Workers Press no. 817

workers press

TORIES MARKTIME

OVER MAUDLING

DAILY ORGA

AFTER a three-hour crisis ses- sion yesterday, the Tory Cabinet prepared a 47-word statement to shelve the Poulson case which has involved the reputation of the deputy prime minister and Home Secretary Reginald Maud.

ling. Edward Heath delivered the cryp- tic statement to a hushed House of Commons: *The Attorney-General and Lord with the Advocate, in consultation Director of Public Prosecutions, are considering the evidence given at the public examination and are awaiting the preliminary report of the Official Receiver which is expected earlier next week. I will make a further statement next week.' The delaying tactics of the Tories are ominous. They have tested the mood in Fleet Street and found that no one there for a major public scandal is anxious business activities of the involving the law-and-order Home Secretary.

Confident of Fleet Street's backing, the Tories appear to have decided to ride out the storm. They are also certain of the unstinting co-operation of the Labour Party leaders.

After Heath's statement to the House, Harold Wilson was immediately on his feet to say that parliament was not in Scottish workers in government establishments joined hundreds more from all over Britain yes- terday outside the House of Com- mons to demand more pay.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER

Y ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE C

BY ALEX MITC

Maudling (right) with Jerome D. Hoffman possession of sufficient firm evidence to form a judgement in the case.

*We must await — perhaps with some impatience-what the Prime Minister has to say next week,' he added.

But what is the delay all about? The Tories' top legal brains have been pouring over the transcript all week.

The facts are public knowledge. It all came out at the Wakefield bankruptcy Yorkshire architect John court when Poulson revealed the background of his business ventures. Maudling was chairman of International Technical and Construction Services and on the board of directors of two other Poulson companies. For a number of years one of the Poulson subsidiaries was almost entirely in the hands of the Maudling family: apart from Maudling, the board included his wife, Beryl, his son also Martin, and his daughter Caroline.

In evidence Poulson admitted that more

ETU

WAS SLAVE

LABOUR

ABOLISHED

1N 19072 •

FRIDAY JULY 14, 1972

No 817

ITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUI

LEX MITCHELL

than £330,000 had been made in fees to various MPs and civil servants for their "advice'. T. Dan Smith, head of the Northern Economic Planning Council, received £155,000 in fees. Mr Smith, former public relations consultant to the Labour Party, was acquitted in the Old Bailey last year on corruption charges. Statesman', In this week's "New an editorial demands that Maudling Must Go'. Apart from his association with Poulson, his connections with another failed business venture are attacked in the front-page editorial.

Maudling also chairman of the was Real Estate Fund of America, an offshore property fund registered in Liberia and headquartered in the Bahamas.

The founder of this outfit was Jerome D. Hoffman who had previously been prosecuted in New York for an alleged mortgage fraud. Following the collapse of 4p

LEAGUE

the fund late in 1970 Hoffman was arrested in New York and subsequently jailed for two years. The Attorney-General, Sir Peter Raw- linson, in admitted in the Commons February that the British end of Hoff- man's company was being investigated by the police and the Department of Trade Industry's inquiry branch. Their and report would be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide if any action was necessary, he said.

It now means. that the Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Norman Skelhorn has TWO former Maudling companies under investigation. Maudling is the Tories' leading crusader law and order and the Cabinet on to which he belongs has been engaged in supporting the most harsh attacks on workers and their trade unions through the courts. • Tory-created Only a month ago the National Relations Court Industrial threatened to jail three London dockers who were engaged in picketing.

willing to attack basic rights of workers and their families, they show no such zeal when the men under scrutiny have connections with the top of the Tory Party. Instead of Victor Feather and the trade union leaders hanging around No. 10 Downing Street talking with these people, they should be preparing for the mobiliza- tion of the trade union movement to get this shabby crowd out of office.

Only a General Election can cleanse the air.

WALES

SOUTH

INCOME

FAMILY

workers press

TORIES MARKTIME

OVER MAUDLING

DAILY ORGA

AFTER a three-hour crisis ses- sion yesterday, the Tory Cabinet prepared a 47-word statement to shelve the Poulson case which has involved the reputation of the deputy prime minister and Home Secretary Reginald Maud- ling. Edward Heath delivered the cryp- tic statement to a hushed House of Commons: "The Attorney-General and Lord in consultation with the Advocate, Director of Public Prosecutions, are considering the evidence given at the public examination and are awaiting the preliminary report of the Official Receiver which is expected earlier next week. I will make a further statement next week? The delaying tactics of the Tories are ominous. They have tested the mood in Fleet Street and found that no one there anxious major public scandal is for a business involving the activities of the law-and-order Home Secretary.

Confident of Fleet Street's backing, the Tories appear to have decided to ride out the storm. They are also certain of the unstinting of the Labour Party leaders.

co-operation After Heath's statement to the House, Harold Wilson was immediately on his feet to say that parliament was not in Scottish workers in government establishments joined hundreds more from all over Britain yes- terday outside the House of Com- mons to demand more pay.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FF

Y ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE (

BY ALEX MITC

M) with Joromo D. Holman possession of sufficient firm evidence to form a judgement in the case.

'We must await - perhaps with some impatience-what the Prime Minister has to say next week, he added.

But what is the delay all about? The Tories' top legal brains have been pouring over the transcript all week.

The facts are public knowledge. It all Wakefield bankruptcy came out at the Yorkshire architect John court when Poulson revealed the background of his business ventures. Maudling was chairman of International Technical and Construction Services and the board of directors of other on two Poulson companies. For a number of years one of the Poulson subsidiaries was almost entirely in the hands of the Maudling family; apart from Maudling, the board included his wife, Beryl, his son also Martin, and his daughter Caroline.

In evidence Poulson admitted that more

ETU

WAS SLAVE

LABOUR

ABOLISHED

12070

R • FRIDAY JULY 14, 1972

No 817 • 4p

ITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGU

LEX MITCHELL

than £330,000 had been made in fees to various MPs and civil servants for their 'advice'. T. Dan Smith, head of the Northern Council, Economic £155,000 in fees. Mr Smith, former public relations consultant to the Labour Party, was acquitted in the Old Bailey last year on corruption charges. Statesman', editorial demands that 'Maudling from his association Poulson, connections failed business venture are attacked in the front-page editorial.

Maudling chairman Real Estate Fund of America, an offshore property fund registered in Liberia and headquartered in the Bahamas.

The founder of this outfit was Jerome D. Hoffman who had previously been in New York for an alleged prosecuted mortgage fraud. Following the collapse of

LEAGUE

the fund late in 1970 Hoffman was arrested in New York and subsequently jailed for two years. The Attorney-General, Sir Peter Raw- linson, admitted in the Commons February that the British end of Hoff- man's company was being investigated by the police and the Department of Trade and Industry's inquiry branch. Their report would be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions decide if any to action was necessary, he said.

It now means. that the Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Norman Skelborn bas TWO former Maudling companies under investigation. Maudling is the Tories' leading crusader order and the Cabinet to law and on which he belongs has been engaged in supporting the most harsh attacks on workers and their trade unions through the courts. ago the Tory-created Only a month National Court Industrial Relations threatened to jail three London dockers who were engaged in picketing.

Tooet whereas the Tory courts are only to attack basic rights of willing workers and their families, they show no such zeal when the men under scrutiny have connections with the top of the Tory Party. Instead of Victor Feather and the trade union leaders hanging around No. 10 Downing Street talking with these people, they should be preparing for the mobiliza- tion of the trade union movement to get this shabby crowd out of office.

Only a General Election can cleanse the air.

WALES

SOUTH

FAMILY

SUPPLEMENT

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Friday Juty 14, 11 'LAW cannot stand higer than social reality, wrote Marx. The Younger Committee's bankrupt recommendations privacy show just how right he was.

It is a dismal report which raises more questions • than it answers and evades completely the central question: how is it possible to reconcile the privacy of the individual worker with the insatiable profit lust of the giant corporations and the repressive functions of the capitalist state?

