_ Poland moves ahead to economic recovery

By ANNA LOUISE STRONG

—WARSAW

Poland .is one of the few countries in Europe where the question of whether the standard of living is higher than pre-war is not purely academic. In western Europe the

people know it is not. of those dear dead things beyond recall. In Poland they are over- taking it and going right up, too.

This is especially remarkable since Poland was destroyed far more than any land in the west. There is no family without its dead. The great cities — Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw—were left in Sreater ruins than even the worst bombed German cities.

If despite all this destruction the Standard of living rises briskly, it testifies to a national economy which is soundly based and a polit- ical outlook that is reasonably uni- fied. For the first time in centuries Poland has these assets. They are jacking today in the, west.

For the first time in a thousand years the Polish state stands four- square on Polish lands, without National minorities, without un- easy hankering’ or pushings toward east or west. The Polish farmer Owns his own land and holds a fairly adequate amount by Polish standards, though far below the U.S. family farm.

For the first time) the Polish worker is fully employed in Po- lish industry, No longer is he work- ing for foreign industrialists, whose policies of closing mines and fac- tories to keep prices up in other countries led to chronic unemploy- ment and forced hundreds of

In Britain the prewar standard is one

thousands of Poles to emigrate. To- day these people are returning.

Some enthusiasts claim that the standard of living is already four percent higher than the pre-war level. No figures substantiate this claim. The best judges I can find do not make it. They say it de- pends on your class,

Farmers are defintely much bet-

ter off. Besides the land, they have machines and better: prices for their produce. The once-ragged Polish peasant now. turns up his nose at anything but pure wool for his Sunday .suit. “ Workers are getting a ‘slightly smaller individual wage in terms of commodities, but—since there is a demand for workers today where before there was unemployment — the family wage is higher. White collar workers are worse off than before the war. Teachers are still very poor.

Calory consumption of food is still, far below what American doctors think is needed for health. Slightly above 2,000 calories daily, it is just about what the post-war Germans get.

I don’t know what the British are getting. But I do know that some Polish newspapers send food parcels to their London correspond- ents, containing butter, bacon and

other fats. .

Tell CGT meet workers will defeat De Gaulle

—PARIS

More than 2,500 delegates to the opening session of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) convention here heard General Secretary Benoit Frachon warn that millions of French workers would prevent any attempt by General

Charles DeGaulle to seize power.

“Those who doubt the unquench- able determination of the working class to set up an impassable bar- vier against fascism,’ he said, “make a grievous mistake. Perhaps it would be wise on their part not to try an adventure.”

He outIned the aims of the CGT

as higher wages, lower prices, £ minimum wage of $80 monthly and ®pposition to “the enslavement of the Marshall plan.”

Expressing solidarity behind

Chiang ‘removes’ union leader in U.S. plant

—SHANGHAI

Shanghai labor is aflame over the execution of President Wang Hsiao-wu of the Shanghai Power Workers’ union by a Chiang ‘Kai-shek firing squad. The giant Shanghai ‘Power Company is U.S.- owned,

For three days after Wang was Sentenced to death, more: than, 10,- : power workers besieged the Shanghai special criminal court building demanding that he be Stanted an appeal. The demon- Strators dispersed only when a Court officigh assured them that their request was being considered, and that the ‘scheduled execution Would -be put off. ;

Only 30 minutes after the work- €ts left the building, Wang was hustled out and shot. The Ta Kung

Pao, Shanghai’s leading newspaper,

teported that Wang refused to}

drink the “mercy cup” of liquor traditionally offered to condemned men in China. Instead he went to his death sober and shouted just before the order to fire was given: “I Was elected to my post by 28,000 _ Workers, They will avenge me.” —

French miners, now striking for wage boosts, delegates. elected General Secretary Victor Duguet of the National Miners Federation as permanent convention chairman.

They assailed Minister of Inte- rior Jules Moch for stating that “the miners’ strike was paid for by the Cominform”. The Bishop of Metz, delegates pointed out in a unanimously passed resolution, is much fairer and more objective than the Socialist minister. In a recent pastoral letter, the Bishop called the miners’ strike fully jus- tifed and said “it was the sacred duty of Catholic workers to sup- port it.” .

Answering French Premier Que- uille’s charges that the mine work- out was “an agitation taking on the character of an insurrection,” Frachon warned against those who speak lightly of a general

strike. He declared that a general strike was much more easily voted than carried out.

Recent strikes throughout the ‘country are rapidly building labor unity, Frachon said. He pointed out that the split-off. group, the Force Ouvriere, (Workers Strength), and Catholic unionists had been cooperating with the CGT in the fight against the govern- ment’s inflationary policies.

