BY JON ERWAY
NEWARK, New Jersey - "The Militant is a weapon that arms us, our co-workers, and everyone who will listen, and prepares us to confront the growing capitalist world disorder," said Robin Maisel, a longtime supporter of the socialist paper, at a West Coast socialist conference held in Los Angeles April 4. Maisel made an appeal to the audience of 140 people to contribute to the $110,000 international Militant Fund, reports Pat Nixon from Los Angeles.

The conference, co-sponsored by the Socialist Workers Party branches in Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco, featured major presentations by Militant staffwriter Argiris Malapanis and Young Socialists leader Jack Willey, who spoke on their recent trip to Cairo and the Balkans, and Mary- Alice Waters speaking on the Cuban revolution and Pathfinder Press.

As members of the audience took envelopes in which to place their contributions, Maisel urged them to wait a bit and hear his appeal before writing out checks and pledges. "You don't know yet exactly how much you're going to give," he suggested with a smile. Maisel was right. By the end of his brief but effective fund pitch, which underscored the irreplaceable role of the socialist press for workers who want to fight and change the world, those present had made more than $19,000 in pledges and contributed about $1,000.

The positive response to the Militant Fund has been evident in other cities as well. Megan Arney from Newark reports that during a Sunday afternoon sale, a team of Militant supporters at Pennsylvania Station was approached by a member of the Teamsters union who works at the local Anheuser-Busch brewery. The Teamsters there are engaged in a contract fight and are preparing for a possible strike in face of the company's attempts to force a two-tier contract and other concessions on workers. The unionist stopped and talked with the salespeople, bought a Militant, and gave a $5 contribution. He said he and other Teamsters would welcome a Militant reporting team to come and interview workers to publicize their side of the story.

Militant readers are urged to send in brief reports highlighting similar responses from industrial workers at picket lines, on the job, and at factory gates.

Mike Italie in Atlanta reports that Militant supporters there raised $900 at an event April 4 where Mámud Shirvani spoke about the U.S. war drive against the workers states in Russia and republics of the Caspian Sea region. An auto worker from the local Ford plant and three other workers from Latin America who support the Militant were among those who attended the event.

Sam Manuel in Washington, D.C., reports: "Supporters of the Militant newspaper here are planning a special fund raising forum on Sunday, April 19. The forum will feature Rosa Garmendía, a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, who was part of a recent Militant reporting team in Cuba.

Garmendía will speak about the Havana Book Fair and other developments, such as how working people in Cuba are collectively confronting the challenge of increasing agricultural and industrial production."

Supporters in Chicago raised their goal from $9,500 to $11,000, based on the successful momentum they gained from the April 4 regional socialist conference held there, reports Helen Meyers, Militant Fund director in Chicago.

After three out of the eight weeks in the international fund drive, we are at 15 percent but need to be at 38 percent of the goal. Over the next couple weeks, Militant supporters need to take steps to turn this around, both in raising enough pledges to meet local goals, and especially to collect funds and send them in.

Contributions can be made out to the Militant Fund, and sent to 410 West Street, New York, New York, 10014.  
 
 
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