Workers Press no. 775

workers press

INCORPORATING THE NEV

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTI

A national dock strike became of a more certainty yesterday London portworkers rejected union pleas to lift their blacking action and obey the National Industrial Relations Court. Above men at the militant Royal group of docks demonstrate their feeling in no uncertain way. ANOTHER PICTURE p. 12.

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

LONDON dockers joined portworkers in the north yesterday when they rejected union advice to lift their blacking of container firms.

The vote was unanimous at the militant Royal group of docks. Earlier dockers from riverside wharves also turned down union instructions to obey orders from the National Industrial Relations Court and stop their action against three container firms. At the Royal, officials who put the got union case stormy reception and less than

SPECIAL

half the group's 5,000 em- ployees bothered to turn up to

FEATURES

hear their pleas.

THIS WEEK

The ended with meeting for the national preparations dock strike scheduled to start

TODAY

one week today. Maurice Foley, a lay official of Centre pages the Transport and General called Workers' Union for if strike massive picket the From the Cabinet records, began, a study of how the Tories assure you planned to smash the will into conflict coming Hunger Marches in the expect every one of you to report for picket duty. Let's take 1930s our line from what the miners have done,' he said to cheers.

T&GWU Royal docks secre-

TODAY

tary Bill Mundy opened the meet-

PAGE 4

ing with a call to end "indiscri- blacking'. minate 'Case history of a Stalinist This action was draining the humbug union's funds away to the NIRC in fines he said. The man in question is Monty But he Johnstone drowned was whose out times several the dockers about recent distortions made it quite clear that they the SLL and YS are taken determined were to defy the up by Court's rulings.

MICHAEL BANDA

The national dock strike is due start the day 1,500 London dockers will lose their jobs at Southern Stevedores and be re- turned to the unattached labour pool where they will earn "fall- back' pay.

TOMORROW

dockers The are demanding Angela Davis: longer holidays, increase in an the fall-back rate to equal aver- A special correspondent age earnings in the industry, and reports from the trial ban docke labour by con- use non- in San José registered tainers firms.

THE NEWSLETTER •

FRIDAY MAY 26, 197

E CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SO

HAROLD WILSON has correctly stated that the Tory government is pre- paring for a showdown with the trade unions. In his first major speech on industrial rela- tions this year, Wilson said: 'In place of conciliation and understanding, ministers, tak- ing their lead from Mr Heath, are operating as agents provo- cateurs, seeking to invoke Her Majesty's judges. and the majesty of the law in the con- sequences of an unnecessary and dangerous confrontation deliberately provoked for poli- tical purposes.' This is the gravest statement made by a Labour Party leader for many years. Its vital sig- nificance be lost. should not Wilson, a Prime Minister for six years and a member of the Privy Council, is in the know. He roosts within hearing of all the major decisions in the Tory Party and his statement comes only three days after the coun- cil of war held at Chequers.

This meeting was devoted to preparing the plans to meet the threatened rail and docks strike.

The Tories have taken all the decisions to implement the Emer- gency Powers Act which will inaugurate repression of trade unionists and pickets on a vast scale. powers will The also permit the use of troops for the main- tenance of fuel supplies and transport. knows what is hap- Wilson pening behind the scenes-his speech reveals that. But in making public the Y 26, 1972 • No. 775 • 4p

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

BY ALEX MITCHELL

dangers facing immense the more menacing crescendo? labour and trade union move- Wilson should his summon ment, Wilson at once becomes rank and file to conference the movements' worst Feather enemy. Just as should call Because he fails completely to special conference of the

TUC

call for the mobilization of the re-affirm the trade unions working class fight against the Industrial Rela- force the Tories out of office. tions Act and the government.

We challenge Wilson. If he is These conferences would give Tory pro- so alarmed about the the rank and file the urgently vocateurs, why doesn't he imme- needed opportunity prepare diately special con- policies and a strategy to defeat summon ference of the Labour Party to the government. discuss a strategy for defeating The biggest danger at present the enemy? is that the rank and file will be Such a conference was called suffocated by the warblings and a year ago to discuss the Com- prevarications of Heath and mon Market-why not now when their own bankrupt leaders like the Tory attack is reaching a Wilson and Feather. Socialist Labour League

RECALL THE TUC!

DEFEND THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS!

BUILD COUNCILS OF ACTION NOW!

MAKE THE TORY GOVERNMENT RESIGN!

RETURN A LABOUR GOVERNMENT PLEDGED TO

SOCIALIST POLICIES.

Beaver Hall, Garlick Hill (nr Mansion House tube) Speakers : MIKE BANDA (SLL Central Committee) LARRY CAVANAGH (Liverpool docker) JOHN SIMMANCE (YS national secretary)

workers press

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER •

national dock strike became certainty yesterday as London portworkers rejected union pleas to lIft their blacking action and obey the National Industrial Relations Court.

A•OVE

militant Royal ot docks demonstrate their feeling in no uncertain ANOTHER PICTURE p. 12. way. Blacking to continue London follows suit

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

LONDON dockers joined portworkers in the north yesterday when they rejected union advice to lift their blacking of container firms.

The vote was unanimous at the militant Royal group of docks. Earlier dockers from riverside wharves turned also down union instructions to obey orders from the National Industrial Court Relations and stop their against

ALON

three container firms. At the Royal, officials who put the union case got stormy reception and less than

SPECIAL

half the group's 5,000 em- ployees bothered to turn up to

FEATURES

hear their pleas.

THIS WEEK

The with meeting ended the national Ior dock scheduled to start strike one week today.

TODAY

Maurice Foley, a lay official of Centre pages the and General Union ital the workers'

TOT

massive picket the strike From the Cabinet records, began. a study of how the Tories I assure you that if we are planned smash the wil coming InTO connict Hunger Marches in the exp pieet done. Lets toke port picket duty. Let's 1930s from what the miners have done,' he said to cheers.

Royal docks secre-

TODAY

tary Bill Mundy opened the meet-

PAGE 4

ing with a call to end 'indiscri- minate blacking'. 'Case history of a Stalinist do then C nic action was humbug union's funds away to the in fines he said. The man in question is Johnstone Monty But he was drowned whose dockers recent distortions severi one about made it quite clear that they the SLL and YS are taken determined to defy were the up by Court's rulings

MICHAEL BANDA

The national dock strike is due start the day 1,500 London dockers will lose their jobs Southern Stevedores and be turned to the unattached labour pool where they will earn *fall- back' pay.

TOMORROW

The dockers are demanding Angela Davis: longer holidays, in in crease A special correspondent the fall-back rate to equal aver age earnings in the industry, and reports from the trial ban USe note in San José labour by con- resistere• dock tainers firms.

THE NEWSLETTER •

FRIDAY MAY 26, 197.

= CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SO

HAROLD WILSON has correctly stated that the Tory government is pre- paring for a showdown with the trade unions. In his first major speech on industrial rela- tions this year, Wilson said: 'In place of conciliation and understanding, ministers, tak- ing their lead from Mr Heath, are operating as agents provo- cateurs, seeking to invoke Her Majesty's judges and the majesty of the law in the con- sequences of an unnecessary and dangerous confrontation deliberately provoked for poli- tical purposes.' This is the gravest statement made by a Labour Party leader for many years. Its vital sig- be lost. nificance should not Wilson, a Prime Minister for six years and a member of the Privy Council, is in the know. He roosts within hearing of all the major decisions in the Tory Party and his statement comes.

only three days after the coun- cil of war held at Chequers.

This meeting was devoted to preparing the plans to meet the threatened rail and docks strike.

The Tories have taken all the decisions to implement the Emer- gency Powers Act which will inaugurate repression of trade unionists and pickets on a vast scale. also permit The powers will the use of troops for the main- tenance of fuel supplies and transport. Wilson knows what is hap- pening behind the scenes-his speech reveals that. But in making public the Y 26, 1972 • No. 775 • 4p

THE SOCIALIST LABOUR

LEAGUE

BY ALEX MITCHELL

immense dangers facing the more menacing crescendo? labour and trade union move- Wilson should his summon ment, Wilson at once becomes rank and file to conterence the movements' Feather worst enemy. just as should call Because he fails completely special to conference of the

TUC

call for the mobilization of the re-affirm the trade unions working class to force the fight against the Industrial Rela- Tories out of office. tions Act and the government.

We challenge Wilson. If he is These conferences would give Tory pro- so alarmed about the the rank and file the urgently vocateurs, why doesn't he imme- needed opportunity prepare diately summon special con- policies and a strategy to defeat ference of the Labour Party the to discuss a strategy for defeating The biggest danger at present the enemy? is that the rank and file will be Such a conference was called suffocated by the warblings and discuss the Com- a year ago to prevarications of Heath and mon Market—why not now when their own bankrupt leaders like the Tory attack is reaching a Wilson and Feather. Socialist Labour League

RECALL THE TUC!

DEFEND THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS!

BUILD COUNCILS OF ACTION NOW!

MAKE THE TORY GOVERNMENT RESIGN!

RETURN A LABOUR GOVERNMENT PLEDGED TO

SOCIALIST POLICIES.

Beaver Hall, Garlick Hill (nr Mansion House tube) Speakers: MIKE BANDA (SLL Central Committee) LARRY CAVANAGH (Liverpool docker) JOHN SIMMANCE (YS national secretary)

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Friday May 26, 1972 FOLLOWING the visit on Wednesday of a delegation representing the Roman Catholic Central Citizen's Defence Committee to Whitelaw comes the news that a delegation of housewives—all devout Catholics from the Creggan estate in Derry-have seen 'Whitewash' Willie in an effort to secure an amnesty for the IRA in return for an IRA ceasefire.

After an 80-minute meeting with Whitelaw the women said: 'We had a lot to say and ask of Mr Whitelaw. We put our points of view and we are very satisfied with what he told us.

The women's initiative has now been emulated by a men's committee, chaired by ex-building contractor Tom Doherty, called the Creggan Men's Committee.

They also plan to meet Whitelaw. What unites all these groups is their confidence in the Ulster Supremo and their determination to see the disarming of the IRA in the foreseeable future. As one of the women's leaders said: 'It is up to the people of Creggan and Bogside to ask the IRA mem- bers to give Mr Whitelaw a chance'. And as another put it: 'He [Whitelaw] was very, very helpful and a real gentleman. We were able to tell him that most of the 35,000 people living around our home were behind US. The road to hell is paved with the kind of naive intentions of the good women of Bogside. A 'truce' is precisely what Whitelaw requires to isolate the IRA, divide the Republican opposition, intimidate the Protestant workers and secure a political deal with the bourgeois reformists in the Social Democratic Labour Party and the ultra-right Paisley-Craig forces.

Already the SDLP leaders and MP in Derry, John Hume, are expected to announce the end of the party's boycott of local government councils, which started when internment was introduced. Also expected is an end to the rent and rate strikes as a gesture anticipation of Whitelaw's proposed ending of intern- - ment. The activities of Whitelaw and the response of the women, who are undoubtedly influenced by the Catholic Church, confirms cogently the warning made by Lenin many decades ago about the various methods of capitalist rule.