Citing specific examples, Fra- chon called the Marshall plan dis- astrous for French industry. The U.S. State Department, he charg- ed, had objected to the return to. France of 50,000 lathes looted by the Nazis during the occupation. CGT efforts to raise production of lathes and tractors have been opposed by both the U.S. and French governments, he asserted.

Frachon read a number of» let- ters from French workers propos- ing that the CGT take action to “halt the stranglehold on French indusry as a result of American

4 aid.”*

aS

lron curtain Striking members of the

Sect

Oil Workers International Union

plant in Wilmington, California, half a mile away from where they

more than two pickets per gat

e are barred by injunction. oil workers have taken place at many plants of the huge

Savagi Standa

(CIO) point to the Union Oil’s are standing. Beyond this point, e police attacks against striking rd Oil monopoly.

Morocco troops used

as strikebreakers

PARIS

The French government flew in troop reinforcements from Africa in a desperate move to break the strike of coal miners and other French workers who have walked out in support of demands for cost of living wage increases,

Ten thousand troops were al- ready on duty in the St. Etienne area, centre of the coal basin.

Truck loads of troops fanned out in the outskirts of the city

attack the Couriot mine, which is held by more than 2000 strikers. — ;

The dockworkers union called upon its members this morning not to unload U.S. coal in France.

A general strike was called in the industrially important Tarn department in Southern France. Strikes also broke out elsewhere in [France during the week.

to take over, But they did not }

Oil worker

for last-ditch fight

s get set

—LOS ANGELES

The statewide strategy committee of the striking CIO Oil Workers voted last night “to prosecute our strike for as long as is necessary” to win. The committee adopted a

statement of policy that was telegraphed today

locals.

“The Oil Workers’ International Union has made every reasonable effort to arrive at a settlement that would be fair to the workers, to the employers and to the public,” the statement said.

In spite of the companies’ well advertised statement that they too, were willing to agree to a fair settlement, their actions in rejecting every one of our rea- sonable offers proves conclusive- ly they do not mean what they Say.

“We are therefore compelled to

Attack on union ends in murder of leader

The general secretary

The alleged leader of the killers was identified as Alberto Gomez Quesada by two union members who were wounded in the shooting, Gomez is the leader of a govern- ment- sponsored rival right- wing union. Iglesias, a Communist, was & member of the Cuban House of Representatives.

The murder of Iglesias climaxed government efforts to weaken his influence in the Cuban labor move- ment. Last summer the government seized the building of the Cuban Confederation of Labor, with which

the NMF' was, affiliated, in a move against Iglesias and his union.

Several other union officials, in- cluding Jesus Menendez, leader of the sugar workers, have been killed or wounded by assassins following government - inspired attacks on organized labor.

of the Cuban National Maritime Federation, Aracelio Inglesias Dias,.was assassinated here October 18 while presiding over a longshore meeting. Long- shoremen quit their jobs in protest.

—HAVANA

to all striking

announce that we are determined to prosecute our strike by every legitimate method and for as long a period as is necessary to convince the oil companies that they cannot succeed in their program, Which is nothing more or less than an all- out attempt to break our union.”

“We call upon all fair minded citizens, particularly the: members of all unions, to support us as we are convinced that our entire na- tion will suffer, that democracy it- self is in jeapordy if the monopolis- tic oil influstry is able to blaze a union busting trail for all indus- try.”

O. A. Knight, international pres- ident of the Oil Workers, echoed the statement, saying the union will “continue the battle until we win.”

The declaration of the com-_ mittee followed action by two key locals—Local 561 at Stand- ard Oil in Richmond and the Tex- aco unit of Local 128 in the Los Angeles area—which affirmed their intention to remain out un- til the companies offer an ac-

ceptable settlement.

U.S. frameup

used by Greek gov't

technique

ATHENS

As expected, the Greek government has accused Com- munists of murdering CBS correspondent George Polk, whose body was found floating in Salonika bay May 16. Minister of Information Constantine Rentis made the announcement

Oct, 17, claiming that two missing alleged Communists had murdered Polk with the aid of a newspaper man and his mother, now in cus- tody. It was part of a plot to dis- credit the Greek government, Ren- tis said.

While Rentis blamed the Com- munists, Polk had actually been a Severe critic of the current Greek regime. His wife and brother have

cal, pointing out that Polk had been warned to stop writing critically of the Greek government, or he might be hurt. é ‘

At the time of his murder, Polk }was trying to reach northern Greece to interview General Mar- kos Vafiades, head of the Greek anti-government forces. The Greek guerrilla radio has accused govern- _ ment agents of plotting the mur-—

charged that the murder was politi-

der. oS,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 29, 1918—PAGE 3.