The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-23
Party Life
"a Recruits in 5 Weeks
But Unit Gets No Credit
Explanation Required

] -NeN NhAN N'NNo w VI NOAb
Explanation Required
IRON January l to Febru-
L airy 9 our unit UNIT 81,
Seamen's Unit of Section 1,
New York;, recruited 81 sea-
men into the Party. We placed
43 of these into the unit.
Although handicapped by
five weeks because Of organizational
changes, and with only five weeks
to carry out the main slogan of
the District which was: Every
member get another member" We
were able to put this slogan into
life.
Each bureau meeting discussed
recruiting as a part of our day-to-
day work among the sealnen. We
raised the slogan: mo action in
which we take part is successful UNI
less we get organizational gains"
This because the main slogan of the
unit and all of our work on the
waterfront, and resulted in winning
new members for our Party. Every
leaflet We issued brought new mem
bers. An open air meeting against
the ISLANDERS of the Hearst press
brought 300 seamen out into the
cold to listen to our speakers, and
recruited four new members into the
Party.
The Socialist competition spirit
ran high in our unit and a close
check was made on all units in the
section. Although the members re-
crulted by our unit were never mem
toned in the Section Letter. we re-
cruited more than any other unit.
and we naturally expected to win
the banner and the set of Lenins
works.
But this didn't happenl
Two weeks before the end of the
drive we told our Section Organizer
how many we had recruited and
asked him to give us credit. He said
he would. From that time on no
more records were published in the
Section Letter. We approached the
District Membership Director, and
he notified the section that we had
recruited so in a few days before
the end of the drive.
The final day came. Three new
members were elected to 90 to the
Section Banquet h csc delegates
we're the shock troops because of the
work they had done in the unit and
all of them expected to get the ban
ner. However, when Comrade Brow
der awarded prizes he found that
Unit "a won first prize with 80 new
members. Second prize went to an
other with %, and third prize went
to a unit still lower that is, with
less members recruited.
Our organizer spoke to the Sec
ton organizer, and he said that he
did not know that we had recruited
SO many members, but he would
mention it in his speech. He failed
to do so.
AAS OANtkoC OL1GlCu Is Lf1dJ our
members who are seamen get their
books through the district because
Of the nature o. their trade, and
no records are made in the section.
Although three responsible comrades
notified the Section Organizer and
the Section Membership Committee
they didn't see fit to find out
about our recruiting.
1t is fact that new books are
being held in the section. new mem
bers are beginning to believe that
they are not wanted in the Party.
and if this situation keeps up it will
mean new members falling out of
the Party, which is very bad.
We challenge every unit in Sec-
ton One, as well as all other Sea-
mems Units in New York to recruit
more members into the Party in the
next period.
Forward to mass Communist
Party on the waterfront!
H j. F.
Editors Note: If the facts stated
in this letter are correct, it is I'M
fortunate, TO say the least, that this
unit was not given credit for its
excellent recruiting. The method in
which the records. are kept should
not be permitted to interfere with
keeping proper check on the re-
cruiting done by the individual
units, especially during . major re-
cruiting drive Perhaps the organ
izer of Section One will explain how
this happened, and through letter
to this column, give proper credit
to this Sesmen's Unit.
We are glad, however, that the
comrades in this unit have a true
Bolshevik spirit and are not per-
hitting this incident to discourage
them, but are instead issuing a chal-
lenge to Socialist competition in
recruiting to every unit in Section
One and to every Seamen'S Unit in
New York.