Capitalism, said Lenin, does not only rule by the 'knout' (Russian whip) but also by paltry concessions and pseudo-democratic decrees. To see only one side of capitalist rule and not the other is to disarm the revolutionary movement and betray it.

It is not an accident that those movements, like the IRA and their revisionist supporters, who confined their activities exclusively to countering the terrorist of imperialist cannot, produce a oppression, credible alternative to the constitutional is now being held out by the Church, the SDLP and 'men and women of peace' in Ulster.

In this sense the priest is immeasurably more dangerous than the para and the policeman. It is not surprising therefore that the church, which had little or nothing to say when the official IRA leader in Bel- fast Joseph McCann was shot down like a dog by an army killer squad in Belfast, should shout itself hoarse about the murder of Private Best and stampede thou- sands into the arms of Whitelaw. Praise the Lord-and pass the ammunition ! Despite our differences with the IRA, we urge the people of Creggan, Bogside and Belfast not to desert the IRA and to continue the struggle until all British troops are withdrawn unconditionally and internment ended. We call upon the official IRA to consider seriously political changes in its policies which will mean the abandonment of terrorism and its replacement with revolutionary policies which unite the Irish with the English working class against their common enemy the Tory government.

JAPAN'S 160,000

instructions seamen not to man any ships. were yesterday ordered by their union to continue their Since it began on April 14 the strike the longest ever by seamen 41-day-strike, at least until tied up nearly 1,300 ships June 4, to back their in 52 ports. Negotiations broke demands for more pay. down three weeks ago on the seamen's The original strike order ex- demand for monthly pired but of between £20 and yesterday, union increases eaders stepped in with further £27.50.

TEN MONTHS AFT

IN A broadcast hailing the third anniversary of the anti • communist Numeiry regime in the Sudan, 1 Moscow Kadio makes no criticism of the military junta for its brutal murders of com- munists last July. It claims that the Numeiry government made 'a number of important changes' after coming to power by military coup in 1969. In fact one of the regime's first acts was to decree the death. penalty for strikers!

AROUND THE WORLD

THE DEFENCE case in the Angela Davis trial has fin- ished. Miss Davis not was called to the stand to give evidence. One of the 1l defence wit- one of the surviving Brothers, has testified that he knew nothing of any plan to free him and the other Soledad Brothers from San Quentin prison. The prosecution is expected today to bring forward wit- THE British Communist Party is maintaining a cow- ardly silence about the impli- cations for the Vietnamese revolution of the Moscow summit. The party newspaper Morn- ing Star' has ignored North Vietnam's powerful condemna- tion of the Nixon-Brezhnev talks published in the army newspaper 'Quan Doi Nhan Dan' earlier this week. Yesterday's 'Star', for example, headline had denouncing a 'Nixon savagery' in Vietnam over a photograph of Mrs Nixon and Mrs Gromyko sampling ice- cream in a Moscow store. The paper reported the Mos- cow summit without comment of any kind. It is clearly acutely embarrassed by the Soviet rea- diness to talk with Nixon des- pite massive escalation of the Vietnam war. When Nixon first ordered the mining of Haiphong harbour and the blockade of North Viet- namese ports, the 'Star" printed the following editorial comment: 'In denouncing Nixon's esca- lation of the war, the Soviet Union has demanded the end- ing of the blockade and the acts of aggression against the Demo- cratic Republic of Vietnam, and pledged continued support to the Vietnamese people. 'Any actions it takes to fulfil this pledge and combat the ille- gal and barbarous actions of the US rulers will be comnletely jus- tified, and should be backed by all progressive people. Nixon's apologists claim that he does not want a "confrontation" with

AFTER SUDAN BLOO

BY JOHN SPENCER

The fact that the Sudan Com- munist Party together with representatives of the basic pro- gressive forces of the country') joined the Numeiry administra- tion 'was of great importance in strengthening the anti-imperial- ist regime in Sudan after the May revolution', the radio says.

In fact, the Communist Party's participation in Numeiry's reac- tionary Cabinet was a trap. The three Party members who joined the Cabinet did so without con- committee, sulting the central where the majority led by general secretary Abdel Khaleb Mahgoub opposed Numeiry's ban on political parties and his plan nesses to try and counter the evidence given by defence wit- nesses who have torn holes in the state's case. The 28-year-old Black militant, of a member Communist Party and a university lecturer, faces charges of murder, kidnap- conspiracy arising out ping and of an attempt to take five hos- tages from a courthouse in Cali- fornia in August 1970. prosecution alleges planned the whole thing in a bid to free George Jackson. Two prisoners, a judge and George's brother were killed Jonathan, when police opened fire. the Soviet Union, and that he hopes that his visit to Moscow will go ahead. 'But could there be a more direct effort to provoke a con- frontation than . the sowing of mines in the path of ships engag- ed in lawful trade? Could any measure be more calculated to heighten international tensions and make negotiations and dis- cussions on other questions more difficult? 'When Nixon receives a res- ounding rebuff from the Ameri- can people, from the socialist countries, and from the people of the rest of the world, he des- erves everything he gets. ('Morn- ing Star' , Friday, May 12). It rapidly became clear how- ever that the Soviet Stalinists had no' intention of 'rebuffing' Nixon and that the talks were to go ahead. The Communist Party had nothing to say about this treacherous development despite 'any earlier statement that actions' by the Soviet leaders in support of the Vietnamese would be 'completely justified'.

The 'Star' waited ten days, un- til May 22, before replying to criticism of the Nixon visit. It said: It is that regrettable China, where Nixon was being received only three months ago, now makes his Moscow visit the occasion for another outburst on the theme "Soviet-American of collusion". This nonsense...

can confuse some people and so help Nixon. 'Because Nixon's visit immedia- tely follows his escalation of the Vietnam war, there is all the more reason to accompany it by new efforts to unite the socialist camp?

BLOODBATH

to federate with Egypt and Libya. As a result of his opposition, Mahgoub was jailed on treason charges and the Kremlin sent a delegation to Khartoum to mediate between the CP factions.

The delegation favoured enter- ing the Cabinet. Pushed into a corner with Soviet connivance, the Mahgoub tendency organized an abortive coup d'etat against Numeiry on July 19 last year, which was strangled with Egyptian and Libyan help. Mahgoub and 13 other leading communists were executed after a travesty of a trial by a drum- head court-martial. Moscow Radio describes this butchery as 'tragic events', but does not blame Numeiry. Instead it states that 'reaction and im- perialism were particularly active in their efforts to torpedo the co- operation among the progressive forces in Sudan.' Since Mahgoub and his com- rades were the chief opponents this of co-operation this is tantamount to accusing them of being agents of imperialism.

The radio report further makes 'it clear the Soviet Union had no intention of breaking relations with the Numeiry regime after the July bloodbath-'the anti- Sudan forces', it says, "fabricated an absurd myth about the so- called Soviet interference in the internal affairs of the Sudan'.

Against this accusation, the Soviet radio cynically wishes the 'Sudanese people' further succes- 'the stubborn struggle against imperialism and reaction and in achieving the hopes and aims reflected in the documents of the programme "May 25 1969"'. This is a declaration of full support to Numeiry's policies and a betrayal of the Sudanese com- munists who died in the struggle against them. In other words all criticism of the Nixon-Brezhnev summit must be shut off to allow the Soviet bureaucrats free rein in their discussions secret The unequalled hypocrisy of the British Communist Party was vividly exposed by the statement published earlier this week in the Hanoi army newspaper 'Quan Doi Nhan Dan'. It was unmista- kably aimed at the Soviet leaders.

It said: 'Communists always consider . the revolution of each nation as an inseparable part of the world They never revolution. national interests against the interests of the world revolution, nor place an individual nation's above the common interests of thé world revolution, much less serve national selfishnes at the expense of the world revolution.'

Yet in accordance with the Stalinist theory of 'socialism in is fully country, which one endorsed by the British Com- Party, this munist is exactly what the Moscow Stalinists are doing. They have ignored Nixon's provocations in Vietnam in order to pursue their own bureaucra- tic interests by means of secret diplomatic talks. Hanoi statement im- As the plies, this is a disgraceful betray- al of the world revolution and exposes the Vietnamese workers and peasants to great dangers.

The British Communist Party supports this treachery behind a of denouncing smokescreen Nixon. Its campaign against the Vietnam war is seen to be frau- dulent because it is tied com- pletely to the requirements of the counter-revolutionary Krem- lin bureaucracy.

is three detoni Pering 13% DUFFell CHARGES against the nine Lan threatened after recent sit-ins, ha Almost immediately after hearing that internal disciplinary charges : shelved. A meeting of the university senate Wednesday night on approved by 38 votes to nine a motion recommending with- drawal of charges. Student Representative Coun- cil chairman Mike Murray said the vote was an indication that sympathetic to the staff were them. TWO HUNDRED children who walked out of a Brighton sec- ondary school earlier this week have threatened to stay out until their demands are met. The children from Whitehawk Secondary School marched to the centre of Brighton and held meeting on a recreation ground.

Complaints were heard about uniforms and school toilets, meals.

IN NORWICH

on Wednesday evening more than 200 students" their university marched offices and demanded that a £2,000 fine be paid back in a 'further direct week or face action'. The university had deducted the money from student union funds to pay for damage caused during a sit-in last year.

TWO 16-year school girls, mem- the Schools bers of Action Union, have been found • guilty at Harrow Juvenile Court, Lon-

ALL TRADES

ALLIANCE A

Fight the Torles' 'fair rents' BIll EAST LONDON: Tuesday May 30, 8 p.m. 'Aberfeldy'. Aber- Teidy st, E.14. COALVILLE, Thursday, June 1, nine Lancaster University students, it-ins, have been dropped by police.

• hearing the news, students learnt charges against them had also been sity don, of assaulting two police offi- cers. One was also found guilty of obstruction. Both were remand- Wednesday for reports ed on until June 7 on sureties of £25 each provided by their mothers.

The incident arose on May 16 when one of the girls refused to tell police where her sister was.

Police had been keeping watch on the house after two girls had been reported missing. After a struggle the girls were put inside a police van and taken to the police station. Evidence was presented in court about minor injuries to police officers.

One of the officers denied the girls had been charged because they were SAU members.

TRANSPORT

and General Workers' Union officials: had of 200 tug- talks with leaders men in Rosyth, Fife yesterday.

The men walked out on Tues- day over a pay claim and the strike could halt today's scheduled trials of the navy's new Polaris submarine, 'Repulse'.

ADES UNIONS

CE MEETINGS

8 p.m. Miners' Welfare. 'Organize Councils of Action —Force the Tories to Resign'.

AYLESHAM: Thursday June 1, 8 p.m: The Legion_(Old Work- ing Men's Club), Burgess Rd.

ACTON: Monday June 5, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, High Rd.

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AND

I'M

BREEDING

WHITE

ELEPHANTS!

