The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-28
Party Life
Some Pointers
For Preparation
OF Leaflets

column of the Daily Worker, a
request is made for experiences of
comrades doing technical work in
sections and units, especially for
good tips on how to perfect tech
nical work.
When we first took over the tech
nical work in this section, the COM
rades used to have an awful time
getting out a leaflet. They used
to buy the paper at the and 10
cent store yellow second sheets
70 sheets for SCI, depending on how
many nickels and dimes they could
collect from other comrades and
SympathizerS. They couldn't put
out the leaflet until they had the
paper, stencil and some ink. They
couldn't get these supplies until
they raised the money. Much time
was wasted. Sometimes it took two
or more days to raise the money.
If they had the money and an
emergency came up at night, they
had to wait until the next morning;
or if the next day was a Sunday,
they had to wait two days to get
the material needed The mimeo-
graph was kept up at the hall,
where everybody could see it. Who
ever was at the hall ran the ma
chine for a leaflet. The machine
was often out of order as a result.
In the case of a raid the machine
would have been lost to us and we
would have had to whistle for our
leaflets.
At the present writing, we are
able to start publication on any
type of mimeographed leaflet up to
an eight-page bulletin, at any time
of the day or night and can carry
it through until completed, and
then start Immediately on another
job, under conditions where the
technical apparatus is safeguarded
and the entire work of production
and knowledge limited to three
comrades at the most.
In the period July 20 to July 81,
the fascist police terror demanded
an intense production of leaflets.
Our comrades were being jailed. The
police were searching for our print
ing apparatus. One home was
raided. While the police were so
busy, we were too-two of our COM
rades worked night and day during
this period, producing over $4,000
leaflets under difficult and incon-
venient conditions.
How was this change Of condi-
tions-from the haphazard past to
the present efficient functioning-
brought about?
1. BY assigning one comrade as
Section Technical Director, re-
sponsible for all technical work in
the section.
z. BY establishing a financial
set-up where all technical funds
are collected and paid out by the
technical director, who is respOn-
sible to strict auditing of funds.
3. BY consistent policy of
building up and safeguarding the
technical apparatus.
4. BY a consistent policy of
building up reserve technical sup
plies and apparatus.
In Germany, the first thing the
Nazis do when they trace down
leaflets, is to trace down the source
of the paper-then, who bought it..
This is a hint to the Party COM
rades in the U. S. A, who are re-
sponsible for technical work. We
must get busy now, and store up
reserves of paper and other tech
ntcal supplies for our literature, in
case we have to face similar condi-
tons to those our German brothers
are facing.
Paper-NewSprint is the cheapest,
satisfactory paper which can be
used in an authenticated, rotary
mimeograph. The cheapest way to
buy newsprint it to buy it in guam
titles, in the sizes manufactured
Sheets %" 3d., %" x So, etc.
Five hundred such large sheets is
a ream and usually sells for about
$3.50 to $1.75 (this is for West
Coast. Then you get these large
sheets cut to any smaller size you
want.
The usual leaflet size Is 3D." x III,
SO in the 90 35" sheets, by cut
ting to this size, eight reams 600
sheets of 812" x IL" paper is pro-
cured $4,000 sheets. The cutting
rate varies, but usually for one
ream Of large sheets, it is about 15c
to Csc. So this brings the total
cost Of the 1000 sheets of 81a"x XII"
paper to about $165 to So. Many
small printshops carry this news
print In these sizes and it can be
procured from them at these prices
or perhaps slightly higher.
If you have a hand-feed mimeo-
graph, the %" 80" size is the
cheapest to get, since it cuts exactly
to eight reams g. x II" and there
isn't any waste. However, the g.
wide paper does not run so well
through the automatic-feed ma
chimes.
If you can raise as much as $40
to $50 for paper, it pays to get the
newsprint by the one-eighth or one
quarter ton lot. An eighth ton
% X 80" news print will produce
10000 sheets 812" x II" paper. On
the West Coast an eighth ton OF
newsprint will cost, including cut
ting, about SIG.
By hunting about the wholesale
paper houses and print shops, odds
and ends of cheap paper can often
be discovered too.
Building reserve stocks of paper
etc. Out of every stock of paper
bought for current use, store 10 PEI
cent Goo sheets out of 10000 away
as a reserve. Never touch it, unless
in urgent emergency, after which