The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-29
American cities"
Relief on Starvation Basis

Relief on Starvation Basis
Relief to the unemployed Of
Bridgeport is at the lowest starva-
ton minimum, granted on a forced
labor basis. Each family head is
made to work "A hours a week in
return for $3.50 cash and a "com-
missary'' box Of groceries. No rents,
gas, electricity, ETC., are paid ex-
cept in the most unusual cases.
The grocery box for family Of
five on the italian Diet" is sup
posed to contain macaroni, toma-
toes. cheese, dried beans, coffee, to-
mato paste, sugar, salt pork, soap,
onions, cabbage, salt, cotton seed oil,
one can milk, bacon, and eggs, for
which the working members Of the
families on relief are charged S2.65.
Actually, the food cost the city S1.95
at wholesale prices, and a survey Of
chain stores shows that the same
food can be bought for much less.
Against the forced labor cash
and commissary" relief, the rank
and file workers on the relief jobs
are demanding minimum guaran-
teed wages Of S12 for three 8-hour
days, and union rates for skilled
workers.
Especial discrimination, which is
brazenly denied by relief officials,
is practiced against unemployed Ne
gro workers. Faced with an endless
round of evictions, about IS Negro
families moved to Chopsey Hill,
where they cultivate small patches
of land. Although inside the city
limits, no sewage, gas, electricity or
water supply is provided them.
These Negro families live in shacks
made of tin, packing boxes and tar
paper. For water they are forced
to dig shallow wells in the marshy
land. The city makes absolutely no
provision for providing fuel or even
kerosene for lamps.
THE relief boxes" one Negro
worker said, aren't hardly worth
taking. They provide about two
meals, the rest is just iunk-lots of
cheap broken rice, dried beams, lard,
and q little oleomargarine. Abso-
lutely nothing to provide decent
standard of health"
Socialist Groups with Republicans
On the relief question, with ever
growing numbers daily demanding
relief, and with the present relief
clients, faced with fragrant corrup-
ton in the Welfare Department
while their relief is Systematically
cut, demanding more and adequate
relief, hinges McLevy's political
future. To consolidate his position
he is INDUCING in the most shady
of political horse trading with the
Republican politicians.
Already, because of the relief
situation, one Socialist Party Club
has broken with the McLevy ma
chine. New grievances arise among
the rank and file of the Socialist
Party. Rank and file members are
openly speaking at Communist
Party meetings and taking part in
Communist Party demonstrations.
While McLevy reviewed the military
parade on Memorial Day, Socialist
rank and file party members Joined
in the National Youth Day DEM
onstIation against war. While Nc
Levy takes the stand against Sam
Kreiger, arrested when McLevy or
dered the police to attack a DEM
onstration of city-employed snow
shovelers demanding their back pay
on March 5, Socialist rank and file
party members joined with the
workers in packing the court. While
McLevy is joining with the Repub-
licans in smashing the Welfare De-
partment investigations, rank and
file Socialists are joining with the
Communists in raising the workers
slogans - "Oust the grafters and
feed the workers"