CABINET agreement has been reached for BOAC to buy five Concordes in a deal costing about £100m. The price of one aircraft and spares may be up to £20m. BOAC had an option on eight Concordes. Altogether 16 airlines have options for 74 Concordes. The BOAC order, it be quickly fol- is hoped, will lowed by others. TELEGRAMS and let- ters of support trom trade unionists in all parts of Yorkshire are arriving at the home of Walter Cun- ningham, chairman of the ards' Committee, who has refused to attend the National Industrial Rela- tions Court. Telegrams have arrived from the Edlington and Cadeby Main branches of the National Union of Minework- ers and also from the shop ONLY a handful of the Man- chester sit-in factories have still to enter negotiations with engineering employers aimed at a settlement. Almost all the settlements have been made on a cash basis with concessions on hours and no holidays. Although the question of hours had originally been high on the engineering union's list of de- ALAN LAW, the militant Birmingham Transport and General Workers' Union official has been named with two shop stewards in an application to the National Industrial Relations Court. Aston's Transport (Hall Green) is alleging unfair industrial practice. Law is responsible for lorry drivers in the area.

Last October, the firm was granted an injunction stopping the shop stewards "blacking' its goods and lorries. There had been a dispute over attempts to get a closed shop. Workers Pres

THE

conference of the for T&GWU's 250,000 - strong las Vehicle Builders and Automo- tive Group voted at Hastings yesterday for the recall of the TUC to reconsider policy towards the Industrial Rela- tions Act. The conference called on union members 'at every level to actively support the dockers, railwaymen and other sections of organized industry. Delegates criticized the TUC stewards' committee of Daniel Doncasters, Sheffield. Workers from Firth Brown Tools, Sheffield have sent and District Trades Council, Hull branch of TASS and Hull Docks Conciliation Branch of the National Union of Railway- men. Parsons Cross, Sheffield, AUEW branch has told Cun- ningham he is 'a credit to the trade union movement'. Bradford South Constituency Labour Party sends its support and continues: 'Do not fail to contact us if there is anything do to help at any else we can time in the near future. We hope will also be hearing from you mands, Amalgamated Union of Engineering President Hugh Scanlon told a press conference on Wednesday • that the settle- ments were in line with what the men held to be important.

At a meeting in Reading he said there were originally 13 THE right-wing on Labour- Newham council, controlled East London, are threatening to expel Labour Party members who have joined an anti-Rents Bill action committee. The committee has campaigned against the Labour councillors' decision to implement the Bill.

The Newham Tenants Action Committee was formed after moves on the militant West Ham Trades Council against the Bill.

Included in its membership are delegates from the three consti- in the tuency Labour Parties areas as well as tenants' associa- tions. committee organized demonstration outside a Labour group meeting on May 8 when the right wing decided to sus- pend 13 councillors who defied the whip and voted in the full council for non-implementation. Constituency Labour Party orkers Press, Friday May 26, 1972 PAGE 3

LOSES

for its apparent reversal of last year's conference resolu- tions and its decision to allow unions to defend themselves in the National Industrial Rela- tions Court. Conference the requested recall of the TUC 'immediately to consider concerted action by all trade unions to main- tain unity of the Labour move- ment in the face of an Act which is intended to suppress the activity of the working class'. Walter Cunningham: Busy letter box. several of our affiliated branches as we are contacting them to support of your stand, action in notify them of our ...Strangely enough', the Brad- ford South CLP writes, 'one of the few dissenting voices was a T&GWU full-time officer."

points in the union's claim, but in the course of the fight with the employers they had decided some olythese should be de- ferred in favour of pressing for higher rates, an all-round increase and holidays meeting A of 180 full-time officials of the AUEW in London has agreed to press on with their plant-bargaining and "strategy shop stewards were collecting voluntary levies to finance strikes in support of wage claims.

delegates have been instructed not to attend action committee meetings. And letters have gone out to the CLPs asking them to bear in mind the conduct of the 13 when considering their readoption as LP candidates.

Sanctions strike THREE hundred engineering workers are on strike at the Thorn Heating Ltd factory at Birtley, Co. Durham. The walk out followed the suspension of ten men for operating piecework sanctions in of the engineers support pay Tress Engineering Ltd of claim. Newburn upon Tyne has locked out all of its 250 manual workers for operating the sanc- tions.

PAGE & Workara Prosa, Friday May 26, 1 Michael Banda replies to Johnstone in the 'Morning S

PART 4

There is nothing simu- lated about Monty John. stone's frantic response to the Socialist Labour League's criticisms and denunciation of the sell- out in UCS by Stalinists James Reid and James Airlie. He has nothing but praise for these leaders of the shop stewards' co-ordinating com- mittee who turned the most powerful post-war movement against Toryism into an opera- tion to save private industry, prevent a genuine occupation of the shipyards and save the credibility of the Tories in Westminster. No mean achievement-even by reformist standards. wonder even some of the Tories are amazed. If the rectorship of Glasgow University is all that the bourgeoisie can find to reward their most faithful Stalinist- Christian servants for this tre- mendous service, it must rank as a singularly churlish act in British the history of the bourgeoisie. But let us not forget John- stone. He writes: 'When the Clyde workers communist leadership under retuted this pernicious pessim- ism by forcing substantial con- the Workers Press main lead story opened with the stirring words: "The government decision to invest £35m in the Upper Clyde is in no sense a victory for the Why did the government decide to inject the f35m in UCS? To answer this is to pose another question-why did the Tories decide to shut down UCS and what were their motives? The Tories, it is true, acted on the Ridley Plan and the report of the 'four wise men'.

This report was drawn up in the period before Nixon's Aug- ust 15, 1971, decision to de- May 28, 1872 es to an article by Monty rning Star' of April 18, 1972.

Nicholas Ridley value the dollar and demonetize gold. In the pre-August 15 period, British shipbuilding was in the doldrums mainly because the Japanese shipbuilders were able to very efficiently compete against Britain because of an under-valued yen, a highly- disciplined labour force and massive technological changes.

Even then the capitalist class was divided on the question of viability. As the Shipbuilding Industry Report—published in September 1971—stated: There were signs of impro- vement at the beginning of 1971... Old and troublesome contracts had been completed; the labour force had been brought into line with future requirements; settlements had been reached with the unions and the company's order book was such that new orders for early delivery could be taken on satisfactory terms.' The report forecast that 'with the end of loss making orders, more settled industrial relations and improved pro- duction, the company should make the long-awaited turn to profitability' One thing that the ruling unanimous about, Class was however, was that UCS as it stood then was a dead duck.

•Reorganization was essential- and this meant a complete shake-up in labour productivity and discipline. A Young Socialist placard which the Sta As John Davies, the Minister for Industry stated: "The government has decided that nobody's interest will be served by making the injection of funds into the company as it now stands? (Our emphasis.)

What was the Stalinist line at the start? As stated by Reid as late as December 1971, it was: We are prepared to nego- tiate with anyone anywhere, but only on the basis of pro- posals on all four yards and all jobs..' In June, Reid spoke more succinctly when he told shop of the stewards on the eve mass demonstration against the UCS closure: 'Many of us tonight think nationalization • is the answer. bring down Some might say the government or indulge in political demagogy from the right or left. 'We are here to preserve shipbuilding on the Clyde?

What Reid didn't say was that Stalinism was in favour of the continuity of private ship- building even if the price of this was the intensification of exploitation and lowering of waoes on the Clyde. The 'work-in' was thus con- ceived as a non-political opera-

ORT L

GENERAL

A Young Socialist placard which the Stallnists tried to remove from the demonstration against UCS closure.

tion whose main purpose was to impress the liquidator, the Tory government and prospec.

tive buyers triousness, discipline and loy- alty of the workforce This was the real meaning of Airlie's cryptic call, 'no ban. ditry, no hooliganism, no bey- vying'. This explains also the total absence of anv of workers' control or even a during sooner Week work-in. the So much so that the 'Morn- ing Star' reporters, Mike Cos- toasted shamelessly about it n tello Arthur. Milligan, the front lead of the page 'Star' on August 28, 1971: 'Discipline, morale and time- keeping have been better than ever since the work-in began.

There's even any lunch- nO1 lingering Connolly's time Bar, one of the workers' locals.

before the few none Les men are due back at work, the publican rings a bell and the workers hurry back to "their" yard.' Of course if the yards had been really occupied, the liqui- dator thrown out and all work stopped, such dis- on ships would cipline have been an indispensible basis for a mili- tant struggle throughout Scot- land and Britain against redun- dancy and Toryism. But that the demonstration against UCS closure.

was not so in UCS. of the reformist Because policies of the UCS leaders, it is true to say that the work- in, far from restraining other employers in Scotland from sacking 'redundant' workers, in fact encouraged them to lay- off thousands upon thousands without any fear of reprisals.

In UCS alone, more than 1,900 workers left their em- ployment out of disillusion- ment or demoralization created by the wait-and-see policy of Reid and Airlie. In the rest of Scotland over 17,000 workers were sent to join a never-end- ing dole queue during the course of the work-in. The struggle to defend the right to work was effectively sabotaged and the sanctity of private property inflexibly res- pected by these Stalinist trai- tors during the entire period of the work-in. Thus whatever 'concessions' were won by UCS leaders were more than compensated for by the unprecedented retreat of the Stalinist stewards before the Tory offensive. Is it not ironical-and grimly so-that 900 workers in Burroughs, Vale of Leven, were sacked on the • that Reid got his same day rectorship?

CONCLUDED TOMORROW

THE GREAT HELMSMAN

BY TOM KEMP

The news that a full- length colour documen- tary film has been produced for the 60th birthday of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung en- titled "The People Sing of Fatherly Leader' the comes as no surprise. The only wonder is that the Korean documentary film studio waited for his 60th birthday and had not got around to it before. In fact the personality cult of the great Kim would have made even Stalin green with envy. It is rumoured that he even received a visit from Tarią Ali although himself, the two leaders do not appear to have hit it off too well, as often happens in such circumstances.

According to the American journalist Harrison Salisbury, who is visiting North Korea, it is impossible to escape the all- of Kim influence pervasive Il-sung. His portrait or statue is to be found at every turn.

Every room in the Pyongyang University — yes, named after Kim Il-sung — records how many visits to it 'our beloved and respected leader Comrade Kim Il-sung' has made. A plaque in the local egg hatchery records that it was 'built under the solicitude of beloved and respected our leader, Comrade Kim Il-sung' In the words of the leader, it proclaims: 'In order to improve the people's living standard it is essentia! to produce more eggs at a lower price.' The maxim of every petty trader is thus turned into the wisdom of the great 'Marxist', Kim Il-sung. Kim's supporters obviously feel that North Korea-popu- lation 12 million—is too small a stage for the glory of such a great leader to be fully dis- played. In order to prepare to take over the mantle from the ageing Mao Tse-tung, efforts are being made to publicize the genius of Kim on an inter- national scale — through the medium of the bourgeois press.

Some while ago a full-page advertisement appeared in, of all places, 'The Times' to draw world's attention to the the genius Kim worthy whose might otherwise have gone un- noticed. Anyone who took their eyes off the Court Cir- cular, the agony column and other regular features of that journal would have found an address to which they could write for further information.

