THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 23377, 21 September 1939, Page 14

THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

LBy Trade Unionist.]

RUSSIA AND THE WORKERS. With tho present restricted news from overseas, it is just difficult to determine, from this distance, the part Russia is playing in the war. The invasion of East Poland has again given rise to serious conjectures on the part of those workers of the world who never would have believed that Communist Russia would lend its support to Ger- ! man Nazism. If before these lines appear in print Russia declares herself jvholehearteclly in favour of Germany it would not be surprising, because it is hard to believe that Russia’s action in Poland, at the present time at least, has not received the endorsement of the Berlin authorities, or could be interpreted in any other way than a friendly act to Hitlerism and Fascism. For tho hypocrisy of the two Dictators’ actions and words, . one has only to look up two recent I speeches, the first made by Stalin in his I lengthy address to the eighteenth con--1 gress of the Communist Party of tho Soviet Union on March 10, 1939, at the Kremlin Palace, Moscow; and, second. Hitler’s reply to the President of the I United States of America, delivered in the German Reichstag on April 28, ' 1939; their incompatibility and bitterj ness to each other are' pronounced, for | in the long period of the world’s his- ■ tory it would be hard to find a parallel to 'such relations between two responsible heads of nations being followed, just a few months afterwards, by a volte face that astounds the whole intelligent world. It may be that Stalin is playing a crafty game, which I hope is true for the sake of those millions of workers who had pinned their faith to Russia to evolve an economic system which would he fair to all and bring about peace and goodwill to all nations. * » • * SPEEDIER AID FOR FAMILIES. A request to the British Government to'establish a seamen’s welfare fund is to be made by the National Union of Seamen. The union decided on this step recently, at the closing session of its annual conference, held at Morley College, S.E. It is proposed that the fund should be used to give immediate relief to dependents of seamen lost in wrecks or other disasters. Between the time of the loss of the breadwinner and the payment of compensation, it was pointed out, dependents often have to apply for Poor Law relief. It is suggested that the fund should be raised by the Government handing over the fines inflicted from time to time on shipowners and seamen for offences under the shipping laws. The conference also called for the setting up of a Ministry of Shinning. It felt that shipping affairs would receive closer attention if they had a Ministry of their own instead of coming under a department of the Board of Trade. A motion that only British subjects should be admitted to the union was lost. It w f as pointed out. in opposition to this proposal, that the union was an international organisation, with a great many members employed in Scandinavian and American ships. Moreover, the union had reciprocal Arrangements with unions abroad for ithe free transfer of members. # # * * LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW CHARTER. Staffs of mental hospitals in England aro hopeful that their general working conditions will bo improved by the recommendations of a departmental committee on nursing services. This was stated by Mr C. Bartlett in his presidential address to the conference of the Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers’-Union recently. He said the committee’s interim report included a recommendation for a 96-hour fortnight, which represented an essential reform long overdue. It was a matter for regret, however, that the committee did not reinforce that conclusion with a demand, for legislative action. It was hoped, however, that the recommendations would constitute the basis of a new charter. The proposal that therq should be grants to hospitals from public funds under a measure of public control was also welcomed. So long as the voluntary hospitals continued to exist it became more and more essential that there should be complete mobility of transfer between them and the municipal nursing services. But Mr Bartlett added the warning that unless the many thousands who still cherished ill-conceived prejudices about the intervention of trade unionism in the nursing profession changed their outlook and became organised, many of the most valuable recommendations in the committee’s report would fade into oblivion. In 10 years the union’s membership had all but doubled till it now comfortably exceeded 20,000. Of these more than 97 pop cent, paid the political contribution. Mr Bartlett set a membership of 25.000 as the new goal to he reached. Resolutions asking for such improvements as a maximum 48-hour week, extended sick leave and protective clothing afforded glimpses of hospital conditions. A number of resolutions dealing with staff conditions were adjourned in view of the prospective issue of the report of the Department Committee on Nursing Services. When that report is issued a special meeting of area representatives will be called. • * * • SAFETY RTTT.F'a FOR BRITISH MINERS. One of_ the main subjects before a recent miners’ conference in England was the safety of miners. A resolution was passed welcoming the recommendations of the Royal Commission on this matter and urging the Government to embody them in amending legislation during the next session of Parliament. This was moved by Mr Mav (South Wales) and seconded by Mr E. Moore (Durham). Mr Moore made adverse comment on the work of the mining research hoards. Tf t-bev were to judge those hoards by the numbers of accidents they would not "et results from that quarter. He wondered whether any of the individuals concerned with this research work ever paid visits to mines such as the hot mines of Lancashire a<nd the South Wales mines, where silicosis was so prevalent.