In a class-divided society based exploitation and colossal on inequality, it is Utopian to talk about a general right to privacy let alone achieve it. One man's right to privacy in such conditions becomes another man's denial of it. As 'The Guardian' report com- mented: • was clearly 'The Committee conscious of its vain attempts to define what privacy is. And the majority foresaw that to set up such a legal right might force delicate balancing courts into acts, trying to weigh the ill-de- fined concept of public interest against the ill-defined concept of privacy! is clearly This dilemma Committee's revealed the recommendations on privacy at work and its opinions on the dis- closure and misuse of informa- tion. While it calls for the illegaliza- tion of 'bugging' and the use of devices technical surveillance conditions, it certain under. refuses to adopt a similar cri- terion to the pervasive industrial practices of employers and secu- rity agencies such as intrusive confiden- questioning, lack of tiality, blacklisting and shop-floor informers. of These practices-some which are encouraged by the terms of the Industrial Relations to Act-should, according Younger and company, be dealt with under the code given in the Industrial Relations Act!

The Morning Star' welcomes this recommendation in relation tape recorders to the use of because it would enable the police to prosecute the kind of narks who gave evidence against in the National the dockers Industrial Relations Court.

But this concession to the anti-bugging lobby is more than compensated by the Committee's firm and unequivocal adherence to the principle of confidentiality which is implicit in its proposal for a new tort of disclosure of unlawfully-acquired information in business operations. This guarantees the power of the big monopolies to plan mer- rationalizations-and and gers redundancies-with consequent virtual impunity. It denies work- shop-stewards' and com- ers mittees the right to acquire this information. Similarly the Committee's terms effectively of reference, which precluded the examination of the the police, prying activities of Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Social Security, is an added indictment of the reactionary anti-working-class bias of this investigation. The right of privacy for work- will not be guaranteed by ers parliamentary legislation, as the through 'Star' alleaes, but only the revolutionary struggle to ex- propriate the monopolies and smash the capitalist state.

duty 14, 1972 By a Foreign Correspondent THE PARIS talks on the 1 yesterday after a two-month t expressing readiness to discuss j solution to the war—but with a in Indo-China. Chief US negotiator William Porter said before going into the conference: 'We are en- tirely flexible about the possi- discussing bility of our proposals or theirs.' But the Americans have guardedly indicated they expect concessions from the North the Vietnamese and National Liberation Front at the talks as of the from a result pressure their Stalinist 'allies'.

. This follows Nixon's Peking and Moscow visits and a round of treacherous behind-the-scenes politicking between the three big powers.

Hanoi's chief negotiator Xuan Thuy said: Toxic chemicals 'If the American side genuinely manifests the desire to negotiate with a view to reaching an agree- ment, it is necessary that the US should cease all acts of war? He denounced the massive US bomber attacks on Haiphong in North Vietnam. NLF delegation leader Mme Nguyen Thi Binh also denounced the 'most violent' US bombing of both north and south and accused the Americans of using shells and bombs loaded with chemicals, napalm and toxic phosphorus. She said all these showed the US did acts not want to enter into serious really negotiations. ONCOMING South Vietnamese marines were met with tanks in Quang Tri's streets, killing and wounding at least 100 puppet soldiers yesterday. The more perceptive American advisers had warned the Saigon command that their troops were walking into a trap. • the Vietnam war resumed nonth break, with both sides discuss proposals for a political t with attacks on US bombing THE choice of Senator George McGovern Democratic as nominee for the United States presidency has been welcomed in the Kremlin, The Soviet Communist Party daily 'Pravda', in a dispatch from its Washington correspon- dent, said McGovern owed his success to the convention dele- gates' desire to pull the Demo- cratic Party out of the rut of the Vietnam war. The paper said most of the delegates at the Miami Beach were people 'thirst- convention ing for changes, striving to throw the shameful burden of the past from the party's shoulders.

Writing before the Senator was formally nominated the corres- pondent said there were many reasons for his success. 'But the is the desire of the main one majority of delegates to pull the out of the rut it had party fallen into in supporting the US adventure in Indo-China. Young Democrats were attracted by his pledges to withdraw all US forces from Vietnam, halt bombings of the north, curb the appetite of the military-industrial complex and series of social carry out a 'Pravda' reforms, said. These friendly references to the Democratic candidate indi- cates the Moscow Stalinists are facing both ways in the Novem- ber electoral contest. Since McGovern pledged his total support to Nixon's Moscow. we A LEADING West German eco- institute has nomics research called for a joint Common Market currency float against the dollar. 'Only thus can initial moves towards an EEC monetary union be protected and promoted, Deutsches Institut fur Wirtschaft- forschung (DIW) says in its current weekly report. The Institute is headed by Klaus Dieter Arndt, former aide to Karl Schiller, who last week resigned from the Brandt gov- ernment Economics and. as Finance Minister in protest

JOHN SPENCER

McGovern visit and the policy of detente the Soviet with the USSR, leaders have made it clear that either candidate will be accept- able as president. magazine 'News- The American cow week' says:

THE

FRANC

against Bonn's decisions to im- pose currency controls. DIW said it questioned the effectiveness of the controls and called upon the government and the Bundesbank to reconsider them. This is certainly the growing opinion amongst West German bankers. Nobody is therefore likely to take seriously Bundes- bank vice-President Otmar Eminger's statement in the latest issue of the magazine 'Economic Weekly' that the latest crisis was.

not caused by the dollar and that European and • dollar would he 'senseless'.

• float against the "To the Soviets, the McGovern candidacy has provided an almost irresistable lure with its talk of instant withdrawal from Vietnam and the removal of a large part of the US military umbrella in Europe. '"In my view," said one Soviet expert, "there is nothing Moscow would like better than to see McGovern's foreign policy into effect." Yet put many Soviet officials seem to be root- ing for Nixon. Said "We one: just dealt know him and have with his successfully." 'And a Soviet diplomat, recall- ing Mr Nixon's anti-communist "The agreements image, noted: we reach with him cannot be suspect among the people of America' The Soviet position on the election was foreshadowed in mid-June Moscow by Radio Commentator Valentin Yorin.

following In broadcast a Nixon's talks with the Kremlin leaders, he said: "The positive trends in the activities of Wash- ington's influential circles are irreversible, they do not depend on the results of the election campaign and on whether the Republican leader will stay in the White House or whether a nom- inee Democrats of the will replace him.' the Kremlin thinks it Clearly can peacefully co-exist on good with either candidate. terms Nonetheless the Soviet press has so far displayed a preference for Nixon, because they already him better than his rival.

know

BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

PRESTON engineering workers heard Hugh Scanlon excuse last December's climb down by the AUEW leadership at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

Amid intermittent heckling from some of the 250 present, Scanlon said the union executive had broken off the national fight on their £700m pay claim because it was obvious the employers wanted a strike.

Instead of catching out the Tory backed Engineering Employers' Federation with a nationwide strike by the engineering industry's 3 million workers, the AUEW leader- ship turned tail before the challenge and opted for plant negotiations. At one point Scanlon broke Others claimed the TUC had into his explanation to shout: stabbed the trade union move- "There are people outside sell- ment in the back with its lack of fight against the Industrial Rela- the Workers Press ing who tions Act. But Scanlon said there accuse me of being, a lackey of were some people on the General the capitalist class. Council

TUC'

of the who had Earlier that day Scanlon had fought betrayal. been among other members of Stung by criticisms the

TUC

the economic committee engineering workers' leader lobbied by several hundred All blamed the rank and file for any shortcomings the pay fight might have had. Despite the fact that shorn of leadership engineers had struck, in for up to two months, before being forced back to work on terms which fell far short of national demands, Scan- lon said the response from many areas was what the not union leadership had expected. Pressure from the rank and file and shop stewards for the national leadership to resume a nationwide fight on -especi- pay- ally the question of the 35-hour week-is mounting. The Confederation of Ship- building and Engineering Unions' executive, meeting at York today, is expected to be urged by some leaders not to delay in opening talks with the employers.