What response there was to this advertisement is presum- ably known only to the gov- ernment of North Korea and its advertising agents. Anyhow they were evidently not dis- couraged for a recent issue of the French • weekly 'Nouvel Workers Pres Observateur' contained a double-page spread devoted to Kim Il-sung. One page had a large portrait of the beloved leader, looking surprisingly youthful for a man of 60.

The other contained a list of Kim's major works all on offer, French, for upwards of in £1.50. For those wishing to be fully documented on this great man there is a three-volume biography totalling no less than 1,888 pages, which must rank ok it as one of the longest ever written. A substantial section of the of the Kim Il-sung library university consists of the works of Kim, translated into many languages. The hens are said to be hitting record laying rates, thanks to the thoughts of Comrade Kim. The name is worth remem- bering, the Koreans may be buying time on ITV any day now. And what about that vel colour documentary for BBC 2?

orters Press, Friday May 26, 1972 PAGE 5 Relations between the French Communist Party and the Socialist Party, led by former presiden- tial candidate and ex- minister Francois Mitterand, are by no good the means at present time. The division became mani- fest at the time of the referen- dum on the Common Market when the CP called for a 'No' vote while the Socialists abstained. The old problem of the the relationship between Stalinists and Social Democracy Posed today under new are conditions. The growth of working-class militancy after the events of May 1968 and the rise of 'left' groups which and youth attract many workers pose difficult problems for the bureaucratic leaderships of both traditional parties.

There is no doubt about the desire of the French CP and its Marchais, leader, Georges to form an electoral coalition for next year's to prepare General Election. But the CP a coalition on its own wants terms. It is prepared to accept Mitterand or some other non- communist politician as a figurehead as long as it retains a controlling interest. It is finding Mitterand a tough customer who aspires to direct such a coalition himself and act as a go-between with the radicals and other bour- geois groups. Speaking to the recent session of the Central Com- mittee of his Party, Marchais had some harsh words for the Socialist Party. He accused it of being an instrument for the big bourgeoisie While flirting with 'leftist' phrases and talk- ing about 'unity'. What in Marchais' sticks gullet is the fact that many socialists joined in demonstra- tions against the shooting of Maoist Rene-Pierre Overney when the CP denounced them as 'provocations'. Marchais wants undisputed mastery of any coalition at left-wing order to strike militants and maintain control over the working class. It is a recurrence of May- June 1968 which stands in the background of the current negotiations with the. Socialist wants its Party. Marchais agreement to a minimum pro- gramme of reforms and a foreign policy tailored to suit the needs "of the Soviet bureaucracy, notably support for a European Security Con- ference. It was evident from his report that the Party is find- ing it difficult to impose its line on some of its representa- tives in local government who already operate as though a kind of 'popular front' with the Socialists and the radicals already existed. He complained that they did not fight vigor- ously enough for the policy of the party. However sharp the polemics between Marchais and Mitterand, they are not about principled questions, but rather of parlia- about methods mentary electioneering and manoeuvring. Discussions are continuing, with the CP insisting on the need for a common programme and the SP favouring a looser electoral pact so that the less well-placed candidates of the two parties will stand down on the second ballot.

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Friday May 26, 1972 Recently-opened, government secret papers in the Public Record Office have thrown new light on the Hunger Marches of the 1920s and 1930s. The papers reveal, for instance, the behind-the-scenes dis- cussions between Cabinet ministers, the police and the judiciary to 'deal with' the marchers. A study of these documents is doubly important in view of the Right-to- Work marches organized by the Young Socialists. Five Right-to-Work marches were staged throughout Britain in Feb- ruary and March converging on London on March 12 for a 9,000-strong rally at the Empire Pool, Wembley. These YS marches inevitably recalled the Hunger Marches. There are, of course, vast differences between them: the Right-to- Work marches marking a stage in the con- struction of a revolutionary party to take power; the Hunger Marches the heroic protest of men led to the politics of despair by Stalinism. Until now the main the Hunger source of material on Marches came from memoirs of the marchers themselves, such as the Stalinist 'Unemployed Wal Hannington's Struggles'

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

No one outside government names of 16 members of the circles, aware that Dundee who have was contingent 1932 the National convictions against them, and MacDonald ment of Ramsay I have forwarded these to the the verge of introduc- Special Branch.' ing a Bill to ban the marches The report goes on: 'From what I have seen it appears to altogether. It was drafted and ready for discussion in parlia- me that recruitment but was finally with- marchers is very slow. ment, drawn in favour of the stricter The

NUWM

much are very of laws, perturbed. So far little application existing can ancient predominantly have been done and they are very very much afraid that a bad ones. of marcher will be type re- Between 1922 and 1936 six cruited at the last minute as national hunger marches were a face-saving effort and that They were organized by held. the prestige of the march will Unemployed National the suffer.' Workers' Movement which, The police could be quite as dominated by the Communist astute in assessing the politi- determined certainly by Party, on the marches. would cal the mid-1920s that they Tensions based In 1936, at the height of the be purely protests Stalinists' Popular Front appealing TO LUv- policy, the leaders of the Lon- to provide work or ernments don demonstration decided to full maintenance' lay a wreath on the Cenotaph.

from various Contingents Police agents noted the opposi- parts of the country of about tion of many of the rank-and- 100 converged in marchers file marchers to this and the final London for the huge difficulty Hannington had in The best demonstrations. getting the line accepted. The source for the pro- charting Special ends: Branch report gress of these marches is the of "The Home Office files of the period, irony the whole situation that despite the is for they follow their progress Marchers' ranting of the practically hourly. Council against capitalism, the disguised as Police persons who formed a deputa- marchers made verbatim tran- tion to lay a wreath the on scripts of public and secret Cenotaph were provided with listened in meetings, on ton. _ sufficient means to regale them- and kept an eye

VATCATIONS

selves by staying at Gresham's for every opportunity Open Hotel in Bedford Place on the could where they press an night of November 10? discredit the arrest There was no lack of 'loyal marchers. During the 1936 march the to help the police in citizens' Glasgow their tasks. Organizations such chief police writes: ( "The Chief Constable of as the i British Union of Fas- Empire Dundee has forwarded to me cists and the British -. Union were active around the marches and their letters are kept on police files. A police of letter thanks the Duke Roxburgh's chauffeur for lend- ing his apartment in West- minster for police to use in .. order to get a good vantage- for the 1934 march. point Apart from the Home Office, the police sent their reports to the Cabinet and the Minis- tries of Labour and Health.

The Ministry of Labour was responsible for administering unemployment insurance, for which many of the marchers applied while on the road. The Ministry was determined they should not get it. Before each march instructions were sent out to local offices: unemploy- ment benefit was not available to marchers on the grounds that they did not fulfil the statutory requirements of be- ing 'ready and available for work' and (before the clause repealed in 1930) was 'genuinely seeking work'.

As Arnold Denning, Ministry official, put it some- what pompously: Where a man takes part in a political pilgrimage he creates a pre- of non-availability sumption which would ordinarily re- quire something more than a formal proof before it mere could be rebutted.' However, the NUWM be- came very adept at exploit- ing the numerous anomalies in the code and many marchers did obtain unemploy- ment insurance. Denning rue- fully adds: 'It seems to me that those who take part in a political march will continue to get benefit provided that the staff of work the sufficiently is promoters thorough

HARD

LINE

The bulk of the marchers relied on the Poor Law Guar- dians as the only means of public assistance until the setting up of the Unemploy- Assistance Board in ment 1934. The Ministry of Health re- sponsible for the Poor Law also determined to take a hard line. From the first march in 1922 the rules were sent out to the local Guardians. Desti- relief ersons were entitled to by law, but this relief need 'not extend beyond what necessary'. reasonably was Marchers were to be treated as vagrants, that is, refused accommodation in the Poor House, if they could not offer proof of sickness or destitu- The "casual ward require- ments' were to be enforced to marchers applying to stay ovtr- night. That meant compulsory search, bath, setting of tasks and a minimum of two days' detention in the institution.

It was, however, all very well setting these rules, the difficulty was to apply them, The PoOr Law Guardians, faced with local support for the marchers, weakened and relaxed their restrictions.

As one Ministry of Health official 'The Guardians were put it: reflecting local opinion which in a small town invaded by an organized body of men is against irritating the invaders?

Harassed Poor Law Guar- appealed for stronger dians action on the part of the gov- ernment. Loughborough Board for of Guardians, example, wrote to the Ministry in 1929 asking if something could not 'large bodies be done about of men parading the country in this manner'. The Ministry of Health would have liked to rid itself of responsibility. H. W. S Francis, the Chief Inspector, The problem of deal- wrote: ing with marchers is not a Poor Law matter. They are The casuals. now genuine police should deal with them as unlawful assemblies' The police could not stem threats to the marches; even investigate the possibility of the with charging marchers having abandoned their wives and children failed. Othei methods were tried. In 1936 the Home Secretary, Sir John Simon, wanted to make statement deploring the march and saying it was against constitution. Sir the Minister of Kingsley Wood, Health, thought this would be dangerous. He wrote: 'I think to make such a blatant state- to inter- ment might appear fere with the rights which re- main at present [sic] with the British public, would only in- crease interest taken in the march and would have no effect whatever in reducing sympathy which marchers can expect.' Sir Kingsley had a subtler Why not call suggestion. a conference of journalists from 'the friendly newspapers' and them to take encourage a the line against strong marchers? He quoted an ex- cerpt from the reactionary 'Western Mail' as the sort of which witch-hunting article was required. However, the most serious discussions took place on the question of using the law against the marches. In 1932 the Cabinet set up a special committee hunger on the marches. Members were the Home Secretary, the Ministers of Health and Labour, Secretary of State for Scot- land, the Attorney-General and the Lord Advocate.

