The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-01

and A. A. lodges meet May q
After a period of meeting
sion was won for meeting in
the Senate Caucus Room in
the State Capitol.
The Conference opened with
the election of a presiding COM
mittee of five elected from Eastern
Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylva-
MIA, the anthracite coal fields, Read
ing, and from the I. U. C. L. of
Allegheny County. Ten-minute re-
ports were given by various repre-
sentatives from the different coun-
ties. Struggles against evictions,
march IS, demonstrations, fights
against discrimination of Negroes,
were recounted as we'll as the ever
worsening plight of the unemployed.
The report of the delegate from
Allegheny County, Phil Frankfeld,
received great response from the
delegates.
JObless to Back Steel Strike
Roy Hallas, president of the
Revival Lodge of the Amalgamated
Association of Iron, Steel and Tin
workers, dealt with the coming
strike in steel and what the unem-
ployed can do to help mobilize and
win the strike. E. G. CUP, Negro
coal miner from Centerville Boro
and active leader of his U. M. w. A.
local union, dealt with conditions
among the coal miners. Pete Paul
spoke for the anthracite. John
Parks for Philadelphia County. A
woman delegate from Reading dealt
with the problems of housewives and
women in general and was enthu-
siastically applauded.
Later on in the day, a Committee
Of Twenty was elected to meet with
Eric H. Biddle, state director of re-
lief representing the State Emer-
gency Relief Board. A discussion
on the demands took place before
presenting them to Biddle. All sec
tons of the State were represented
as we'll as most important industries.
The Committee of Twenty met
Biddle, Mrs. Overweight, Mills from
Allegheny County, and several spe-
cial relief Investigators from the
state. After the chairman of the
delegation, Frankfeld, presented the
demands for the entire conference,
16 members of the delegation made
supplementary reports and speeches
dealing with conditions on R. w. D.,
relief, abuses of local welfare au-
thorities, for unemployment insur-
snce, surplus food orders, etc.
Biddle proceeded to answer the
demands of the unemployed. In
the course of his remarks he de-
clared: 1.-THE arguments for in
creased relief are unanswerable. Re-
lief is inadequate in Pennsylvania.
Something must be done to improve
relief conditions" He then pro-
ceeded to tell the delegation why
nothing could be done now to in
crease relief because their hands
were tied by lack Of funds" Pro-
posals were made how to raise these
funds.
Biddle was forced to promise the
delegation the following:
Payment of relief in cash;
2-Including Of ice in the bud
getary needs of family In the
cash relief schedule;
3-Changes in the form of shoe
and clothing distribution to re-
place the present commissary
system of distribution;
ITO include consideration In
the budget of such items as house
hold utensils, soap, reading mate
rial, etc.
In connection with the coming
steel strike, a guarantee was gotten
that strikers, just as well as any
other workers, will be eligible for re-
lief on the basis of their needs.
Concerning unemployment insur-
ance Biddle refused to commit him
self.
All in all, important concessions
were won for the unemployed-if
these promises are kept.
The Committee presented 10000
names in favor of the demands of
the Unemployment Councils from
Western Pennsylvania and total
of about 10000 from Eastern Penn
sylvania and the anthracite. These
were gathered up in less than two
weeks.