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is only one means of organizing security against war, and that is total and general disarmament. One proof of its practicability is the fact that it is proposed by a State with a population of over 160 millions.

We hope that the responsible representatives of States here present will treat the idea expressed by the Soviet Delegation with the seriousness which the problems of assuring to all nations real security against war, real peace, deserves


How The Workers Live in Cameroon
By J. Bilé
(Secretary, League For The Defense of the Cameroon Workers.)
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[[caption]]Comrade J. Bilé[[/caption]]

I am writing this article on behalf of the natives of Cameroon, so that the readers of the "Negro Worker" may know that imperialist exploitation is the same now, when the French and British imperialists are sucking out the life blood of the natives of Cameroon by unprecedented exploitation methods sanctioned by the League of Nations, as they were before when Cameroon was groaning under the iron heel of German imperialism; we condemn imperialist exploitation of any kind. In writing about the conditions in Cameroon we only cite an additional example of the cruel way in which the imperialist powers oppress not only the Negro workers, but also the native workers in India, China, in the West Indies and other colonies.


In Cameroon our lands were "lawfully" occupied. "Scientists" have set up the theory that we were ignorant of any private property, and we are consequently refused even the right to our own land. The British Government has declared all areas coming under British administration to belong to the Crown; all the lands situated in French Cameroon were declared to belong to the State by the French Imperialists. The Negroes are, in the best of times, given only the use of their own lands which privilege may be immediately taken away from them, as was done in more than one case, whenever the European owners of the concessions wanted to use the land belonging to the natives for their own ends. A similar case that occurred under the regime of the present French administration proves that there is not any difference in the ways in which the imperialists treat the natives. The natives of Duala send a delegate to Paris to file a protest with the French Government against the expropriation. We were sure that the delegate would fail in his mission if he stayed in Paris for even ten years.

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As capitalist profiteering is the sole aim of the European imperialists the natives of Cameroon have been compelled to stop production and to work only in the interests of the European capitalists.

The result of the policy enforced by the French and British imperialists is that the natives of Cameroon are underfed; whenever the prices fall on cocoa and other commercial produce which they are compelled to plant they are brought to the brink of starvation.

The situation today is appalling. The majority of the peasants are ruined and thousands of workers are jobless. Since the unemployed do not get social insurance they are forced to starve. Added to this, the entire native population is forced to pay high taxes in order to enable the imperialists to maintain their oppressive governmental system.

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[[caption]] Loading cocoa in the Cameroons at nine pence (18 cents) per day. [[/caption]]

For the purpose of recruiting workers for the plantations, for work in the African forests or for the construction of railways and roads, the usual methods of colonial exploitation come into force: the head and hut tax are fixed at so high a level that the natives are compelled to look for work in the capitalist enterprises so as to be able to pay the taxes imposed on them. Wherever this method of recruitment proves to be ineffective, compulsory labour is introduced, thus converting the natives into slaves; as a last resource the capitalists resort to the importation of foreign labour on a contract basis which renders them much more helpless in the face of ruthless exploitation. The Krus that are imported from Liberia and are hired on a five-year contract are compelled to slave for their bosses in Duala: they have to work from 6 a.m. till 8 p.m., sometimes even longer, for wages amounting not to more than a handful of rice and a piece of salted fish. After five years of work they receive 30 shillings and a yard or two cheap print cloth.

Whenever a worker falls ill he is told that "if the monkey dies another monkey will take his place". The white capitalist looks upon his black workers as cattle that have to work until they drop.

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