LEGAL

SANCTIONS

Its brief was to investigate the question of particularly applying stricter legal. sanc- tions against the marchers and possibly bringing in new legis- lation. The interim report was in October 1932. presented recent This suggested that in fact demon- events have strated that the existing law is defective in more than one direction and in our opinion affords a good opportunity of dealing by new legislation not merely with the particular problems presented by con- tingents of marchers concen- Workers Press, Friday May 26, 1972 PAGE 7 him to from any place, to Brixton prison for two given to him by a police officer months. for the purpose dispersing This sparked off an enor- any assembly which by reason mous campaign in the labour of any such their order un- movement for release. 1S all lawful assembly, he shall be It was supported not only by the Communist Party but also liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding £50, or the official TUC leadership and MPs such as George Lansbury.

for

JORDONCIL

not exceeding three months, or fine and

PROTEST

CHAN

imprisonment. Ministry of Health official H. W. S. Francis comments: •While I think the provisions of the Bill itself are not liable to be eitective, it seems to me Prime Minister Ramsay that the fact that there is an MacDonald was uneasy about the Statute Book 'en- Act on the jailings. There followed a abling hunger march interchange long of letters declared to offence between him and Tory the would prevent mant Home Secretary, Sir John Gil- marphe from joined other has who joined people MacDonald wrote on December 28 about the pro- seemed to me that many of tests he had received: 'Some of them were peaceful and orderly my correspondents range from who would persons have dignatories of the Church of refused to join the march had England local they were doing to they known tives of law and order, includ- an unlawful thing ing some of our own National Other members of the com Labour reliable people in the mittee, however, do not seem trade union movement.' to take the same view on this And later, again to Gilmour point and it may not be worth "The only on December much. I still think, however, point which gives me a little that the really troublesome ele- concern is this, that so long as Liverpool ments would OI this agitation was in the hands require much more temptation of Tom Mann and his Mos- than has yet been offered them friends, the trouble coW before they would face the dis- had to face was no doubt very comfort of proceeding on foot Pr noking irritating, and but to London, and that the would become very ches would lose much of their never and threat effect if decent people abstain- serous be a real to public order; it is now tend.

ed from joining them. ing to pass into the hands of That the committee went so more responsible people, espe far as to draft Bill shows cially the organized trade the seriousness with which they union If that hap- viewed the demonstrations. novement pened it would indeed be seri- However they were unsure • how are we to keep the taking such a drastic Communists dissociated from for fear of provoking the trade unionists? Up to now general, SorThomas we have succeeded remarkably General, Sir Inskip, convinced the government that well in this. He suggested and we lyn Gilmour it would be unwise to intro- that Mann duce new legislation at that should be released. Gilmour, moment. He suggested instead Tory he like the high was, that an ancient Act of Edward would not back down. III be used, whereby a court "The fact that there is of summary jurisdiction may flavour of antiquity about the order anyone to 'enter into law of Edward is hardly recognisançe to keep the peace continuing the prac- and to be of good behaviour tice which every The government took this has found necessary, namely to 1932 march advice. The was call on people to give a pledge the most threatening to date.

of good behaviour.. My col Demonstrations London leagues and were brutally broken up. Han- were content for the moment to wait and nington another leading see the outcome and jailed for in ae- ot a more figure. exact application of the present rested and jailed before deciding Jaw whether ment. It was against two other more drastic leaders, however, that are needed.. While I am in favou Edward III law was used. of keeping open what one may The 75-year-old Tom Mann, call a safety valve for free of National president the speech, if these monster dem.

Counsi Leweliyn March and its secre- onstrations likely are tary Emrhys were increase we will I fear not called upon to find sureties of always be able to escape the peace or sureties to be of pealmouras we have. good behaviour. Gilmour, Almost the sole course, won evidence and the prisoners the were not presented by prosecution released. MacDonald did unsigned articles in the was ase relied to dour he is Worker' 'Daily calling. for Welsh hunger Above: replied to Gilmour: monster demonstration in Lon- the road to perfectly clear from marchers on don on December 19 when my con- Reading in 1932 tinuing correspondence on the would deputation subject that petition with a million signa- we are not suc trating on London, but also ceeding in convincing people tures against unemployment to with the control proces- parliament. that action was taken against sions in London itself and in Tom Mann for what was being m the bally Worker arcade other populous areas.' from the contemplated but not for the article "The National opinion which he held.' reads: Admini- was drawn up pro- A DIll strative Council calls upon the These of prosecutions, viding for the 'prohibition did not stop entire working class to course, concentrations and processions get the mat- ches. They The continued behind the fight making likely to result in disorder or by Clause December 19 the day government did not bring inconvenience. upon which there will be huge dem- legislation to stop them stated: 'If the Secretary of valve' the The "safety was State is satisfied that arrange- onstrations throughout Stalinism which diverted the ments are about to be made, country.. and in support of the right of unemployed huge demonstrations into the the being are made Or Hunger March Deputation to blind-alley been made, for concentrating mere protest. class od today, the Toro ging Faced with working present the 1 million signatures outside the areas in persons to parliament on December 20 which they normally reside, or ernment hesitation a huge has for causing persons to go in when there will London demonstration. about changing the law. Bigger place out- procession than the side the area in which they ancient statute Sir Russell Scot, permanent of Edward III are being used reside and that the ordinarily secretary at the Home Office, to try and crush the workers' concentration or procession is to Sir Patrick Duff at wrote movement in 1972. likely to result the Minister's Prime office: of the However, study a) in serious disorder or 'The evidence for the applica- government archives gives tion is contained in a number abnormal de- b) in such sohering warning to militants mands being made upon Poor of articles the "Daily In today of th: painstaking vig - Worker" clearly Law authorities cause pointing as To with which the employ- the the fact that next week's dem.

derangement • Serious ing class conspires to safeguard administration of public assis- onstration is being engineered its rule. for the unlawful purpose of he order pro- Lance. hibit the concentration bringing compulsion to bear on parliament and that it is likely procession.' NOTE: Unpublished material in Morever: 'If a person com- to lead to a breach of the the Public Record -ont is for further Mann and Llewellyn mits any act the which Crown Copyright or fails to comply refused find to procession, sureties sewed is renroanced ou Derma keep the peace and were sent sion of H M Stationeru Office.

with any direction requiring

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Friday May 26, 1

OVER-POPULATION OR P

CAUSE OF WORLD HUN

FRANKS.

PART 5

So-called over-population, like 'over-production', has always been relative to the situation of the particular society in which it exists. In times of plague, war and economic boom, workers have been at a premium and all incentives have manner been devised to encourage an increase in the birth rate.

Food surpluses have been vital to the development of the human race. The archaeologist, Professor Vere Gordon Childe, who based his work closely on Marx's 'Materialist Conception of History', remarked about the early communities of the and Tigris - Euphrates, Nile Indus Valleys of around 5,000 years ago: 'Society persuaded or com- pelled the farmers to produce a surplus of foodstuffs over and above their domestic re- quirements, and by concentrat- it to ing this surplus, used support a new urban popula- tion of specialized. craftsmen, merchants, priests and clerks.'

('What Happened in History'.)

However, once the number of people appeared to be out- stripping the bounds of society -and the 'lower orders' began to threaten the accumulated wealth and position of the upper classes — all sorts of measures were devised to con- trol population. For: example, Plato (427-347 BC), philosopher and ideolo- gist of the Greek slave-owning proposed that aristocracy, towns should be fixed at 5,040 dwellings. Population would be contained by enforced emigra- tion when there was an 'excess of citizens'. In fact, numbers were cut by revolts, wars and by wholesale abortion and infanticide—the latter by 'ex- posure' in which the child was left out in the open to die.

I beg and beseech you', wrote a Greek husband work- ing away from home, 'to take care of the little child, and, as soon as we receive wages I will send them to you. When — good luck to you-you bear offspring, if it is a male, let it live; if it is a female, expose it' The slave's right to have children was completely re- stricted: Plato and Aristotle recommended that they should be allowed to bear children 'as a special reward and en- for good con- couragement duct. the Middle Ages abject In poverty was declared regularly a natural product of to be population growth. For example, an Italian Church- man wrote: 'Such a vast multi- tude as compromises Christian Europe cannot exist without a great deal of misery.' (Nicholas of Cusa 1401-1464.) He could have mentioned May 26, 1972

OR PROFIT? THE REAL

• HUNGER. BY BERNARD

the enormous bulk of wealth swallowed up by the Church as a contributing factor.

In Britain, the development of early capitalist forms of farming and marketing under feudalism with the possibilities of huge profits to be made from wool and from corn, led to the claim by landowners that the countryside was over- populated. Peasants were driven off the land to become vagabonds and beggars. The continued process over hundreds of years. In 1549 the Manifesto of the Kett Rebellion proclaimed: "The pride of great men is now intolerable. The common pastures left by our predeces- sors for the relief of us and our children are taken away.

which in the The lands memory of our fathers were common, those ditched are and hedged in, and made several. The pastures are en- closed, and we shut out; what- fowls of the air, soever fishes of the water, and in- crease of the earth, all these devour, consume and they swallow up; yea, natura doth to satisfy their not suffice lusts, but they seek out new devices and as it were, forms of pleasure? A popular rhyme went: 'Commons to close and keep, Poor folk for bread to cry and weep, Towns pulled down to pasture sheep? Oliver Goldsmith, in "The Deserted Village, written in 1770, mourns peasant 'scourged by famine' from the land 'where wealth accumu- lates and men decay'. The enclosures continued into the 19th century with farm labourers and cottagers thrown onto parish relief, their land stolen and themselves threatened with prison and transportation if they touched anything of the plots which once belonged to them. The Northamptonshire farmworker- poet, John Clare wrote in the 1820s: 'There once were lanes in nature's freedom dropt, There once were paths that every valley wound— Enclosure came, and every path was stopt; Each tyrant fixed his sign where paths were found, To hint a trespass now who crossed the ground; Justice is made to speak as they command; The high road now must be each stinted bound: Enclosure, thourt a curse upon the land, And tasteless the was wretch who thy existence planned? 1.20 A contrast to the poor; the rich cave In 1853 Karl Marx de- scribed the expropriations in the Highlands of Scotland by Sutherland the Countess of 'who had well digested her Malthus'. He wrote that when she inherited the estate of very three - quarters of nearly resolved Sutherland, she upon transforming the whole into sheep- tract of country walks. The 15,000 inhabitants expelled from the land were between 1814 and 1820: 'All their villages were de- molished and burned down and all their fields converted into pasturage. British soldie's this commanded for were execution, and came to blows with the natives. An old to quit her woman refusing hut, was burned in the flames of it. Thus the lady Countess appropriated to herself 794,000 acres of land, which from time had belonged immemorial to the clan. In the exuberance of her generosity she allotted to expelled natives about the 6,000 acres-two acres per family. These 6,000 acres had been lying waste until then and brought no revenue to the proprietors. 'The Countess was generous enough to sell the acre 2s 6d on an average, to the clan-men who for centuries past had her shed their blood for family. The whole of the un- rightfully appropriated clan- land she divided into 29 large sheep farms, each of them in- habited by one single family, mostly English farm labourers; and in 1821 the 15,000 Gaels had already been superseded • rich cavort In the park on a Sunday afternoo by 131,000 sheep' Under capitalism every economic crisis and revolution- ary upsurge has been met with against and action outcry 'surplus workers'. Malthus was of the the most notorious protagonists, though his 1798 tract did nothing more than writings of collect together similar theorists of the pre- vious 50 years. He wrote: 'The power of population is infinitely greater than power in the earth to produce subsistence for man', and later followed this with plans to end Poor Relief in England cottages in Ire- and destroy 'discourage over- land to breeding' by the poor. Malthus' doctrine, wrote in Frederick Engels 1844: 'If Malthus had not taken such a one-sided view of the matter he could not have missed seeing that the population or labour surplus power is always bound up with surplus wealth, surplus capi- and surplus landed Population is too property. only when great productive power in general is too great.

The state of affairs in every populated country, in particu- lar, England, from the time when Malthus wrote onwards, demonstrates this quite un- mistakably. 'These were the facts which Malthus ought to have examined in their entirety and whose examination ought to have led to the correct con- clusion; instead, he picked out one of these facts, neglecting the others, and thus arrived at his own crazy • conclusion. The advent of machine pro- duction meant that the use to the which theory of over population had been put on the with enclosure-to land clear the way for greater workers- profits from fewer transferred to the now was factories. 'surplus' Thousands of workers were thrown out of • industries, spinning and other machines. replaced by to Di the the land, retaliatory Un machine-breaking in the early 1800s testified to the fact that of yet another batch farm labourers was now being dis- pensed with also. contradiction of workers in rags and masses of unsold stock moved Thomas one Carve to comment upon commodity: 'What is the USe They shirts? your spun hang there by the million un- the mil- saleable; and here by lion are diligent backs that can get no hold of them. Shirts are human useful covering backs; useless otherwise, unbearable mockery otherwise.

