Montana labor news., 1935-08-01
Wings Over Washington
By LEN DE CAUx.


WASHINGTON. - OPP - Employ
ers complaints against relief for the I'M
employed are not actuated merely by
concern for economy" and keeping
taxes down. They wan cheap labor
so stinted on relief that it will accept
the lowest wages and the worst condi-
tons in preference. The relief authori-
ties have again and again been accused
Of playing the bosses game in this re-
gard-by cutting the jobless off relief
in advance of the beet harvest, for in
stance, so that they will have to work
on any terms. In the Hammonton
area OF New Jersey, however, the op-
posite charge was also made-that those
on relief were refusing berry-picking
jobs. An FERA Investigation has been
made, with Illuminating results.
Miserably low wages and atrocious
housing conditions are revealed. But
instead Of the authorities keeping un-
employed on relief until standards were
raised to a level of ordinary decency at
least, they actually cut them off whole
sale so hat they must either accept
such conditions or starve.
No case is known of an adult relief
client in the Hammonton area refusing
to accept a job" the FERA report
states. "All single a~ble-bodied men
were removed from the relief rolls sew
eral weeks ago and about 90 family
cases, representing nearly 400 persons,
were closed in June"
The relief administration even Of
fered to supply the growers with labor
by enlisting men from transient camps
and among the heads OF relief house
holds in outlying parts OF the county.
But the growers refused the offer, say
ing they wanted whole families to work
for them. But here the relief admins
tration finally drew the line, apparently,
saying that to recruit families for the
growers would have meant forcing
child labor into the berry fields"
The wages at which the relief people
were expected to drive men, women and
children to work, will not average more
than $1.70 a day, the FERA found. The
most an adult can earn in 10 hours is
81 to $3.50, the report states, and chill
dren only from 75c to $1.50. Bad pick
ing conditions, fatigue, etc, of course,
bring earnings down far below these
maximums.
The housing offered those hunger
driven workers is at the level of the
worst housing of so years ago." the
FERA investigator found, and falls
far below any recognized American
standard OF decency." One-room shan
ties are typical, in which men and wo-
men, boys and girls, old and young are
herded into one large bedroom, with
no bedding furnished, and frequently
with no space for cooking and eating.
Some idea of who is running this
country may be obtained from the fact
that when conditions like this exist,
the government makes no pretense Of
maintaining the jobless on a decent
standard Of living, so that they may
not be compelled to work until stand
ards are raised. The chief reason why
the New Jersey conditions have re-
ceived some exposure, is that a union
organizing campaign has been in pro-
.gress among the farm workers there.
>
On a straight vote test, the new rail-
road pension bills are bound to pass,
Brotherhood representatives assert.
What they are concerned about is that
%maneuvers will be made to keep this
legislation from the floor, to delay it in
one of the many ways with which poll
ticians are only too familiar.
The administration would like to post
.pone the whole issue to the next con-
gress, and have a nice quiet committee
investigation meanwhile, The railroad
workers-impatient at repeated delays
and disappointments-can' see it that
way at all, and are letting the members
of congress hear from them.
Gallant little Belgium-beg pardon,
Ethiopia-is about to be overrun by
imperialistic hordes to whom the KEEL
logg peace pact and all such are but
scraps OF paper. The rights of small
nations are at stake, self-determination
is to be crushed, a military dictatorship
shakes its fist in the face of world
democracy. But the United States is
not ~resounding to "Over There" music
and the tread of armed crusaders on
their way to another war to end war.
On the contrary, the State Depart
ment has seemed so little concerned
that it has been showered with COM
plants about its lending aid and COM
fort to Italy, and has been stirred to
some belated activity.
The ethics of rival imperialisms are
like those of rival gangs. They respect
each others right to plumber the weak
right up to the point where one starts
to muscle in on the others territory.
Italy didn't send any army over to pro-
tect gallant little Nicaragua when the
United States overran that country, SO
why shouldn't Uncle Sam let Mussolini
Il 4L~1,.. L. ,,..~LA ,L1..A 1.A41o =. Az