Hugh Scanion But the clearly employers believe that they have come out Trades Unions Alliance members demanding no talks with Heath of recent battles quite well and the about the setting up of a joint talks would be at their TUC-government committee to request. If they take place, it will be regulate wages. Scanlon told the audience that under different very circum- he would oppose any pay freeze, stances to the deadlock reached whether voluntary or legal. last December. And since neither him of Shop the

AUEW

CSEU

stewards accused nor leader having the 'gall' to call for more calling for national action, unity among engineering workers talks are likely to be on the basis when he himself had broken that still of compromises which must with the policy of plant- the original engi- unity further erode bargaining. neers' claim.

ABOUT 1,600

area official production James Cahill, of the electricians' which workers at GEC's Hirwaun fac- union, represents about 90 per cent of tory, near Merthyr Tydfil, have • the factory's workers, said they been laid off after a work-to- had been for pressing a wage rule and overtime-ban in support since March. increase of a wage claim. So far, however, the amount Only about 200 of the factory's offered had been minimal.

1,900 workers were expected He said workers did to the not since intend calling off the into work yesterday work-to- 100 men and women had already rule until an acceptable settlement been laid-off earlier in the week.

had been reached.

ALL TRADES UNIONS

dale Road, Cross. Kings 'Stalinism and the Tory govern-

ALLIANCE MEETINGS

ment.' The currency crisis

N KENT:

18. 8 Tuesday July and the working class

SOGAT

p.m. House, Essex

WANDSWORTH:

Monday July Dartford. 'Stalinism Road, and 17, 8 p.m. 'Selkirk Arms', Sel- the Tory government.' kirk Road, Tooting Broadway.

HULL:

8 p.m. Friends Meeting House, Wednesday CROYDON: Monday July 17, Ruskin House, Coombe P.M. RusS Percy Street. the revolutionary party: PRESTON: Thursday July 20, GOOLE: Monday July 17, 8 p.m.

8 p.m. Railway and Commercial 'The Buchanan', Wetherill St. Butler Street (near rail- Hotel, DAGENHAM: Tuesday July 18, way station). Co-op Hall, Fanshawe p.m. Thursday July 20, 8

LUTON:

Avenue, Barking. 'Stalinism and p.m. St John Ambulance Hall, the Tory government.' Lea Road. 'Stalinism and the SW LONDON: Tuesday July 18, Tory government.' 8 p.m. Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor Street, SW4. SE LONDON: Thursday July 20 •Stalinism and the Tory gov- p.m. Deptford Engineers' ernment.' New Cross Club, opposite W LONDON: Tuesday July 18, Force the Tories Station. to Resign.' 8 p.m. 'Prince Albert', Wharfe.

OVER 1,200 building workers on refinery extension, Milford Haven been sacked. The dispute started when 37 men, employed by the main site contractors, • Foster Wheeler, were sacked. On firm's Tuesday one of the London directors, Mr J. L.

Corlett, said that 1,200 men on strike in their support had been unofficially sacked.

Anuther 800 men employed by sub-contractors were refusing to cross the picket lines.

On Wednesday, 60 men occu- pied the site workers' camp for two hours after Foster Wheeler brought in Alsatian guard dogs and closed it down. It was later reopened—but only for one night and the men have now been told they have to vacate the premises. There were nearly 600 men living in the camp before the dispute began, but many have left the A shop now area. stewards' spokesman pointed out that many of the men have now left the area. He added that many of the had no money for other men accommodation. When Foster Wheeler sacked the men on Tuesday, he said, they had sent all their wages, National Insurance cards and tax forms to their home addresses.

Some men come from as far away as Ireland and Scotland.

The sacking letters were de- livered locally, however. They said: 'In view of your violation of the employment agreement by

BOOKS • PERI

Workers Press rkers on strike at the £20m Esso • Haven, South Wales, have now withdrawing your_labour, your employment with Foster. Wheeler is terminated forthwith? Foster Wheeler have also re- fused to give the men travel grants. Although . they have now been sacked officially, they are under Industrial strikers Relations Act and are therefore not entitled to travel grants, says the company. Many of the men say they will now have to sleep rough if the camp closes. Scuffles have been regular on the picket lines and police have been drafted in from all over Wales. Members of the shop, stewards' committee have met represen:- atives of tug men working in Milford Haven and railwaymen's union officials at Carmarthen- shire, to ask for their support. The pickets hope that with assistance from both these sec- they can stop supplies to tions the site more effectively.

THE FIRST site strike for the builders' national wage an hour in Coventry began claim • on Wednesday. 45 workers employed About by Moss & Sons, are on strike at the 17-storey office block they are building for Coventry Corpo- ration. Posted up all round the site are oficial posters stating: 'Offi-

* SISSAS

hath

SO PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

rera Press, Friday July 14, 1972 PAGE 3 A MASS meeting of 300 building stewards and workers from all sites in London were told on Wednesday that no new sites in London were to be brought out next week in their strike.

This, said Len Eaton, of the Union of Construction and Allied Trades Technicians, was to con- solidate what had been achieved so far. Although the aim was to achieve a national settlement, the unions were prepared to negoti- ate with a single employer.

The meeting, at Fulham town Committee of Building Trades Unions for a report and discussion on the rolling strike which has so far brought 180 sites through the country to a standstill. The claim is for a £30, 35-hour week. The meeting was repeatedly congratulated for the steadfast- ness and militancy shown by the building workers. But calls from the floor for an all-out national strike or even a one-day strike were countered by the argument that the industry was not organ- ized sufficiently to be able to pull out all the stops' or that would 'expose our such action weaknesses'. Appeals for more leaflets, larger collections at the sites and larger pickets were made.

The reformist thinking that dominated the meeting was best answered before it even started -building workers from the in Chelsea World's End site marched behind their banner to the Town Hall singing the Young Soclalists' Right-to-Work song.

cial dispute-this site on 'strike for the guaranteed weekly wage of £30'. One of the pickets told Work- ers Press: 'I think this has got to even- tually become a national strike.

I would like to see more sites out than this one the £20 that we get now for 40 hours for tradesmen is ridiculous.

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

PAGE & Workers Press, Friday Juty 14, The way in which the Pabloite revisionists pros- trate themselves before petty-bourgeois national- ism is well-illustrated by the July 3 issue of their Canadian fortnightly paper 'Labour Challenge'.

It features, without a word of criticism, the Manifesto for a French Canada issued 'Mouvement Quebec by the Français' composed of trade unions, nationalists, teachers and the Catholic Farmers' Union. Its principal demand is 'the right of the Quebec people think, live and work in to South Korea's economy is stagnating, there is strong inflation and a balance - of - payments problem. The trade deficit is expected to widen and the inflation to continue.

These are the latest con- clusions on that country from Barclay's Economic Bank Intelligence Department. In an attempt to bring the inflation under control, the government of President Park imposed a credit squeeze last year which brought many bankruptcies. Since then credit has become easier and the inflation has jumped ahead.

The economy of South Korea depends very much upon exports of textiles, 40 per cent of which go to the US. Quotas have now been imposed by the Nixon adinini- stration which are now taking effect. Japan is Korea's other main y July 14, 1972 LA their own language. It states that 'linguistic domination ... constitutes integral an part of the other forms of domination, and provides the key mechanism by which these other forms of domina- tion are maintained'. • Note that it speaks of 'domination', not of exploita- tion. It calls for the right of the workers of General Motors to work in their own language! It is an appeal not to the working class to unite regard- less of nationality or country, but to all French-speaking people against English domi- nation. It is written in the true spirit of social catholicism customer and source of supply and here again the economic crisis is pressing the country hard. The balance-of-payments deficit is chronic and growing.

