BY STEVE CLARK
CHICAGO - The Socialist Workers Party National Committee
meeting here October 3-5 voted to back an immediate six-week
campaign to raise $300,000 for the Capital Fund that will make
it possible to purchase state-of-the-art computer-to-plate
technology (CTP) for the Pathfinder printshop - part of an
effort to raise $550,000 in all. The meeting discussed and
adopted a report on the Capital Fund Campaign presented by Jack
Willey.
The CTP equipment will enable printshop volunteers to produce plates that can go on printing presses directly from CD- ROM's or computer disks - bringing the shop fully in line with what are rapidly becoming the latest industry standards. The aim is to cut labor time and costs, reduce the size of the printshop staff, and maintain Pathfinder's high standards of quality.
The shop leadership is currently completing the research on different CTP machinery and will make a decision on what equipment to purchase in the next couple weeks.
This purchase is directly related to the effort by some 140 volunteers around the world to convert Pathfinder books to digital form - from the scanned text, to the covers, photos, and other graphics.
The campaign for half a million dollars builds on the earlier capital fund effort launched at the Pittsburgh Active Workers Conference in July. Altogether, 57 people contributed $258,000 to that fund, including $9,500 in donations of bonuses by workers in the party's IAM, OCAW, UAW, USWA, and UTU national union fractions. Of this total, $151,866 has been collected. These contributions made it possible to purchase an Avantra Image Setter, a first step in the transition to a digital shop, and to carry out long-needed structural repairs and waterproofing of the east wall of the Pathfinder Building. The rapid collection of the outstanding pledges will make it possible to complete payment for these projects.
The $550,000 campaign discussed in Chicago comes on top of what has already been raised, and will make it possible to purchase the CTP equipment and to pay off and eliminate outstanding liens on the printing presses purchased in the early 1990s for the Pathfinder printshop. A $30,000 contribution toward the goal was made by one supporter a couple of days after the meeting adjourned.
At the Chicago meeting, Willey reported that a team of Sam Manuel, Dave Prince, Norton Sandler, Maggie Trowe, and himself are organizing the Capital Fund Campaign.
During the discussion, SWP national secretary Jack Barnes pointed out that at least three of the younger generations in the party have not been drawn into the effort to raise capital for the communist movement over the past decade. The success in doing so now will determine in large part whether the needed half million dollars is raised, as well as future capital needs. Union fraction leaderships, Barnes said, must pay attention not only to organizing collection of employer bonuses for the fund - part of the fight for the political soul of a proletarian party -but must be on the lookout for individuals in special situations that give them access to capital. The same is true for the leaderships of party branches and the Young Socialists.
Such suggestions can be forwarded to members of the Capital Fund committee, who will set up discussions with these individuals. Most contributions come from inheritances (trust funds, stocks and bonds, home sales, etc.), accident settlements, and similar windfalls.
To find out how you can make a donation, write: The Capital Fund Campaign, 410 West Street, New York, NY 10014.