You have fallen terribly be of that side the with problem.' ('Past and Present'.)

In this situation Malthus' friends had plenty of work. In Martineau, Harriet 'radical', expounded for the English ruling class the idea that the condition of labourers could improved by: best be Husbanding of wast instead capital for instance by ing

Workers in rags, while masses of stock making savings instead of starting strikes' and 'by adjust- ing the proportion of popula- tion to capital' In 1853, "The Economist' observing that emigration had diminished the population of the working Britain, berated class for not making use of 'golden opportunity' by this and having marrying later fewer children. It also added: "The next use the labouring classes should have made of their rare occasion ought to to accumulate have been saving and become capitalists' workers demanded When 16s 6d a week wages instead of 15s, however, 'The Econo- mist' remarked that 'they have struck for more than would have done them service' • Marx wrote: 'If we sum up, then, the golden opportunities which have been thrown away by the working classes, they consist of the golden oppor- tunity of NOT the marrying, opportunity of living LESS luxuriously, of not asking for of becoming higher wages, capitalists at 15s a week, and of learning how to keep the body together with coarser food, and how to degrade the with the pestiferous doc- soul trines of Malthus. (Article in 'New York Daily Tribune', March 4, 1853.) In 1877 the Malthusian League was set up by Annie Besant and Charles Brad- laugh to encourage birth con- trol as the only system which could ensure that food sup- plies would not exceed popula- tion. of stock still lay unsold in warehouses and s Bradlaugh, a Republican, had previously been in sharp conflict with . the members of the First International, the general secretary which, John Hales, had attacked him for his Malthusian views.

Mrs Besant later became a leading member of the Fabian Society before being con- verted to Theosophy in 1889 after which she went to liva in India as a follower of a 'New Messiah' named Krishna- murti. Neo - Malthusian societies were founded in France, Belgium and Holland in the 1880s. But for the followers of Mal- thus the difficulty was always that, as Engels implied, events continually overtook their ominous forecasts. Crisis and followed over - production booms with a high rapidity throughout the century. Be- tween the 1870s and 1890s a continuing over-production of grain occurred in Canada, USA and Australia which was not finally eradicated until the end of the century. Eventually, even Malthus-- as indicated, for example, in his book 'Principles of Politi- cal Economy'—noticed the ex- of gluts. Marx istence com- ments in a i footnote in Vol 1 of 'Capital': 'In this work Mal- thus finally discovers, with the help of Sismondi, the beautiful trinity of capitalist production: over - population, over - con- sumption-three very delicate es and shops. monsters indeed." Sir William Crookes' con- tribution of 1898 has already been mentioned. He seemed to find it not at all odd that he should still be proclaiming the same dire predictions of col- lapse that Malthus had made exactly 100 years previously.

Crookes told the Assembly of leading British scientists of his day: 'I am constrained to show that our wheat producing soil is totally unequal to the strain put upon it. .. should all the wheat growing countries add to their area to the utmost capacity ...

it would give us just enough to supply the increase in popula- tion among the bread-eaters until the year 1931. Four years earlier, wheat had the lowest price reached in United States history at 49 cents a bushel, and the 'over- supply' had still not been suc- cessfully diminished when Crookes was speaking. Only three years previous to statement, in 1895, Crookes Engels had written: If in Russia the farmer is forced to sell corn which he really should consume, he is forced to do this, not by the pressure of population, but by the pressure of the tax-collec- tor, the landlord, the kulak, etc., etc. As far as I know it is low price of Argentine the wheat more than anything else which is to blame for the agrarian distress in the whole of Europe.'

CONTINUED TOMORROW

Workers Pro The United Nations special envoy for the Middle East, Gunnar Jarring, was at one time a member of a racialist, pro-Nazi party in Sweden.

This revelation about the sort of person the world 'peace' organization is prepared to employ in a prominent and important position has been made by the Swedish news- paper 'Aftenbladet'. The UN envoy Jarring was a member from 1926 to 1939 of the pro-Nazi National Unity Party. In 1936, he stood as a National Unity Party candidate in parliamentary elections on a platform which included 'safe- guarding Sweden from foreign elements' This man now represents an which is sup- organization posedly dedicated to the prin- ciples of 'brotherhood' among peoples! 'Aftenbladet' also reports that Jarring wrote articles for the National Unity Party's organ, in the course of one of which he 'Jews, wrote: Armenians and Greeks have as a cnaracteristic trait cheating their neighbours.' forkers Press, Friday May 26, 1972 PAGE 9 A spokesman for the United commenting on the Nations, 'Aftenbladet' has article, described the revelations as 'trivial'. He said that according to information at UN head- quarters in New York, Jarring had joined the right-wing party in 1926, when it was con- "respectable'. sidered The spokesman denied that Jarring had had any Nazi connections.

The Jarring case has so far attracted no attention from the British press. The "Tribune'-ites in the Labour Party have UN always regarded the as sacrosanct, and have been known to get violently angry when Marxists describe the UN as reactionary or call it what it is, an imperialists' thieves' kitchen. The British Com- munist Party has also come to take this strongly pro-UN position. It will be interesting to see if these apostles for the UN also regard the revelations on Jarring's racialist past as 'trivial'. Gunnar Jarring- man with a raclallat past

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Fighting the Tories Rent Bill The 'f-in-your-pocket' Budget is worth nothing now A 1950s crash house-building programme brought the Camp Hill Estate, Nuneaton into being-the Tories' Bill could mean rents leaping to five PAGE 10 Workers Preas, Friday May 26, 1972

FROM OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

THE RENTS of the houses on Camp Hill Estate, Nuneaton, War- wickshire, started at £1 17s in 1952. Currently they are £3.69 and in October there will be a £1 rent rise and 50p-a- year rise after that if the Tory 'fair rents' Bill is enacted. This estate was built in the early 1950s as part of the crash programme on housing.

All the houses were described as utility houses. dimensions of all the The reduced to a mini- rooms were No back entrances were mum. provided and all household and gardening deliveries have to be taken through the living accom- modation. "They One tenant said: were built in rush they were such a being thrown up by gangs work- ing at night. The of the roads width was buses couldn't such that get through the estate-so bus no service. Mr H. Ardle, at Keresley pit and an active Labour Party member, told Workers Press: A 1950s crash house-building programi 'Harold Macmillan was Hous- times the original sum when ing Minister at the time built. the estate was A tenants' Mr Ardle, asked about the association was formed in 1953 to campaign for house improvements Tory 'fair rents' Bill said: "This is the worst thing that ever hap- and some social amenities, which pened. Council will be almost completely lacking. tenants were The Tories were forced to assist those tenants who unsympathetic and no grants were forthcoming.

require help when this should be the function of the state.

Under the Labour government some roads were widened, a bus He thought all Labour councils started, youth should call conference and service was a centre was built and playing refuse to implement the Act and fields were laid out. that the working class should be The daily paper that leads the fight against the Tories. £20.28 for 12 months (312 Issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and senid to: Clapham High St., Circulation Dept., Workers Press, 186a London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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Name Address programme brought the Camp Hill Estate, N mobilized to force the Tories out of office. Mr Ardle said: 'We are seeing a complete refutation of every- thing that Heath promised. He is dividing the nation instead of and the one nation; creating "pound in your pocket" from the Budget has been more than taken back. Asked about the Industrial Relations Act, Mr Ardle said: I'm disgusted with the TUC for collaborating with the courts.

I'm a law-abiding man but this law subjecting court working class to rule by decree, and is stopping workers fighting maintain their standard to of living, let alone improving it.'

He concluded: 'I admire the docks shop steward Walter Cunningham. I'm like him. I'd go to jail to fight these acts.

The sooner workers realize what is going on the better.' Dobinson, garage mechanic, said: 'The Tory policy is to push the working class off the roads. The houses on the estate are not worth the rent as it is. On my wage of £18 it is almost impossible to pay rent and furniture bills. Tory policies are making this worse. Sometimes repairs can take six months-that is for things like damp. in the walls and rain washing under the door. Two years ago there was a scheme to fit sink units in all the houses, but now this has been dropped.

And the Tories want to put the rents up all round!' Mr Gibbs, a car trimmer, and his wife see the 'fair rent' scheme as a further attack on working- class living standards, along with unemployment and the anti- union laws. soon as the Tories back, Mrs Gibbs remembers her father saying, 'there'll be queues at the dole, and you'll be stand- ing cap in hand for a job.'

Mr Gibbs said: 'We pay for a health service yet every time I go to the doctor it costs me 60p to renew my prescription.

We pay for an education service and I'm keen for my daughter to do well at school. But there are lads with strings of 'O'-levels and 'A'-levels doing labouring jobs in the factory where work because there's nowhere they can use their education.' He said the Tories had to be forced to resign to end their attack on the working class. He quoted one docker interviewed on television who said of the docks' stewards: 'We take our orders from our members. Our leaders should be fighting to defeat the Tories to get rid of the laws. 'We, as union members decided to ignore the Act. Our leaders Estate, Nuneaton into being—the Tories' Bill c Mr Ardle and his daughter: 'The rent could happen' should have fought for our right to do that. 'Our fathers fought for the right to have unions, social ser- • decent education, and vIces, housing, • he said.: 'The rent scheme and all other Tory policies are to break the our fathers won, away the rights unions and take I've, had holiday in five no said a neighbour. I just years,' can't afford Tories' it. The promises on prices were all lies.'

Paint sprayer Mr Bell and his wife have lived on the estate for five I don't agree with years. upping the rents; the property's not worth it, he said. The rent of their house has already risen fl a week since 1967 and is going up another fl in October. They quote payments required for window repairs, and long delays over electrical faults examples of council as 'economies' 'There said Mrs Bell, 'only one built-in wardrobe and no central heating.' Said Mr: Bell: Trade union leaders should be preparing for a General Strike instead of seeming ies' Bill could mean rents leaping to five 'The rent Bill is the worst thing that be hand-in-glove with the to Tories over observing the Indus- trial Court's rulings. The Tories are using the Court to get their way instead of trying to sort out the real problems of workers.'

Another tenant, Mr Ashby, said: "The rent Act will hit the majority, not help the minority.

The wage structure and differen- tials cause a class distinction and the Tories are trying to widen it. 'The Tories' policy is to get the working man on his knees again. The Industrial Relations Act is part and parcel of this • talk about a "fair attack. They rent" Act, but invoke laws to working man to go force the against the principle of the 40- hour week. 'That's what they've done to the railwaymen. 'The miners brought this gov- ernment to its knees. If every- one else had done the same we could have thrown them out altogether. 'If we, the workers of England, do this, and tell the next Labour government what we want, they'll have to carry it out. The first thing is there'll have to be workers' control of industry.'