South Korea is paying $200m a year to service its big foreign debt of $2,500m. The country's economic development plan is running into increasing difficulties. The budget is showing a yawning deficit and arms spending has been increasing because of the supposed military threat from Kim Il-sung's North Korea.

Ostensibly to meet the threat from the north President Park declared a state of emergency last year. It gave the govern- curb ment vast powers to strikes, muzzle the press, freeze wages and deal with the mount- ing social unrest. The crisis situation in South Korea helps to explain the recent agreement made with North Korea for measures to bring about the peaceful re- unification of the two parts of the country.

QUBEC

Nationalist demonstrations Canadian Pabloites uncritically support and participate in.

which does not admit that the class struggle exists It *all invites Quebecois, work- ers and farmers, administra- technicians, and mer-

LOTS

chants and industrialists to undertake, starting today, the measures necessary to make French' Quebec In other words, the Pab- supporting loites are call for an all-class alliance on the basis of a common language forward by pelly-bour• geois and Catholic nationalists.

President Park of South Korea—deficit is chronic, and growing.

Quebec French' which the support and participate in.

Nothing could reveal more strikingly their reactionary tail- ending of the separatist move- ment in Quebec. On the back page of the same issue there is an enthu- siastic report of the celebra- tions which attended Saint- Jean-Baptiste Day in Montreal in which the Pabloite 'Ligue Socialiste Ouvrière' and 'Ligue des Jeunes Socialistes' joined under nationalist slogans. The main theme was 'a Quebec free from foreign domination'.

-deficit is chronic, and growing.

The multinational com- panies hold vast liquid sums which they seek to use in the most profitable way. They move them from one currency to another on a day-to-day basis according to the foreign state of the exchanges. Guided by computers which instant ready operate as reckoners, and transmitted by telex or telephone, transactions amounting millions pounds are made as a result of slight movements in cur- rency values. During last summer's monetary crisis Volkswagen are believed to have changed no less than $500m into German marks. The dollar soon slipped by 12 per cent and $60m was saved on the transaction.

Big firms in Britain which hold sterling do not hesitate to sell it for a stronger currency at the first sign of trouble.

Which ones were most respon sible for the run on the pound and forced Anthony Barber to perform his float operation cannot be known for sure.

What is certain is that they included many household names and big contributors to Tory Party funds. The Anglo-Dutch giants Royal Dutch Shell and Unilever (Stork margarine, Surt, Walls sausages and a host of other domestic products are made by this firm) are particularly notorious for the scale and swiftness of their currency transactions. This means not only money saved by getting out of a . likely to fall, but currency buying in of currencies ex- pected to rise. Much of this business is transacted in Eurodollars or US dollars which act as a kind of 'Monopoly' money in which only the profit at the end of the day really counts. A sum be changed back and may forth into several currencies in the course of a morning to reap the benefit of what appear to be microscopic differences in rates. The computer quickly shows that when multiplied by many millions, a handsome profit can be reaped. Under the Smithsonian agreement, which widened the range of fluctu- ations for currencies, greater scope was provided for the game. With the currency crisis reaching a new pitch since the devaluation of the pound, it becomes increasingly frenzied.

Everyone on the market fears complete breakdown of a confidence which would knock the board out of their hands.

They want to lay their hands on as much loot as they can before that happens. Pre- ferably they salt away part of the profits in land, gold, old masters any other hedge or against inflation that's going.

THE APRIL REVOLT

A special background series examining the class struggle in Ceylon from 1964 to the present day. Part five.

A special background series ex The April 1971 revolt was only a mild anticipation of social convulsions which are about to take place in Ceylonese society within the severest crisis of imperialism. The great massacre did not solve any of the social and poli- tical problems to the sat- isfaction of the bour- geoisie. As the aftermath of the the decision of the American ruling class to devalue the dollar, a completely new period opened up in the class struggle. The dollar devalua- tion dealt a mortal blow to all the relationships established by the ruling classes all over the world with the oppressed sharply the changing tradi- tional methods of rule. Though Ceylon did not enjoy any economic growth through- the boom period, the out ruling class was able to acquire assistance and aid from the metropolitan countries to 'buy off' working-class militancy. At the same time the expansion of rubber and tea markets prevented temporarily a head- confrontation with the on working class and poor peasan- try. Behind the relative class peace that existed during early 1950s to early 1960s was the relative inflationary boom of the imperialist countries. Once American ruling class decided to pull out the gold the dollar-pro- backing for voking an international trade war — the first countries to head for complete economic ruin were the colonial and semi-colonial countries. Unable to get any more aid from the imperialist masters and faced with a situation of losing all the tea markets, the Ceylonese ruling class must now take up the battle with the working class and oppressed masses and destroy their living conditions and all their privileges. . they can get The only aid now is limited to military aid to suppress the mass upsurge against oppression. So, the August 15, 1971 decision signed the death war- those leaders who, rant of after giving full support to April suppress the revolt, expected to solve the problems the masses by bringing pressure on the government and thereby dreamt of re- establishing the relationships prior to April. But there is no room for the ruling class to waver. The present economic crisis, trans- cending all the previous crises, threatens the whole Indian sub-continent with revolution- ary convulsions. The national liberation strug- gle of Bangla Desh, by laying the basis to crush the Khan dictatorship in Pakistan im- posed a considerable defeat for and thereby imperialism endangered all the ruling classes throughout the sub- continent. As the brutal pup- pet regime in Cambodia is threatened to its very founda- the North Vietnamese tions, and National Liberation Front started the sharpest offensive since Dien Bien Phu against imperialism. Within this international context, though the defeat of the April revolt is a victory to the bourgeoisie, revolution- ary paroxysms within Ceylon- ese society intensify. The struggles of the still the series examining the class struggle in undefeated working class, the resistance of the Tamil minor- ities in northern and eastern increas- provinces, who are ingly becoming conscious about their democratic rights, and the struggles of the rural youth after the April revolt, proves beyond doubt that Ceylon has irrevocably entered into the vortex of the Asian revolu- tion. Following the April revolt the bourgeoisie needs to estab- lish a military dictatorship similar to Suharto, by bloody suppression of this enormous movement. It has • to mass legalize the Bonapartist govern- ment powers used to suppress the April revolt, to 'control' the workers' and peasants' which increasingly movement threatens to go beyond the limits imposed by the tradi- tional leaderships. This enormous change in the political situation is expressed by the new alignment of class forces after April. The SLFP has now completely lost its basis in the rural areas; the working class still stands behind the government only because its 'left' leaders are not providing any alternative to the coalition. The UNP itself is openly divided. One wing around Dudley Senanayake tries to exploit the antagonisms between the masses and the government, and to build an basis among rural electoral poor. The other wing around J. R.

Jayawardena, realizing the futi- lity of such efforts, vehemently denounces Senanayake for dis- rupting national progress by bringing party policies to the According to him, the centre.. capitalist parties should now subordinate their party inter- ests to the interests of the 'nation'. What J. R. Jayawardena advocates is a Bonapartist dic- tatorship over the ruins of those near-sighted traditional sections of the ruling class itself. The right wing of the SLFP quite naturally is pleased with the development. They are actually trying to strengthen the right wing of the govern- ment to prepare a showdown with the trade unions and the masses. These new relationships and the government's dictatorial powers have created enormous changes within the working .class itself. This has aggravated the crisis of traditional leader- ships. These leaders, who are attempting to contain the mass struggles by threatening the working class with the danger of dictatorship, are themselves actually paving the way for a guise of dictatorship. In the the ruling class preventing from assuming dictatorial powers, to crush the trade they themselves unions, are the job of the doing now capitalist hatchet men in the trade union struggles. Only by providing their abi- lity to control the working class can they now prevent a dictatorship from controlling the masses. This is the essence of their reformist philosophy today. When the oil refinery tech- nicians' struggle broke out after April, as the first work- ers' strike against anti-union policies, the 'lefts' actually did play this role. The strike broke out when their union leader was indicted uggle in Ceylon from 1964 to the pr Perera's (above) second budget came by the government for writ- ing an article for the union paper entitled 'Workers of the World Unite' The official organ of the Samasamaja party • denounced the strike as a CIA plot and an attempt by the Shell com- pany to take revenge for the nationalization of its opera- tions. But, among those who supplied technicians during the strike were the UAR and Shell company itself. The strike leaders were jailed for a period and the strike was defeated But a mounting wave of workers' resistance against the 'lefts' fol- lowed and often the bureau- cracy used physical violence against militants. As this antagonism devel- oped, the Communist Party, alarmed by this situation, launched a 'left'-sounding cam- paign around its daily 'Attha' demanding the government change course towards civil rule. They said that there was no reason to maintain dictatorial powers because there was no threat from the JVP and asked the government to pay heed to the massive opposition against Workers Prot • the present day. Part five.

