The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-09
Day to Day Struggles to
Unite All Jobless
Stressed in Report
By Howard BOldt
DAILY Worker stan Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D. C.. Jan. "a
national mass hunger march, such
as was called for yesterday at the
National Congress for Unemploy-
ment Insurance is possible only If
we build now for the success of this
march by day-to-day work in the
localities, in the cities and in the
states Israel Amter. national Sec
rotary, declared today in the con-
clusion Of the main report to the
fourth national convention of the
National Unemployment Councils,
which opened here today,
In his report, which took cogni-
sance of the struggles Of the past
year, the immediate perspective and
future work and the relief sla5hing
policy of the Roosevelt regime. AM
ter reviewed the mighty work OF the
Unemployment Insurance Congress,
which closed here yesterday.
Millions Destitute
This congress was not an end in
ITSELF Amter said. but it must
mean the taking stock of all our
work in the past and in the future"
On the matter of social insurance.
Amter cited the government figures
that 100000 families in the United
States have no savings-nothing
laid aside in case of illness.
For the aged. various pension
laws have been enacted in some
states Amter said. But on ex-
aiming these, what do we find?
The Colorado pension plan provides
for paving an average of $3.50 cents
month. Compare this with the
/ figures for maintaining these aged
in the Colorado poor houses at SAT
month. New York, likewise. has a
pension law, and there again, the
/ pension paid is far lower than the
cost Of maintaining these same peo-
pie in the state poor houses.
Roosevelt" Amter continued.
recently stated that I stand or fall
on my refusal to accept for the fu-
ture standing army of the un-
employed But what do we find?
The miners who are here know that
there are in the United States to-
day 100000 miners who will never
again get q JOB in the mines. Ra-
/ tionalization Of industry continues.
I In the chemical industries. and
here I again present government
/ figures. in the past four month pc
Rod, while production was up 81
/ per cent, yet there was no increase
in the number of workers and no
appreciate increase in wages paid.
Relief Graft
Yesterday delegate from Ken
lucky showed me an official relief
report that showed that for s1.218
actually given, out as relief. the adj
ministration costs were more than
5000. How much graft there is
in the relief we do not know
Amter pointed cut that the P.W.A.
employed only $4,000 in the peak
month, according to official figures
at an average wage of about $50 a
month for all workers, skilled build
ing mechanics, foremen and all. This
same P.W.A. in the last fourteen
months. paid only s226,0o0,0o0 in
wages and spent $500 900, 900 million
for materials-airplanes and war
preparations
He continued by reviewing the
work Of the councils and the per-
spectives for the coming year IS
outlined in the draft program sub
mitted to the delegates-the strug-
giles against cutting any workers
from the relief rolls, evictions, cash
relief and against the militaristic
C.C.C. camps and the regimentation
of the transient5 and single workers.
"Evictions are now taking place
in some sections" Anter said. and
in others they are Just beginning
We must orga nize, not Just to put
the furniture hack into the houses
after eviction, but we must prevent
the furniture from leaving the
houses. Net one stick Of furniture
must be removed"
Organized Mass Action
Organization in the C.C.C. control
by committees elected by the boys
themselves, the picketing of the
large chain stores against increased
cost Of living and the fight for union
Continued on Page q