..:

The 'no-politics' politics of Equity, the unlon of actors and actresses, Is currently voting on two cruclal questions—whether to register under the Industria! Relations Act and who will represent the members the Equity on on council. This article Is concerned with the right-wing candidates who are attempting to install themselves In office. Their bid comes at a vital stage In Equity's history—when unemployment Is a staggering 92 per cent and employers, including the BBC, are beginning to slash wages. In a further article tomorrow we will examine the political intentions of the right wing if they gain control of the council. MANY of the election state- ments made by candidates contending for Equity's coun- the extraordinary cil reveal conservative putsch which is facing the union. We repro- duce some of them. theme of the The recurring right wing is the preservation of 'non-political' Equity's so-called This is most succinctly put role. by Mr Barry Justice who is pro- Scott and posed by Margaretta Michael Redgrave: seconded by 'My main concern is to keep the politically clean.' nose of Equity penultimate right-wing The comes from campaign statement. Michael Horden (!) sponsors Richard Br He Anthony Herrick. certain two men appeared together in BBC-2's been appearing in 'Conduct has Unbecoming'. private, political beliefs divides "To and will, eventually, split it apart.

Mr Herrick writes: con- structively support the council in Goring seconds the nomination efforts constant to secure of Gretta Gouriet who states: "It the conditions improvements in is my belief and conviction that of our profession. Equity should remain non- political association.' It's that "To resist with vigour the word 'association' again!

the far Neanderthal attempts by left to interfere with the effective decision of Equity's abortive running our association, send the striking attempts which I believe have money to miners - the money never got served remind the member- of the mindless intolerance, there-strikes a note in ship • a nuns- Max Latimer bigotry, and dangerous delusions ber of statements. of trade union of moral gives his version this clique of strident solidarity when he writes: cannibals eternally parading their demands and their hang-ups glazed eye of 'I know that with the Industrial before the public Marius Come back Relations Bill [sic] now in force opinion. Goring! We need more like you' "politically minded" but as difficult far concerned (It is interesting to note that our union believe politics should be reduced the right wing always refers to the union as 'the association'.)

to a minimum. organized •In February arunst sending fizancial Mr Goring needs no encourage- from his colleague, Mr petition ment aid to help the pickets on duty Herrick. Goring, the spearhead outside the power stations in the of the right wing, pitches his "miners" strike, because case more deftly: recent in we should not be my opinion for 'My reason seeking re- politically implicated.' the election to the council One feature of this year's can- was for resigna- same as it my didates "big that the is the number tion: conviction political spirit of Equity holds it names' drafted to stand. One is Richard Briers whose statement together, and the intrusion

BBC 1

9.20-9.35 Andy Pandy. 9.38-11.55 Schools. 12.50-1.25 | ble'r aiff y brifwyl? 1.30 Mary, Mungo and Midge. 1.45-1.53 News and weather. 2.05-2.25 Schools. 4.15 Play school. 4.40 Jackanory. 4.55

ITV

Screen test. 5.20 Right Charlie.

5.44 Hector's house. 5.50 News 11.00 Schools. 1.10 Time to and weather. (London remember only). 1.40 afternoon!

6.00 LONDON THIS WEEK.

Schools. 2.30 Good 3.00 Houseparty. 3.15 This week 6.20 GEORGE BEST. Reverse 3.45 Hot seat. 4.15 Clapperboard.

Pass. 4.40 Zingalona. 4.55 Land of the 6.30 THE VIRGINIAN. No War giants. 5.50 News. for the Warrior. 6.00

TODAY.

6.30 THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE

• 7.45 IT'S A KNOCK-OUT! Con- SHOW. Bernie Did It. gleton v Banbury.

7.00 THE SKY'S THE LIMIT.

8.30 LOOK-MIKE YARWOOD!

7.30 THE FBI. The Traitor. Guest Peter Noone.

8.30 HIS AND HERS.

9.00 NINE

O'CLOCK NEWS

9.00 BUDGIE. Do Me a Favour. 10.00

NEWS AT TEN.

and weather.

POLICE FIVE.

10.30

9.20 THE MAN OUTSIDE.

10.40

FILM:

'A COLD WIND IN

10.10 WORLD

HEAVYWEIGHT

AUGUST'.

Lola Albright,

CHAMPIONSHIP.

Joe Scott Marlowe. A 17 vear Frazier v Ron Stander. old a strip- boy ruins

10.40 24 HOURS.

teaser's life.

SCALES

12.10 OF

JUSTICE.

11.10 BALLROOM

A Woman's privilege. 12.35

ANTHOLOGY

OF

LOVE.

12.00 Weather. Love One Another.

BBC 2

11.00-11.25 Play school. 5.35-6.30 9.00

GARDENERS'

WORLD

Open University. Percy Thrower. 6.35

CRIME

AND THE CRIMI-

REViEW. Remember Your 9.20 NAL. Cautioning, Trial and The Politics Lovers: of Sentence. Music: A Bus Ride to the 7.05

OPEN UNIVERSITY.

Festivals. 7.30 NEWSROOM and weather. 10.10

BEYOND A JOKE.

8.00

MONEY

PROGRAMME.

NEWS

10.40 ON 2 and weather. LATE NiCHT LINE.UD The Poverty Trap. 10.45 Richard Briers in the elections and also turns BBC-2's 'Tall Tales' series earlier this year.

is written in the third person as if to give the impression that it wasn't compiled by him. Thus his statement reads: • 'Richard Briers has been a member of Equity since 1955 and believes that despite their own personal political sympathies, the primary concern of Equity coun- cil members is to their fellow actors and their profession as a whole; and that there shall be no "pulitical involvement" in the deliberations and discussions of the council.' Michael Hordern is one of Briers' Later in the sponsors. booklet Hordern himself turns a starter. He expresses up as none of Briers' reactionary views.

His electoral address reads: 'Joined 1940. Stage, films, TV, radio, commercials. Council 1955- (sub-committee - employ- 1958 ment) 1963-1964. Another 'name' candidate is Kenneth More who gives a pledge of astonishingly feeble propor- tions: I intend to press for a fair deal in all matters concerning the wellare of my fellow actors, but always in non-political a approach. I am NOT repeat NOT

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 11.00-2.30 London.

4.05 Zingalong. 4.18 Puffin. 4.22 Jimmy Stewart. 4.50 Flintstones.

5.20 Primus. 5.50 London. 6.00 News, weather. 6.15 Report. 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 London. 7.30 I spy. 8.30 London. 10.35 Film: "The News, Burglar'. 12.10 weather. WESTWARD. As Channel except: 3.55 Gus Honeybun. 4.18 News.

6.00 Diary. 6.25 Sports desk. 10.32 News. 12.10 Faith for life.

SOUTHERN: 11.00 London. 3:00 Kate. 3.55 Weekend. 4.00 House- party. 4.15 Paulus. 4.30 Cross- roads. 4.55 Voyage to the bottom of the sea. 5.50 London. 6.00 Day by day. Scene SE. 6.40 Out of 7.00 His and hers. 7.30 town. Weekend. 7.35 Sale of the cen- tury. 8.05 FBI. 9.00 London. 10.30 Film: 'The Curse of the Fly'. 12.05 News. 12.15 Weather. Epilogue.

HARLECH: 11.00-2.30 London.

3.20 Grasshopper island. 3.30 Enchanted house. 3.50 Women only. 4.15 Tinkertainment. 4.30 Crossroads. 4.55 Voyage to the bottom of the sea. 5.50 London.

6.01 Report West. 6.18 Report Wales. 6.35 Bonanza. 7.30 Film: 'A Place To Go'. 9.00 Jason King.

10.00 London. 10.30 Cinema. 11.00 His and hers. 11.30 Budgie.

12.30 Weather. HTV Wales and HTV Cymru/ Wales as above except: 4.15-4.30 Cantamil. 6.01-6.18 Y dydd.

10.30-11.00 Outlook. HTV West as above except: 6.01- 6.35 Report West. Workers Pre1 Iso turns up as a starter himself. The interested in politics of any form.

No previous council experience in Equity' Geoffrey Keen, Stead in the television "The Trouble. series shooters', is a proposer of Mr Peter Bennett who proposes: 'We should tell the TUC that their policies and attitudes do not always coincide with ours. It should be made clear to them that British Actors' Equity is an entirely NON-political Associa- tion.' Bennett goes The pro- on: posal to make a donation to the Miners' Strike Fund was provoca- tive and divisive... The council's only loyalty should be to our own profession. Vote for registra- tion. Vote for Equity' In the attendance record repro- duced with ballot papers Richard Attenborough is shown as not having attended a single council meeting last year. Not one!

Unhorsed by this history, Attenborough humbly offers himself for office again on this fighting charter: I am only too aware of my inability to be able to attend meetings during the last 12 ANGLIA: 11.00 London. 3.15 Sur- vival. 3.45 Yoga. 4.10 News. 4.15 Cartoons. 4.25 Romper room. 4.50 Bottom of the sea. 5.50 Lon- don. 6.00 About Anglia. 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 London. 7.30 His and hers. 8.00 Combat. 9.00 10.30 Brian Connell. Film: "The Two-Headed 11.05 Spy. ATV MIDLANDS: 11.00-2.35 Lon- don. 3.10 Good afternoon. 3.35 Stars. 3.45 Women today. 4.10 Julia. 4.40 Zingalong. 4.55 Lost in space. 5.50 London. 6.00 ATV today. 6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 His and hers. 7.30 Saint. 8.30 Shir- ley's world. 9.00 London. 10.30 Film: 'Black Torment'. ULSTER: 11.00-2.30 London. 4.30 Romper room. 4.50 News. 4.55 Thunderbirds. 5.50 London. 6.00 UTV reports. 6.35 Crossroads.

7.00 London. 7.30 Jason King.

8.30 London. 10.30 Spectrum.

11.00 Film: 'Masterson of Kan- sas'. ing. YORKSHIRE: 11.00 London. 3.00 Kate. 4.00 If it moves...

4.10 News. 4.15 Crossroads. 4.40 Zingalong. 4.55 Flaxton boys. 5.20 Flintstones. 5.50 London. 6.00 Calendar weather. 6.30 Partners.

7.00 London. 7.30 FBI. 8.00 Lon- dd. don. 10.30 Film: 'Whatever Hap- to Baby Jane?' pened 12.50 Douglas Fairbanks presents. 1.20 Weather. kora Pross, Friday May 26, 1972 PAGE 11 months. I have every hope, how- ever, that my circumstances will somewhat different in the forthcoming year' In between directing and backing films, we presume.

A certain John Barron is brief and to the point. His programme of action for votes is simply- Joined Equity 1940.' The 'reluctant debutante' is Mr David Markham. He says: I have watched Equity's per- formance (more or less from the wings) since about 1935 and I must admit that it was with some misgivings that I agreed to stand for elections. It seems to me that basically remain a confused and we exploited section of the com- munity, torn between conflicting and contradictory demands: in this context, it would be rash and presumptuous to make any promises and I therefore make none. I have NO party or sec- tarian loyalties to cloud my judgement.' Among the 'big names' are that are • so big they some actually belong to management. is John Such candidate Clements. He spares voters an insight into his views on unem- ployment and the Industrial Relations Act. Instead he says: 'Member of council 1949-1959. Vice-president 1950-1959. Actor, manager!

di- rector. Stage, screen, television, radio' Among the 'management' can- didates is Leslie Phillips who describes himself as 'actor- director-producer'. It is scarcely surprising to find Mr Phillips arguing that 'in particular we need, and must have, a better relationship with our employers.'