jet came as a bombshell—waging war against | those powers. The government's reply was swift and clear. Apart from censoring the 'Attha' paper, the government decided not to give state advertisements to the paper. In replying to that, one of the editorials of 'Attha' stated that, if the government did not to maintain allow them the paper as a 'safety valve' for mass discontent, then it would be unavoidable that this dis- content would take the form of a revolution! As the clash between the leaders and the workers high reached a point, the second budget introduced by N. M. Perera came as a bomb- shell. It exploded violently all the relationships between the Samasamaja, Communist par- ties and the masses. It marked a sharp break from previous budgets in that it proposed naked deflationary measures. The prices of all essentials were raised. The first steps were taken to remove all the welfare benefits enjoyed by the since the 1930s by masses abolishing free medical facili- fares and postage ties. Bus were put up. By curtailing kars Prose, Friday July 16, 1872 PAGE 8 against living standards of the masses.

imports, drastically, the basis was laid to squeeze the private sector. The budget also proposed to reserve a large amount of money for military and secu- rity work. As it began waging war against workers' living and working conditions it prepared and strengthened the state apparatus for the impending civil war. The day after the budget speech Ratmalana railway workshop came to a standstill.

Local trade union leaders started a campaign of signa- tures for petitions against the budget. Some people came for- ward and openly attacked LSSP officers. Government back benchers pleaded for a change in the budget proposals. They could not go back to their electo- rates, otherwise. Some SLFPers placed all the blame on N. M.

Perera and demanded LSSPers be sacked from the govern- ment. Within a day, the cabinet decided to reduce the flour prices to the previous level and increase the sugar ration.

But it could not achieve any- thing. The government remained adamant over imple- mentation of deflationary poli- cies.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Friday July 14, 1972

BY TOM KEMP

Head of the legendary Soviet spy ring in Nazi- occupied Europe, known as the 'Red Orchestra', Leopold Trepper, now 68, lives in disgrace in War- saw. warned of When Trepper the impending Nazi attack in June 1941, culled trom the re- ports of his agents who had contacts even in the German dismissed Wehrmacht Stalin them as nonsense. Once the invasion had be- gun, the 'Red Orchestra' pro- vided secret information which was invaluable to the Red Army. Working with genuine businessmen, Trepper set up a commercial firm which did Germans business with the and enabled his espionage ac- tivities to be financed! At the same time he worked closely with the underground apparatus of the Communist Party in Belgium and France at the head of which was Stalinist Jacques veteran Duclos. The 'Red Orchestra' and the underground CPs had their separate channels of communication with Moscow, the former mainly by radio.

When, after many narrow the Gestapo at last escapes, picked up Trepper in Novem- ber, 1944, the Nazis proposed a deal. His life would be saved on condition that he continued to send information-false, of course — to the espionage centre in Moscow. The chief of the Red Orchestra' played along. But hrst, he said, he would have to continue his regular contacts who would otherwise have their suspicions aroused. He used the opportunity to warn the Communist Party's under- headed ground, by Ducios, that Moscow should take no notice of the information sent out by his transmitters. A year or so later Trepper was able to elude the Gestapo and go underground until the Nazis were thrown out of France. Instead of being decorated ..and treated as a hero when he to Moscow, was flown back Trepper found himself in a cell in the dreaded Lubyanka prison. He remained in prison for ten years on Stalin's ex- command. Tacques press Duclos and the other members of the Communist 'Parties who knew his record did nothing to save him. What manner of man was Leopold Trepper, born of a Jewish family named Drom in a Polish village in 1904, and how did he become the head of one of the most successful espionage rings in World War Trepper spent his youth in Poland, working various at jobs, joining first the revolu- tionary Zionist youth organi- zation and then breaking com- pletely with Zionism, he be- came a member of the young Polish Communist Party. Arrested by the police of the dictator Pilsudski he received his first jail sentence for revo- lutionary activities. On his release he fled to Palestine, then under British rule. He rapidly became a lead- ing member of the Communist Party of Palestine, fighting for the unity of Jewish and Arab Imprisoned by the workers. British, he went on hunger strike. Questions were asked in the House of Commons. Trepper was released. Dedicated to what he under- stood to be the revolutionary Trepper fled to Ger- cause, many, but his real aim was to get to Russia. This he did with the aid of the Soviet secret service. He received his educa- tion in the party schools and himself passed into the intelli- gence service. The training was thorough, perhaps the most thorough in the world. In addition, Soviet intelli- gence had great advantage over the intelligence services of other countries, which was a professional which service had to pay for most of the in- formation it obtained. Its strength lay in its connection with the 1917 October Revolu- tion. It could depend upon support of the members and supporters of the Com- munist Parties. As Gilles Perrault, who wrote the book The Red Orchestra' put it: 'The success of the "Red Orchestra" is explained by the revolutionary experience of the which headed it, team that's all. This explains why its losses were smaler than others and why its were so much greater, results Trepper's ties were with the October Revolution, not with Stalinism. Had he not western already gone to Europe as head of the spy ring when the purges of the 1930s took place he would almost certainly have been a victim.

He considered the tasks he carried out to be of service to the revolutionary His cause. with the police in experience many countries as a young invaluable revolutionary was in the years when . he headed the 'Red Orchestra'. He saw his work as a continuation of the revolutionary activity he had begun in his youth. It was the old revolutionar- ies like Trepper who made the intelligence best agents, supsrior by far not aply list those capitalist countries but also to the new men who had come up under Stalin. Those who joined the 'Red Orchestra' either were inept or they betrayed. And the centre in Moscow, under the control of Stalin, made error after error which cost many lives. Under revolutionary direc- tion, the ring could have been even more effective than it was and, as was intended in days of the Soviet the early regime, the intelligence service could have assisted the revolu- tionary cause. As it was, under Stalin, it operated under restrictions. He in- severe Top tended to keep it as an arm and instrument of the bureau- By cracy. After the war Stalin saw no further use for the man whose warnings he had disregarded in 1941 than to throw him in 'Red prison. Irepper dia not see freedom until again two months after Stalin's death in tural 1953. During the events of 1956 in Poland he returned home with his family. Rehabi- he became, litated, at last, something of a hero. to Workers Press, Frid Форма Ne 30 Военная Коллегия СПРАВКА Верховного Суда Союза ССР Дело по обвинению ТРЕПЛЕРА деопольда Заха- ровича пересмотрено военной Коллегией Верховного -1955 г. Суха СССР 26 мая 1954 года.

16 471-04094/54 Постановления особого "овечания от 18 лива- Каскаа, ул. Ворожного, я. 13.

ря 1947 года и 9 января 1952 года в отночении ТРЕППЕРА Л.З. отненены и дело за отсугствием состава презупления прекрадено.

