MOSCOW BRIBES

Hokitika Guardian, 5 August 1926, Page 1

MOSCOW BRIBES

LORO BIRKENHEAD’S EXPOSURE.

LONDON, Juno 1

In his speech yesterday at the annual luncheon of tho British Imperial Council of Commerce at the Savoy Hotel, Strand, 1.-ord Birkenhead, referring to the late general strike, recalled that a. High Court decision had been given as to its illegality and remarked that the ultimate consequences of that judgment logically applied—-as they must he applied—would make things extremely inconvenient to those who in. future mode any similar attempts and also to those who followed any orders they might consider it proper To give.

“I will say of the leaders of our great trade unions that in my judgment from first to last they gave moderating counsels to the miners. They made—as it is notorious we thought they did—a.' grave error of judgment in committing themselves to the experiment of the general strike itself. Nevertheless, it is duo to them to say that in a moment which must hove been of great pain to themselves, 1 ami almost at tho earliest moment one could have deemed it possible, they realised the error of their ways and had tho courage to call off that evil movement which in an unhappy moment they Hart created. “To take that step required great courage. The very success of the means by which wo opposed the general strike is somewhat apt to blind men’s eyes to tho gravity o'f the problem with which wo are still confronted. EVERY FORM OF DANGER.

“Wo are confronted, if this strike he sufficiently prolonged, by every conceivable form of danger is the future. It is unhappily the case that tho leaders of the men. are not prepared to confront the ihet as all the nation—except the members of that particular industry—see it, and, I make bold to any, the leaders of the trade unions as a whole see it. The motto of the miners is well known to you, ’Not a penny off the pay, not a second on the day.’

“When they are confronted by the same obvious difficulty that not only on theso conditions is the industry unable to sustain the necessities of foreign competition, but also that many pits cannot keep working under any circumstances at all, they are asked. ‘What do you suggest ? Do you suggest a further subsidy should be paid, and that that subsidy should bo contributed by many men who are working longer hours mud earning smaller wages?' They reply, ‘No, tve don’t ask for a subsidy.’ “How, then, do they suggest that tho undoubted economic difficulty should bo dealt with?

“At last, after many weeks and almost many months of reflection, we are furnished with the helpful suggestions that a higher price of coal should. ;bo charged to our domestic consumers than tho price at which we should sell coal for export to foreigners. ECO NO MIC OR AZIXESS. “No suggestion could possibly have contained more economic quicksands, and no suggestion could more vividly have made plain tho economic craziness along which, unfortunately, those who find themselves in positions of influence among the men have been grop ing their way.” Lord Birkenhead, after going into details as to how this would affect business and commerce, continued: “They are going to deal one fatal and final blow to every industry in the country. “I will! not stay to argue such a point. Tt is a ludicrous pretension. T am astonished and shocked that men who have attained such a position of influence as to become the loaders ol

a {ircat national industry should he so wholly unversed in the most elementary economic considerations ns to make themselves responsible for such a suggestion. (“Hear, hear.”) Mr Cook, who. I believe, once described himself as a humble •clesciple of Lenin, has recently thanked God for Russia, and lias explained that £-100,000 has been received from their comrades in the Russian mines to support the dependents of their English colleagues in a. moment of adversity. “This announcement, I confess, has revived, if it ever flagged, my admiration for our common human nature. (Laughter). ft is indeed a touching reflection'that miners in Russia are prepared to work ten hours a day in order that their British colleagues may not have to work eight, that they arc#prepared to subscribe no small proportion of their wages of 2os a week in order that their English colleagues may not receive a less sum than dfls or 50s a week. (Laughter). “If anyone over despaired of human nature ho will oundoubtedly find hero an opportunity for hope and encouragement.” (Laughter). THE IMPROPRIETY.

Trade unionists in Russia. Lord Birkenhead proceeded, were not altogether such free agents as they were in this country. It hid lieen pointed out that thousands of them had fled from that happy country to others less fortunate according to this theory, and the gaols of Russia had found accommodation. in their well-known spiiit of hospitality for many of the trusted leaders of the trade unionists in Rus-

sia. 1 Representatives of the Soviet Gov- ( eminent liad openly boasted that they attempted to assist financially th© general strike, but loaders of trade unionism in this country—men of great , prudence—had the. sense to see the impropriety of accepting such financial assistance. It. had been openly claimed by a person speaking officially in Moscow that these moneys were being paid officially not by the miners out of those almost inequitable wages to which lie bad referred, but officially contributed by the Russian Government. “Now it becomes necessary to ask with what motive these moneys have been advanced which have led Mr Cook to thank God for Russia. Is it suggested that behind those contributions there lies any real sympathy for the British miners ; any desire on the ground of humanity to alleviate the conditions of the British miners? “Nobody even dares to make such a contention. It would be ludicrous in the face of the expressed intentions of those from whom these moneys proceed. Their intentions were openly avowed. AFTER THE BLUDGEON. J “In the first place, to foment revolution in this country. ‘ “They failed with the bludgeon, and now they are relying upon the weapon . of slower incidence. “Their second intention is to Well , from the British coal trade as large a share as they can in the interests of the Russian .coal trade. “If Mr Cook and Ms friends think the second of these considerations is