Mr Ebby Edwards. the general secretary. who was a member of the Royal Commission, reported an important development in respect of workmen’s inspection. They had had discussions with the owners, who had agreed to the provision for compulsory onarterly inspection by workmen’s inspectors as recommended by the commission, and to the treatment of half the cost as a charge on

the undertaking. That would avoid discussion (and possible defeat) of the proposal when it came before Parliament.

The owners had also agreed that the appointment of workmen’s inspectors, whether for this quarterly examination or for the other inspection already provided for in the Act, should be wholly in the hands of the workers.

Mr T. Kennedy, general secretary of the United Mineworkers of America, in a speech convoying greetings from that organisation, said its membership was now about 600,000. Of that number 150,000 were either idle or only employed part time. Going on to the seven-hour day and five-day week had relieved unemployment for a time, hut mechanisation had more than balanced this, and their unemployment was just as serious to-day as it was two or three years ago. There were some 11,000,000 unemployed in the United States. Labour believed that a way to bring about a substantial reduction was to lower daily hours of work, build up the wage standards of the people to give tboin sufficient purchasing power to enable industry to run 200 days a year, and also to provide sufficient unemployment and old-age benefits.

FASCIST FRUITS OF CONQUEST,

The Italian Government statistics themselves tell the talc in regard to the conditions of the Italian people since the extension of the blackshirt empire to Ethiopia, Spain, and Albania. In the province of Lecce, in Calabria, 47 per cent, of the people examined were found to be suffering from undernourishment; in Salerno province, 41 per cent.; in Sardinia, 40 per cent.

Average meat consumption per person in Italy in 1930 was 40.7 pounds; it has now dropped to 31.41 b. During the same period the average vegetable consumption has declined from 92.41 b to 70.41 b. There are similar declines in the average consumption of sugar, milk, and other necessities. If in 1930 the Italian worker and farmer were just on the borderline of hunger, to-day they are eating onequarter less than they did then. Such are the fruits of Mussolini’s empire-building, told in terms not of the suffering people of the conquered territories, but of the Italian people themselves. The picture, of course, is not complete. Twenty years ago, Mussolini was penniless. To-day, he has important financial interests in Italian armament firms, and is one of the richest men in Italy.

* * * « • RESIST AGGRESSION ” PLEA TO GERMANS.

A message 1 calling for resistance to aggression was sent to the German miners by the Mine Workers’ Federation conference in England. Mr Will Lawther, the president, assured the conference that it would be got across all barriers that lay in the way.

The message recalled the years when the British and German miners stood shoulder to shoulder in their efforts to safeguard their standards. “We fought together,” it said, “against the pernicious Versailles Treaty, which victimised our miners as it did your people. “ The provision that coal should be delivered iu France, Italy, and Belgium without charge spread poverty and unemployment in the coalfields of our country. “ It was evident to us both that a capitalist mentality. could not secure a just and lasting peace, and we worked in harmony to bring about a change. “ Since 1933 you have been forced to relinquish your association with us and the miners in other countries. “ In your country a dictatorship took control, but, in spite of this, in spirit we have neve been separated. “ The British miners have not lost faith in the miners of .Germany, as we are convinced you understand the basis of international political chivalry much too well to he deceived.

" To-day we stand in danger of being forced into a similar position to that of 1914. Our rulers have brought us to the stage when a ruinous war appears to be inevitable.

“ This tragedy must not befall. Ways and means must be found to avoid it. " This British Miners’ Conference reiterates our fundamental unity with you, and we make this call to all to resist any policy of aggression. “ The dictators, through their policy of aggression, are forcing the nations to war. We urge, we plead with you. brothers, to assist us in the fight against aggression from whatever country it may come.” GERMANY, THE PARADISE OF CORRUPTION. Reports from Berlin assert that the whole of the Nazi administrative and social life is rotten with corruption. The leaders of the State and the party, whom everyone knows to have been very poor people six years hgo, rival each other quite shamelessly in extravagant living. They possess luxurious town houses, country houses, summer villas in the mountains, riding stables, magnificent cars, etc. No statement is ever issued of the size of their salaries and everyone believes that they merely take as much as they want from the public funds. The general view that everyone in charge of a fund helps himself out of it is reinforced by the fact that proper accounts are never published for the Budget, the Labour Front, or other organisations or collections. The plague of corruption has spread from the Nazi leaders to public offices and bribery is rife everywhere. In the food shops Nazi Party customers made all kinds of presents to shop assistants in order to get extra supplies of the goods available. Those who cannot afford the bribes have to be satisfied with the rationed supplies.