ОНО ПРЕДСЕДАТЕЛЯ ВОРЧНОЯ ВЕРХОВЯОГО ПОЛКОВНИК ОСТИШИЕ / БОРИСОГЛЕВСКИЙ/ adoresting 000 pendinal ach tense of ration a decree anniversary of its capture by Trepper defended the Jewish government Trepper (whose real name was the Red Army. intellectuals who under Were Drom) was allowed to keep That in 1965; but in attack and wrote letter was a Poland a Gomulka in which he 'thanked sinister the name by which he had change was of the taking place. The hard-pressed for his 'final solution' of known as head him He Orchestra'. became bureaucracy led by Gomulka, the Jewish question. The reactionary and vicious president of the Jewish Cul- who had raised so many hopes Committee Poland in 1956, turned increasingly to anti-Semitic campaign of the addressed of anti-Semitism Polish bureaucract a closer identif- people from all over divert attention from the Trepper into the world gathered on the site difficulties cation with his Jewish origins.

growing material of the Auschwitz death camp with which the He came to the conclusion that country was commemorate 20th afflicted. he could find peace in his Workers Press, Friday July 14, 1972 PAGE 7 closing years only in Israel.

tims sons persecution ace.

tims persecution, already emigrated. Buffeted by his experiences, alone, Trepper isolated and remains convinced that man- kind is going : towards com- munism. For himself he seeks only the calm which he thinks he can find in Israel. He re- tains illusions even in Polish political chief Gierek, only demanding that he should break with the anti-Semitism which has disgraced Poland in recent years. Stalinism has not broken the old revolutionary, but it has forced him into a tragic and ambiguous position. Не now sees refuge in capitalist and racialist Israel as the answer to his problems. He now has to defend the record of his life not only against the Stalinist denigra- but also against Jean tors Rochet, head of the French security services, who accused him of collaboration with the Nazis. He wants to clear his name of that slander.

But Jacques Duclos and others who know of his record con- tinue to keep silent. We salute in Leopold Trep- per the courage of an old revolutionary who continues to fight against the bureau- cracy. We lay the blame for his present position on that bureaucracy which has broken so many revolutionaries and forced not a few into the arms of reaction.

Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested on May 5, 1920. They were sentenced to die in the electric chair April 9, 1927 and that sentence was nature of capitalist justice is revealed. Reprinted from the 'Bulletin' (April 3, 1972), organ of the Workers League of US. By Nancy Fields.

SACCO AND VANZETTI

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Friday July 14, Sacco and Vanzetti were arre carried out a few minutes aft nature of capitalist justice is r Part 6. The defence. - It had been necessary for the elaborate state to provide an frame-up to deal with Sacco and Vanzetti, rather than simply deport (or murder) them as had been done to countless others, because of the growing protests of the working class. Those protests had made it far more difficult to imprison or deport foreign- born workers simply because they read radical newspapers or held socialist opinions.

Following the conviction, it became imperative to turn to the only force which could save Sacco and Vanzetti: the work- ing class. The capitalist press and most of the labour press had kept the workers ignorant of the class battle that was being fought out in the Ded- ham courtroom. Moore had been the central figure work in the popularize the issues of the before the international case working class. Labour organ- izations in the US arrayed themselves with the defence in its demand for a new trial.

American Unions of the Federation of Labour, the IWW, the Communists, Social- ists, Anarchists went on record on behalf of Sacco and Vanzetti. Hundreds of mass meetings were held and attended by thousands of workers. In New York, the International Labour Defence signed up 500,000 workers for the Sacco-Vanzetti Emergency Committee. The labour and revolu- tionary press of Europe and took Latin America up the fight against this frame-up.

Demonstrations were held in all the capitals of Europe and South America. As Shachtman noted: It was no longer a simple matter of rail-roading two Italian Reds with prejudiced witnesses, prejudiced judge and hysterical jury. Instead, a jury of constantly growing thous- ands in every part of the world sitting in judgement was against the persecutors of Sacco and Vanzetti.' However, the slow poison of middle-class treachery threat- ened to split the defence move- ment and eventually was to lead to its failure. The liberals, who had said nothing for five or six years, suddenly came out of the woodwork to declare their intention of handling the defence. It must be emphasized that their complacency had per- mitted the springing of the trap that was later to kill Sacco and Vanzetti. Basing themselves on faith in the capitalist system, and because there were still a few loopholes yet to be tried, the demanded that the liberals workers' action be halted. They released Moore and brought in a respectable liberal, William Thompson, to continue the defence. Thomson said he would dis- sociate himself with the case if demonstrations continued.

The introduction of Thomp- son into the case marked the turning point in the tactics of the. Sacco- Boston-based Vanzetti Defence Committee and consummated a split be- tween it and the International Labour Defence. The former turned more and more toward reliance on the very institutions that had con- victed Sacco and Vanzetti in the first place. They demanded the replacement of the move- ment of the masses by the motions of the lawyers. Their role was completely treacherous for they helped: у Лиу 14, 1972 ere arrested on May 5, 1920. They utes after midnight on August 22, 1 tice is revealed. Reprinted from the ...Io discredit the honest and powerful class support of the toilers, the grimy and despised, brothers of the Sacco and Vanzetti, and leaned instead upon the "thoughtful" editorials, the "impartial fair- ness" and pious wishes of the liberal journals, which, like the "New York World" ', dug the knife deep into the hearts of Sacco and Vanzetti at the crucial moment.' Of course, while the liberals were extolling the virtues of bourgeois justice, the Massa- chusetts courts continued to taunt the defence for its absurd faith. Thayer handed down his decision on the motions for a new trial on October 1, 1924.

He denied them all. He claimed that the new evidence sub- mitted by the defence was of little consequence since the real evidence that had con- victed the defendants was that known as 'consciousness of guilt. The defence then appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Eighteen months later, it handed down its decision. It ruled that it could not review the merits of the case but could only decide upon the conduct and rulings of the trial judge. They could not find any 'abuse of judicial discretion' by Thayer and stated that: 'He had acted in accordance with those high •standards which are the Even following the con- fession by the Morrelli Gang crimes, to the Thayer again refused to grant a new trial.

The defence had made its on the basis of the motion affidavits from Department of Justice agents and the con- fession of Madeiras to the crime. He dismissed the Justice agents' affidavits on the grounds that 'the American government would never stoop so low as to help frame-up two obscure individuals'.

In fact, he went so far as to clear Morrelli Gang and ignore the the Madeiras confession. The defence attorney was outraged because, despite the fact that he was not a 'long- haired radical lawyer from California', Thayer's decision virtually called him insane. Nevertheless, he and the Defence Committee held firm to their liberal tactics.

The Boston Committee whipped up a campaign of slander against the ILD in the capitalist press in an attempt to discredit it and stop the protests. But 'the militants would not allow the defence to be confined merely to the Massachu- of narrow groove setts legal technicalities' The International Labour Defence constantly warned of dangers of the liberals' position and told the workers that they must not be prey to the illusions being presented.

It noted that these illusions were being sown for only one purpose: to pacify the working class and 'thereby get some relief from the thundering clamour of the world's millions' The ruling class knew it had to proceed with the utmost 'caution in carrying out the murder of Sacco and Vanzetti.

Thus, they created a short reprieve while at the same time reviving the old method of bomb 'plants' in order to draw a picture of the friends of the prisoners as irresponsible terrorists. At the same time, the police were breaking up protest meet- ings and arresting hundreds of workers in various cities.

, They were sentenced to die in th ist 22, 1927. In the course of those s The committee which decided Sacco a the Secretary of Further, was trying to Labour Davis pass his registration of the foreign-born bills which were clearly aimed at all foreign- born workers for their par- ticipation in the Sacco and Vanzetti movement. Vanzetti himself warned against these liberal illusions and stated: I repeat, I will repeat to the last, only the people, our com- rades, our friends, the world revolutionary proletariat can save us from the powers of the capitalist reactionary hyenas.'

He rejected the approach of the liberals by stating that: ... Our case is more than a political case, it is a case of class war in which our enemies are personally interested to lose us... On August 27, 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed.

It was the treacherous role of the liberals—who joined the movement, diverted it and then deserted it-which served to create enough diversion to pave the way for the ruling class to carry out its execution.

