BRITISH UNEMPLOYED.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1920, Page 5

BRITISH UNEMPLOYED.

EFFECT OF COMMISSION. DEVELOPMENTS IN NEW YEAR. By Teleetuph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Dec. 27. The Times special correspondent, declaring that Communism is raising it? head meekly amongst the unemployed in Britain, says: Communist societies have followed up the Moscow dictum that the faithful must earn fitness for affiliation by undertaking revolutionary propaganda in the army. He says the British Army has lately been fully recruited from a magnificent stream of ex-soldiers and draws attention to the fact that the Communist societies are making a great effort to capture the organisations of demobilised men. The principal associatSqji the National Union of Ex-soldierS, popularly called N.U.X., eeems at present largely in Comnrnftiffts' hands. It teaches the conventions of Marxism and has drawn up a long programme demanding the national ownership of land and capital and popular control of industry. Many of the even conscientious objectors, have secured affiliation with the union as associates and are leading such a movement as the seizure of houses, baths and halls.

The correspondent does not comment, but points out that the union has 480 branches and an estimated membership of 100,000.

The Labor correspondent says tjie New Year will be marked by important developments and amalgamations in the I Labor world. The first will be the establishment of a General Council replacing the Parliamentary committee of the Trades Union Congress. The council will consist of 30 member representing 17 trades, five sub-committees representing groups of allied industries with a strong full time secretariat. Administration expenses will be £25,000 a year. The duties of the council are to watch industrial movements, co-ordinate where possible industrial action, promote propaganda and international relations. The unions' membership is now six millions. Secondly, a ballot is proceeding for the amalgamation of the four great general workers' and municipal employees' unions with a membership of three millions. This will be the largest single union in the world. Thirdly, the 19 unions connected with dock, Waterside and road transport workers are amalgamating with a membership of half a million

Fourthly, the engineering and shipbuilding trades are amalgamating with a membership of 400,000. Fifthly, the warehouse union find cooperative employees are amalgamating with 200,000 members.

Sixthly, the printing i bookbinding, machine-rulers and paperworkers are amalgamating with 100,000 members.