The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-19
Party Life
New Member Offers
Suggestion To Stop
Party FluctuatiOn

Subject: Letter of the Central
Committee to Party members on
recruitment, appearing in D. W. of
Oct. 6, 1884.
The problem of party membership
fluctuation has been widely dis
cussed in the Daily Worker and in
the Party Organizer. In most Of
these discussions, if not all, sug-
gestions were made which would
solve the problem. No responsibility
was ever fixed upon anyone, how
ever, to see any suggestions exc
cuted. Consequently past appeals,
discussions, and suggestions have
been barren of results.
The chief reason for fluctuation
is that new members are not as
signed to concrete tasks, and prop
erly guided by someone in the unit
who should be responsible for at
ten.ion to those newly admitted.
Closely bound up with this reason
are two others (a) The general
inertia of party members, manifest
ing itself in laziness, and lackadaisi-
cal manner of doing work. (b) The
carelessness and lackadaisical man
ner of old party members reduces
the enthusiasm of new members
until they get disguised and drop
out.
To remove the fluctuation prob
lem suggest as follows: Cd That
units should consist of only as
many members as will enable each
member to REPORT PERSONALLY
about his assignment. If We allow
minutes for each report, it means
that there should be no more than
II or 13 members.
~ Each section should be re-
duced until there are in it no more
than $50 or 275 members.
go When a, new member is as
signed to unit, the section should
require the unit organizer to report
at the end of the third week. The
new member should also be required
to report WITHOUT he UNIT
ORGANIZER BEING PRESENT.
The advantages following these
suggestions are:
If each member will be required
to report personally, he will be
interested in carrying out his as
signment. The discussion following
the report will help develop the
reporting comrade, and make him
ashamed of his work if it has been
sloppy.
BY reducing the section member
ship, the section organizer and
neutrality-suspicious. will be able to
know each member of the section;
they will be able to stir up any dead
wood, or direct members into proper
activities when it is necessary. They
will be better able to develop sec
ton cadres.
By reqt<ing unit organizers to
report on new members, the section
will place responsibility squarely on
the shoulders of the unit organ
izers. This direct responsibility will
act as spur upon unit organizers
to check any wrong conduc; of old
members toward the new member,
as well as place upon the unit
organizers the task of helping the
new member. By requiring the new
member to report without the pres
ence of the unit organizer, the sec
ion will be able to judge how the
organizer carried out his duty. The
section will also be able to deter
mine if the new member needs some
special help and if so, what?
There is an apparent disadvan-
tage in reducing section member
ship in that it will become more
difficult for the section to NEE. the
overhead costs. But this disadvan-
tage is not much if the following
are considered:
Cd A smaller section membership
means smaller headquarters.
~ A more efficient section means
more effective Party activi y, more
mass support, fuller collection boxes.
1t is time to eliminate the care
less and lackadaisical work that dis
sipates energy and results in mem
bership turnover. Since this is a
major problem, fully as important
as strike victory in coal or steel,
I suggest that the Control Commit
tee should lead in carrying out the
above suggestions. Let us go be-
yond the discussion of the problem.
Let us act. G. S.,
T C. 2, Section IS, N. Y. C..
I Joined Unit IA, Section Is,
March, 1884. Enthusiasm degen-
Grated to disgust. Felt like drop
ping out. Decided to stay and
make Party better. Was chosen
by Section for concentration Unit
TIC "a small and good unit.
Will stay in the Party and work
to help make it better everywhere.