THE GOVERNMENT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22515, 24 September 1938, Page 24

THE GOVERNMENT

TO PHI »DITO» or TWB PKKSa, Sir,—For nearly 20 years I was a strong supporter of the Labour Party, being most sincere in my belief that the rule of Labour would be good for everyone in this country. After three years of Labour my whole household now has a different outlook on politics and I know many other households that have voted Labour for the last time. In 1935 I was earning £3 6s a week. This under Labour was raised to £4 and a 40-hour week. but. like hundreds more, I would far sooner work on Saturday morning and earn another 8s a week or £4 8s in all. To 50 per cent, of manual workers the 40hour week is not a blessing, and for a very large number the holiday is a curse to them and their dependents as practically all their hardearned money is wasted in a direction that need not be mentioned. When I was earning £3 6s. costs of. food, clothing, etc., were in proportion. Now costs have gone up 40 per cent, or more and some articles are 150 per cent. up. To so put men like me on as good a footing as when Labour came into power, I should need' at least £5 5s a week; but if I got that, up would go prices again and I should be worse off than when I was getting £3 6s. The Hon. D. G. Sulliyan’s statement that costs have only gone up 13 per cent, only makes a working man who knows better smile. Mr Sullivan always hides behind some statistician's figures, but no one t&kes any notice of the Government Statistician, as they know full well themselves what the extra cost amounts to. With £4 a week my household is 25s a week worse off than they were in 1935. Another thing that rankles with intelligent workers Is that certain members Of the Government have swelled heads and we have been called scroungers, wasters, street corner spitoon philosophers, and other emptyheaded insults that could only come from the present Government. Many manual workers that I know are going to avenge these insults on election day. I am a returned soldier who has never claimed any pension. When I was away fighting for my country, like thousands of other workers, what were some of our present Ministers of the Crown doing? The present crowd will never do any good for the workers but will ride on their backs for their own ends.—Yours, etc., S. September 23, 1938.