It was only the work of the militants that kept the case going as long as it did. ie in the electric chair April 9, 192 i those seven years, one of the mos 72), organ of the Workers League of

MASONI

I Sacco and Vanzetti had had a fair trial-pain The Sacco and Vanzetti case was not a simple mistake, a miscarriage of justice. It was consciously prepared by the capitalist class in an attempt to serve notice on the entire their raw working class of power. The capitalists plotted and carried out the execution with one single aim in mind: dealing a decisive blow to the labour movement. The Sacco and Vanzetti case was a class case from start to finish. At his sentencing, Sacco himself said: I know the sentence will be between two classes, the oppressed class and the rich class, and there will be always collision between the one and the other. You persecute the people, tyrannize over them and kill them. We try to edu- cate people always. You try to put a path between us and some other nationality that hates each other. That is why I am here today on this bench, for having been the oppressed class. Well, you are the oppressor.' Vanzetti wrote in one of his last letters to Sacco's son Dante: 19, 1927 and that sentence was he most glaring exposés of the ague of US. By Nancy Fields.

trial-painting by Ben Shahn 'Remember, Dante, remem- ber always these things; we are not criminals; they convicted us on a frame-up; they denied us a new trial, and if we will be executed, after seven years, four months and 17 days of unspeakable tortures and wrongs, it is for what I have already told you; because were for the poor and we against the exploitation and oppression of the man by the man.' In the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, the capitalist class showed its real face to the world. The mask of 'demo- cracy' was thrown aside. As James Cannon noted: 'Judge Thayer and Governor Fuller stand forth not as exceptional officials apart from others, all the but as the authentic spokesmen of Ameri- can capitalism. The face of Governor Fuller is the face of the American capitalist class.

It is the vengeful, cruel and which the murderous class workers must fight and con- before the regime of quer imprisonment, torture and murder can be ended.'

CONCLUDED TOMORROW

THE IDLE RICH WORKERS

AND MUSSOLINI NOTEBOOK

Unlike other films about pre-war Europe, such as 'The Damned' or 'Cabaret', "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis' exclusively about the plight of the Jewish bourgeoisie under fascism.

That it set middle class tongues cooing with delight on leaving the auditorium is doubt- less a tribute to director Vittorio Sica's skill in making his de point. The story, if the film can be said to have a story within the definition of "plot, is at first glance slight—a frustrated love affair between a young couple in 1939 small town Italy. that its But any assumption description as the loveliest film of the year might mean Scandinavan nype vitas in tyess cal de Sica slow motion would be a mistake. The familiar touches are all there but colour and camera work deployed with great deli- cacy and skill are its essence.

They are used, together with the responses of wholly believable upper and middle class Jews, to situation which, though a dominates the action of the film, only really appears in asides to create an absorbing visual essay.

The situation is, of course, the growth of fascism unobtru- sively indicated by glimpses of soldiers on the streets, crowds rushing to meetings (always 'off stage') and excerpts from film clips of fascist gatherings.

De Sica's hypothesis is that Jewish members of the Italian had no aristocracy would have to Mussolini objection and, indeed right up to the end, had no objection to him or what he stood for, providing he left them alone. Further he says that many mid- dle class Jews who could afford to be less remote from reality than the aristocracy were in fact members of the fascist party before the anti semitic laws of 1938-1939 and with the ran hounds for as long as they pos- sibly could. If many of the Jewish bour- geoisie went like lambs to the slaughter-as the Finzi-Continis eventually did-it was basically because they agreed with il Duce.

The aristocratic Continis locked themselves on their estate —as big as Hyde Park-to avoid the unpleasantness of fascism's anti semitism, the young mem- bers of the family inviting gentile friends to parties in the grounds.

While affairs and tennis occupy the young the condition of the concerns the par- garden paths ents who live in hopes that they will be spared because they have so many lire invested in govern- ment securities. road a Jewish Down the 'tradesman' can't afford to lock himself on his estate—he hasn't got one-counts his blessings and tells his son that Mussolini is 'better' than Hitler and that at any rate they are allowed to live and have property — 'our basic rights'. Both groups share a common anxiety about the fate the fascists may have in store for them and bewilderment about why they have been chosen for discrimina- tion. But that is all. Significantly in view of the post war development of Zionism Israel they keep up their in religions. de anyone supposes In case Sica is talking about opportunism when he portrays the Jews' will- ingness to acquiesce and colla- borate with fascism he has the Contini daughter, Micol, spit out her venomous hatred of commun- ism early on in the film.

And while Micol and Giorgio (the 'tradesman's' son) could be friends as children it is made clear that social differences between them could never allow them to marry. midweek Bloomsbury The bourgeoisie left the cinema in horror at such good obvious people being put to the sword but it would be unfair to de Sica's reputation to suggest that it was the only impression he wished to create. The film must stand also as an indictment of Zionism as an agent of capital- ism. Workers Presi

DECLINING CP

Tuesday's 'Morning Star', , the newspaper of the Communist Party, carried a bold headline at the top of Page 3 which declared: 'Party and Star are growing' Enthusiastically the author, a 'Morning Star reporter', told his readers: 'More than . 2,300 people have joined the Communist Party since January this year and, despite February's price increase, and more more people are now helping to raise the circulation of the "Morning Star"? But on Wednesday all was retracted. On a very much smaller item on Page 3 this appeared: 'Party and Star: 'In yesterday's "Morning Star" the page 3 headline over report of Mr Gordon the McLennan's speech to the executive committee Star are growing". "This was an incorrect sum- mary of the report which made clear that Mr McLennan had • that "Party membership said was increasing in nine districts ...but... this was not yet the position nationally" 'Ar far as the Star is con- cerr.. 1, Mr McLennan said that "until the onset of the holiday period the circulation was held fairly steady." There has in fact been some decline recent weeks.'

HINTS: OF CORPORATISM

Oddest story of the week was Industrial Society that it was announcement the 'independent' establishing an conciliation and arbitration service. The service is to specialize in small-scale " dis- particularly those at putes, plant level. First question any trade unionist would want answered is — what is the Industrial Society? Good question. The answer is not so good. Nobody really knows. The facts are these. The society regularly runs seminars plush London hotels to at which both management and unions are invited. Victor Feather and Hugh Scanlon are regular performers at these discussions. During Industrial the passage of the Relations Act the society staged numerous debates which lent emphasis to the idea that the Act would 'reform' indus- trial relations and be for the good of all. Many said the rkers Pross, Friday July 14, 1972 PAGE 2 society's line smacked of cor- poratism. When . the Act became law it switched its line to-how to implement the Act. Director of the organization Garnett whom the is John Tories selected to sit on the into the Wilberforce tribunal miners' pay claim. The society is governed by a council of leading managers and trade unionists including W. O. Campbell Adamson, director general of the CBI; Sir John Partridge, chairman of the Imperial Tobacco Group; G. 1 A. H. Cadbury, deputy chairman and managing direc- tor of Cadbury Schweppes Ltd; Edward Guiness, chairman and joint managing director Arthur Guiness; Peter Laister, director of British managing Oxgyen; Henry Marking CBE, chairman of BEA, The Rt Hon Sir Keith Joseph; The Rt Hon Lord Robens, chairman Jack Vickers, together with Industrial Society mon Campbell Adamson (top) and Jack Jones Jones MBE, general secretary the T&GWU; Lawrence Daly, general secretary of the general NUM; Jim Conway, secretary of the AUEW; Lord general secretary of Cooper, the G&MWU; Jack Peel CBE, general secretary of the Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers' Union; and • Lord Delacourt Smith, general secretary of the Post Office Engineering Union.

How would you like that crowd arbitrating or conciliat- ing on your behalf?