Nor is it surprising that he to say: 'We must also goes on get Equity away from its recent pre-occupation with politics...

How many votes Donald Sinden gets is anybody's guess. His one- line campaign address is: "The dramas laws the dramas patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to live.' Kindly leave the stage!

CONTINUED TOMORROW

GRANADA: 11.00 London. 2.30 Corwin. 3.25 Yoga. 3.55 Camera in action. 4.05 News. Peyton Place. 4.40 Zingalong. 4.50 Land News. 6.00 of the giants. 5.50 Newsday. 6.30 Riptide. 7.30 Hawaii five-o. 8.30 London. 10.30 Film: 'God's Little Acre'.

TYNE TEES: 11.00 London. 2.30 Yoga. 3.00 Kate. 4.00 If it moves...

4.10 News. 4.15 Crossroads. 4.40 Make a wish. 4.55 Flaxton boys.

5.20 Flintstones. 5.50 London. 6.00 Today. 6.30 Partners. 7.00 London. 7:30 Calling Dr Gannon.

8.30 London. 10.30 Film. 'What- ever Happened To Baby Jane?'.

12.50 News. 1.05 Epilogue.

SCOTTISH: 11.00-2.30 London.

3.30 Kiri. 3.45 Crossroads. 4.10 Dateline. 4.55 Skippy. 5.20 Car- toon cavalcade. 5.50 London. 6.00 Dateline. 6.20 Love American style. 6.30 His and hers. 7.00 ng. London. 7.30 Saint. 8.30 Andy.

um. 9.00 London. 10.30 SNP con- ference. 11.00 Late call. 11.05 Film: "The Secret of Blood Island'.

GRAMPIAN: 11.00-2.55 London.

3.38 News. 3.45 Women today.

Smith family. 4.40 Zing- 4.10 along. 4.55 Rainbow country. 5.20 Ivanhoe. 5.50 London. 6.00 News, weather. 6.05 Mr and Mrs.

6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 London. 7.35 It takes a thief. 8.25 Melody 9.00 London. inn.

10.30 SNP

conference. 11.00 Film: 'Son of Dracula'. : 12.20 Epilogue.

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Friday May 26,

FROM DAVID MAUDE

in Blackpool LOCAL productivity dealing was decisively thrown out yesterday by the Union of Post Office Workers' confer- ence at Blackpool. Delegates from almost every area in the country went to the rostrum to describe their leaders' proposals for a new turn in pay 'divisive' policy as 'dangerous, and 'cowardly'. The overwhelming decision serious defeat the third was which has been inflicted on the UPW executive this week. In a last-ditch, but fatalistic attempt to swing the conference Tom his way, union secretary, claimed that national Jackson, bargaining had failed as a policy.

Putting productivity savings in 'kitty' then dividing a central them up, had won 'the princely sum in five years of lt per cent', While national scheme was a good trade union policy, Jackson claimed, it had, in the last 12 months, produced for each of the exactly union's 190,000 members. But conference was adamant.

All but a handful of the 1,450 delegates backed a resolution national pay, bargaining that should continue and that pro- ductivity savings should continue to be totted up at national level.

They obliterated . the proposal by the uniun executive that local bonuses should be paid for pro- ductivity on a twice-yearly basis.

Also expressed in the debate was a strong current of opposition to all forms of productivity dealing.

Sam Cameron, a Dundee post- man, said that the union could not co-operate with policies which would send its members to the labour exchange. Jack London, a City of Londor counter clerks' leader, said that executive's proposal the would open up a dog-eat-dog situation.

Jimmy Thakoordan, from Luton, accused the executive of cowardice. It wanted to avoid a confrontation with the govern- ment over pay, he said. Union members had to fight together and share the victory. Jackson and other UPW chiefs seriously worried that are now the policies of co-operation on which they have led the union for number of years a are threatened. The union secretary told me after the debate that while yesterday's decision was less far- reaching than Tuesday's block on mechanization, it was another expression of a new mood in the And this fear was ex- union. pressed before the conference in an attack delegates who on wanted to "talk politics' The debate, he said, was not about destroying the system under which we live.

WEATHER

RAIN in east and south-east England will clear during the morning followed by brighter weather with scattered showers.

Western districts of England, also Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland will have a day of showers and sunny spells with the showers mostly dying out in the evening. Northern and eastern Scotland periods of rain and will have although brighter weather with sunny intervals and showers will reach eastern Scotland during the till late in the day. Temperatures will be near the late May normal. Outlook for Saturday and Sunday: Blustery showers and sunny intervals but more sunshine and fewer show- ers on Sunday. Temperatures a little below normal and becoming colder in the north-west.

Registered as a newspaper at the Post Workers Press, Office. •Published by 186a Clapham Street, London, High

SW4 7UG.

Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU), Street, London. 180b Clapham High

SW4 7UG.

ay May 26, 1972

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

TORY chancellor Anthony Ba the representatives of internati government would take deter down wages. To give in to high wage demar one of the prime functions of Organization for Economic Co-op meeting in Paris. British government The would not be deterred by the problems facing such a policy, he said. Barber's frank declaration of Tory intentions towards the working class opened the second the OECD ministerial day of talks, called chiefly to discuss the international monetary crisis.

It was no doubt aimed at re- assuring the other capitalist representatives that the Tories intend to go to the end in their trade drive to subjugate the unions. Britain's worsening trade position is one of the topics of discussion at the meeting.

The sharp tone of the Paris talks was set by the announce- ment earlier this week that the US balance of payments for 1972 will show a record deficit.

The American delegation have indi- cated that they will not discuss changes in the monetary system separately from trade issues.

This means that only those countries which fall into line with Washington's demands for trade will benefit from concessions whatever changes are made in the monetary shere. It. is a prescription for bi- A POLICY for £2,000-a-year miners was agreed yesterday at the annual conference of the South Wales miners. Delegates meeting in Porth- cawl passed a resolution demand- a £7-a-week increase for ing lower grade underground work- ers to take their wages to £32, £7-a-week for surface day wage workers making their wage £30 and £5.50 for loading power workers making their wages £40. Elwyn Williams, secretary of said: Bedlinog miners lodge 'You can't expect the Coal Board to offer us £2.50. You can rest assured that we shall be strike next year again.?

MAY FUND

£432.35 IS

NEEDED IN

SIX DAYS

THERE Is not a moment to lose.

Six days left and our May Fund stands at £1,317.65. Let's go into action today. The battle between this Tory government and the dockers is on. Nothing can stop this major confrontation taking place. The determination of the dockers speaks out for the working class as a whole. We urge you all therefore- raise everything you can for our this month. Collect as Fund much as possible. We must com- In time. Post plete our total every donation Immediately to: Workers Press May Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High St, London, SW4 7UG lony Barber yesterday assured ternational capitalism that the e determined action to hold e demands would be to abandon ons of government, he told the ic Co-operation and Development lateralism in trade and the fur- ther fragmentation of the capital- ist world into hostile blocs.

As Barber's speech makes framework is the clear, this within which the Tory govern- ahead with ment presses Bonapartist onslaught the On working class. Union officials were given a rough tim on containers be lifted. See story an THE Birmingham East district committee of the Amalgamat- ed Union of Engineering Work- ers, under pressure from the union's executive council, has virtually abandoned an 18- month long struggle at Day- trina Engineering Limited.

The strike began in the autumn men stopped uf 1970 when 25 work in support of union recog- nition. Last Monday night the district to withdraw agreed committee the remaining six pickets from the gates. THE SIX-WEEK old dispute at GEC-Osram, Erith, is to go on and backing will be sought from other factories in the combine.

marched The 200 workers through Erith to a mass meeting the Corinthian restaurant at yesterday to hear the latest union situation explained by officials. A MEETING of workers from Goodyear Tyres at Wolverhamp- ton in the third week of a strike yesterday criticized the AUEW executive council for its delay in making the dispute official.

The mover of the motion men's pointed out that the demands for a substantial rise, a reduction in hours and longer holidays are in line with official AUEW policy. He said the EC had two PICKETS at a giant petro-chemical they have been threatened with th by police. The incident occurred on the Shell Stanlow complex, Elles- mere Port, Cheshire, near the Burmah Oil site were 45 pickets were handcuffed and arrested last year. Trouble began at the site when craftsmen went on strike over a series of grievances with the contract engineers American

FLUOR.

The men have accused the firm of attempting to break up the union organization on the site.

Riggers have been asked to do scaffolders' jobs and boilermakers been fired have and riggers is claim there because the firm rough time from a dockers' meeting yesterday another picture p. 1. story and Of these one has found work car factory while the at a local others will be paid for a further weeks out of a district eight levy and then left to fend for themselves. . nation-wide black imposed by the union's executive council products will, in on Daytona theory, continue. But the lack of firmness in applying the black has been a source of bitterness and maJor frustration for the strikers.

The final blow, according to shop steward Dale Brierley, came In

BY IAN YEATS

Len works' convenor

AUEW

Foley told the meeting there had been no further moves by GEC management on their £6-a-week pay claim since last week's £1.20 offer. He said: 'I am sure I know months' knowledge that a dis- pute was likely. The men are to meet again this morning to discuss with local AUEW and EPTU offi- cials some way of ending the deadlock with the firm. AUEW Alf Fishlock told convenor Workers Press that there was 'no progress' with negotiations.

broke down Talks virtually Thursday and, he said, 'the management do not appear to want to make a reasonable set- tlement'. -chemical site on Merseyside claim with the Industrial Relations Act he no work. riggers have also lost Three their job because they refused to work an undermanned squad and they have been offered re- instead of engagement re- instatement. The strike has been supported by engineers who have joined the picket line. The incident involving the Industrial Relations Act occurred on Wednesday when one plain clothes police officer spoke to scaffolders shop steward Mick Abbot. He called Mr Abbot aside and began reading out the relevant clauses of the Act. They were quickly surrounded by a group of pickets who informed the plain clothes policeman they did not recognize this law. yesterday when they demanded the black last week when a consignment of Baker-Perkins, from castings Peterborough, whose workers been operating the should have black, arrived at the factory.

the The men alleged that at district committee Monday on they were told that a letter had arrived from executive council to the effect that under no cir- cumstances should . they prevent going work from Baker-Perkins in. This would amount to 'third party blacking. • is that this The implication would be actionable under the Industrial Relations Act.

what your decision will be again position is this week. Our stronger now that Birmingham is out with us! they would Officials said workers at GEC's approach Wembley factory to try and set support for their fight and being levied in local cash factories to help those short of money. ENGINEERING employers yes- terday put more money behind their members who are resisting union demands for more pay and less hours. The point employers are firm- est over is the unions' demand for a 35-hour week-a demand that was taken off the list oI top priorities by the executive of the key Amalgamated Union Workers of Engineering two weeks ago.