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We think it opportune to remind you of the fact that up to the present the miserable victims who came to harm in the hurricane in Guadeloupe did not see a single farthing of the famous hundred million francs, granted by the French Parliament to relieve the distress.

Only the tradesmen who went bankrupt, the French manufacturers and the owners of distilleries, who are in debt up to the armpit, and became penniless, due to the cyclone — got considerable sums, and so were able to gild their faded and mouldy coat of arms.

As to ourselves, miserable workers, we received luring promises on the eve of every election campaign, additional examinations were carried out in order to investigate the ground ... and we are still waiting for the fulfilment of those promises.

We poor victims consider that this farce has become too unbearable, and realize the necessity of building up a Committee of Action in order to struggle against those who with such impunity are destroying our lives.

As you are aware, the few trade unions which are existing with us, are absolutely inactive. May be the cause of this is that they were badly organized or misunderstood their tasks at the very outset.

Thus they do not fulfil that social role which they must play. You should help us by means of concretely pointing out to us how we are to set about work.

Our living conditions are worsening with every day. The workers have to starve.

Agricultural workers earn 7-11 francs, the wages of industrial workers range from 10 to 15 francs (unskilled workers), and from 18-22 francs for skilled workers (engine-drivers, electrotechnicians). These wages are 5 times as low as the prices. Things are becoming more and more expensive: bread costs 2 francs 50 centimes a kilogram, rice 3 frs. a kil., meat 9 frs. a kil., fish 9 frs. a kil., and a worker can eat these foodstuffs only once a week. The rent also reached high figures; dirty huts which were let to the workers, prior to war, for 3, 5, 7 and 10 frs. a month now cost 30, 40, 50 and 70 francs a month.

This poverty of ours is as black as the colour of our skin, and neither the administration nor the politicians and employers wish to know anything about this poverty.

A group of Workers from Guadeloupa.

Bosses Afraid of the "Negro Worker".

To the Editor of the "Negro Worker".

Dear Comrade,

This is just to let you and the readers of the "Negro Worker" know some of the methods which the British Government in Africa uses to terrorise us. Because the "Negro Worker" is exposing the imperialists and calling upon the black masses of Africa to organize into trade unions in order to fight for good wages and better conditions for us and our children, the government of Nigeria has prohibited the "Negro Worker". The governor has passed an order in council forbidding the workers to read the paper. If we are caught with it, it means 10 years in jail; nevertheless, we are still receiving it, now that you have opened our eyes to the true light, we will never turn back and stop reading the "Negro Worker", even if it means 100 instead of 10 years in jail.

We have just started to build our trade union, The African Workers' Union of Nigeria. Our general secretary, comrade Wallace Johnson, is doing his best, but — we all lack experience. That is why we were glad to get news about the

International Trade Union Committee of Negro Workers and want you to send us all information an how to build up strong trade unions, especially among the dock workers, motor drivers and the carpenters. We already have a union among the goldsmiths. When we get stronger and the government and the Europeans here continue to treat us in the way that they are now doing we will follow the example of the workers in England in 1926 and call a general strike. Then they will see how the Africans can fight. Give us time. I will write you again.

Yours truly

A Union Member.

Class Against Class

To the Editor of the "Negro Worker".

Dear Comrade,

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the "Communist Manifesto" said that a spectre was haunting Europe, but today it haunts the rest of the world. Speaking about South Africa in particular, we see that its advent in this country on a sub continent has given the government of capitalists and landowners the chance and power to sabotage it by taking the advantage of the illiterate chiefs; we see the Government agents viz., members of the Native Affairs Department engaged in poisoning the minds of these chiefs in particular and their subjects in general.

They are told that if they once allow the existence of the Communist Party in this country, their chieftainship will result in the inevitable downfall as it was the case with the Tsar of Russia. They are told that the Tsar of Russia unknowingly allowed it in his country, and his downfall was like the morning dew when the sun rises from the East. We see the officials engaged in denouncing Communism to these fools. These born oppressors such as chiefs without taking the slightest pains to study Communism and seeing whether it is really a spectre as it is put to them, organize themselves against the Communist Party under the pretext that it is out to destroy their chieftainship. They run away at the mention of the Communist Party or any of its literature; as for a Communist he is regarded as a real spectre.

But these poor unfortunate illiterate chiefs forget that they are no more regarded as born chiefs so to speak by the Government of the capitalists of the country, but as foremen and can be removed and replaced whenever it suits the human vampires of the country such as the Minister of Native Affairs, or the Native Commissioner without a trial whatsoever in the so-called courts of law or justice. It is quite necessary, however, to note that the powers of these chiefs are deteriorating rapidly and a revolt against them by the masses will be witnessed as soon as they realize the contemptable lies which are taught them against Soviet Russia.

Native Recruiting Corporation — an organization which caters for the Chamber of Mines, recruits all Negroes possible and get them to work underground at pitiful wages. The town's natives who are mostly detribalised and therefore unrecruitable. The company extends their activities further into the Natives' Territories, bribe the chiefs and thereby manage to get the mines overflown with Negro Workers who do all the filtry work in the mines.

Each chief volunteers to send out a 100 men at a time, receiving for himself 5/- per head, and when these poor men are in services he receives his cheque.