. or independent unions,
while at the same time are not
active, or belonging to the rank
and file groups in these unions are
taken up with activity in some To-
cal club. These comrades by all
means should be released from all
other work and their major activity
turned towards the trade union.
4. Under the old procedure new
member going to unit meeting
became swsmped with all sorts of
activities that he accepted without
knowing how or why these assign
ments are to be carried out. Many
new members Immediately lost all
connection with their former
friends, on the other hand making
no acquaintance in the Party, be-
came isolated and easily discour-
aged. Today the newcomer to the
Party has the opportunity to get a
fundamental idea of what the Party
is, its aims and the functions of a
member. Each new member be-
comes acquainted with the other
new members, the membership di-
rector and the instructor and is
encouraged not only to keep old &C
quaintances, b.. also to bring the
best of them mo the Party.
5. Now. as a rule and not the ex-
ception, new applicants are directly
connected up with the Party. In
this way, the careless handling of
application cards. long waiting, loss
of cards and many new members
has been eliminated
The general feeling for the new
members group is healthy one.
The comrades are glad to take adj
vantage of this method of clearing
themselves UP on many points, and
in this way gain stronger foot
hold inside the Party.
In answer to the question why
did you join the Communist Party,
serious recruiting problems were
raised. 1t was brought out for ex-
ample, that many of these new
members have been militant and
active members of long standing in
trade unions, where Party members
belong, and where fractions exist.
yet most of these recruits were not
brought into the Party directly by
the fractions or Communists in the
trade union. This fact alone is
enough to raise the whole question
of recruiting sharply before the
Communists in the trade unions.
In two weeks two new members
each brought in another new mem
Der. One brought a worker from
his shop, thus laying the basis for
a nucleus there in an A. F. of l..
union shop. This bringing UP the
whole question of popping up the
recruiting drive by showing some of
the old units what this new mem
bers group can do inside Of three
weeks.
There are at present some weak
neSSes in oar conduct of the new
members group. The principal one
Is the question of group activity for
the new comrades. This has not
been solved, and there is a ten
dency that the group takes on the
outlook Of a class or a parole group.
We have to work out a method of
assigning small tasks for the new
group, and after each activity a
discussion on the carrying out of
the assignment should be held.
The second difficulty is because of
a lack of instructors, the group is
continuous, with new members COM
ing in each week. These do not get
the full benefit of the three weeks
course, as they would if they were
in a definite group
Up to now, the instructors of
these section groups have had no
meetings where experiences could
be exchanged Since this inter-
change of experience is valuable,
the instructors should utilize this
column as their medium.
j. R., Section Six,
Brooklyn.