LEON TROTSKY:

Germany 1931/1932 Paperback £1.25-cloth £1.87} Where Is Britain Going? Paperback 37Łp Revolution Betrayed Paperback 62}p-cloth £1.05 Problems of the Chinese Revolution Paperback £1.124-cloth £1.87} Permanent Revolution: Results and Prospects Paperback 75p In Defence of Marxism Paperback 75p Lessons of October Paperback 60p Postage 10p per book, 3p per pamphlet. Order from :

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Fighting the Tories' Rent Bill PAGE 10 Workers Press, Friday July 14, 1972

BY OUR OWN REPORTER

BARKING Council has decided by 34 votes to 15 to implement the Tories' Housing Finance Bill which will cause Tenants lobby counc council rents to soar. This decision is a double which proposed by the was Housing Committee stated: blow to the working class in 'That the council, while totally the area-it has a vast amount opposed to the Bill, reluctantly of council i housing and the concludes that it would not serve council is totally dominated the best interests of those it was by Labour Party councillors. if it failed elected represent In fact the political to implement this legislation.'

com- position of the council is 63 If Barking councillors were ratepayers' Labour four and serving the best interests of those There representatives. are no elected to represent, they were Tories at all. they would totally the oppose Before the meeting angry Bill and join with other sections gathered outside the Labour and of the trade union their council chambers to lobby fight movement in a massive to councillors. 50 of them About office. force the Tories out of crowded into the public gallery. Anything short of this is They heckled the right wingers betrayal of the trust put in them after they up one the as got their by the working class. other to try to justify Tories' council meeting Before the decision to support the a petition signed by 7,000 local Bill. presented Eventually the meeting was residents was urting the council not to implement the adjourned while the gallery wàs Bill. The petition said it was cleared of protesters. would meeting reconvened opposed to the Bill and Then the councillor who to take its treacherous vote.

support any. was willing to fight the "Tory measure.

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Name Address by councillors as they entered the chamber CHAIRMAN of the giant Tube Investments com- pany ended his 1971 company report with the stirring remark: 'When the long-delayed recovery Since Thursday, July 2, Wal- sall, Staffordshire, has begun to realize what getting ready for it' means. On that day 1,400 workers at Tube Invest- ments' stainless steel factory were informed that the site was to be closed and that they were to join the 2,500 already on the town's dole. Committee will The Action meet Lord Plowden today at TI House in Birmingham in a final persuade him attempt to to continue production at the Wal- sall factory. It is possible that will finally dispel this meeting the remaining illusions about the nature of 'good' employers when their profits are at stake.

Lord Plowden and his face- decided that men' had less recovery was only possible if they cut out production at the long-length steel tubing plant recently completed at a cost of £l.6m, and if other production dispersed to processes were different parts of the country.

The present factory has been a major employer of labour in the Walsall since 1910. In the area early 1930s, together with five became the other companies foundation of Tube Investments.

Since that time TI has swallowed up hundreds of firms to become the 80 company-strong, conglo- it is today. merate empire Beginning with the produc- tion tubes, TI has steel branched out into engineering, machine tools, electrical and gas products and cycles. At present, and profits record sales are • marked up by Raleigh being Industries as a result of a cam- paign to convince the American middle class that they can ward off the ill effects of over-eating by riding a bike. Three years ago the decision taken to concentrate all was stainless steel production at the Walsall factory.

NORT

CAINST

THE

REiT FiCT chamber to vote for the Tory BIll

BY OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

A new mill the only one of its kind in the country—was built together with a £250,000 office: pla block which now stands empty.

The fully-automated mill was designed long-length to make steel tubing for nuclear power stations. Incidentally, Lord Plow- den was the first chairman of Atomic Energy the British Authority. With this equipment and the skill and experience of the Black Country workers, the way ahead seemed clear-high profits for Tube Investments and possible increased wages and job security for the workers. Then came the first rumblings of the world economic crisis and slump. In Britain and Europe governments decided to slash their plans for building nuclear stations. Nuclear power power might make possible unlimited power and energy, but faced with trade war slump, capitalism has no use for it. Tube Investments, already feel- ing the effects slump in machine tools, decided to cut their losses and get out.

Workers Stainless from TI Steel recovered very quickly from the shock of the announced closure. Within hours of the announcement a mass meeting of all workers took a decision to refuse to accept closure. An Action Committee, representing all the unions in the factory, was formed, which immediately put out leaflets seeking the active support of the people of Walsall in the fight. Action Committee members are very anxious to dispel any ideas that this is a decrepit, ailing factory unable to meet the requirements of modern indus- try. Like workers at Herbert Ingersoll, the Midland machine factory now housing the tool Official Receiver, the Walsall men speak with pride of the high level of technological develop- ment. Albert Prichard, tool- shop steward and room Action Committee spokesman, told Workers Press: 'Surely in any sensible society even if what we produce was not immediately needed, this modern equipment could be put.

NORTH

TENAN

A on one side until it was, not broken up and destroyed. 'If industry employ cannot modern developments like those at TI Stainless Steel then we shall finish up in this country making plastic bags for other people to wrap their goods in. The Action Committee also insists that the closure cannot be blamed on high earnings. The unions have recently established a minimum wage for male work- of f20 and the a week, highest rate is only f32 weekly.

It is also clear that the unions have co-operated in increasing productivity-an esti- mated 300 jobs have gone in the last 12 months. The only major strike for many years took place in 1968 over shift allowances. This shut the factory for three weeks. In all, TI to have been considered seems 'fair' and its management a notice boards display the usual of the pictures (for this part of long- Midlands) of groups service, gold watch-earning lism employees. The belief that Tube Invest- feel- ments has been a 'good" com- pany to work for still lingers on even after the decision to carry out the ruthless closures. This in the plans now is reflected going ahead to oppose it.

An Action Committee spokes- man said: 'Tube Investments have never liked scandals, but they are go- ing to get one now. We may be able to shame ing their mind. them into chang- This view that big business and the Tory government could be shamed and persuaded was clearly present at the demonstra- tion held in Walsall earlier in the month. Great efforts were made to make the demonstration a 'town protest', appealing to all SeC- community, with tions of the emphasis placed on the disaster that the closure would produce shopkeepers and local businessmen. In the meantime, TI workers have banned all overtime at the factory, have told the manage- ment in no uncertain terms that they will not allow any dismant- or removal of machinery and have started picketing other TI factories in the area to gain support.

TV

BBC 1

Green. 11.00 9.20 Camberwick Golf, Cricket. 1.30 Fingerbobs.

1.45 News, weather. 1.53 Race to the White House. 2.20 Cricket, Golf, Show Jumping. 4.15 Play

ITV

School. 4.40 Jackanory. 4.55 Monkees. 5.20 Cabbages and 11.30 World of Their Own.

12.25 Women. 12.50 Freud Kings. 5.44 Sir Prancelot. 5.50 Food 1.15 Bellbird. 1.30 Dan. 1.40 Busi News, weather. 9.% This Wook. 3,6 baia. A % Haven. Castle

6.00 LONDON THIS WEEK.

Week. 3.45 6.28 : Delta.

TOM AND

JERRY.

PINK PANTHER.

Happy House. Land Giants. 5.50 News. THE VIRGINIAN. The Fort- 6.45 6.00

MONTY

MODLYN.

6.30

DICK

VAN

DYKE.

Kess.

8.00 LOOK-MIKE YARWOODI

GUNADTANA

7.30

THE

A PENNIC.

Butcher.

FBI.

SPECIAL:

8.30 8.30 IN

FOR

Dan

AAA,

ASA

CHAMPION-

Ine Anniversary 9.00 Run Rabbit, Run abcia

SHIPS.

Rabbit, Run, Run, Run 9.00 NEWS, Weather. 10.00

NSWO

POLICE FIVE.

THE MAN OUTSIDE. Bye, 9.20 10.40 THE FRIGHTENERS. Night Bye, Mrs Bly. the St 10.10

DAVE ALLEN AT LARGE.

11.10

SHAKEDOWN'

FILM: THE

jail Hoodium

10.55 24 HOURS.

JUSt

OUT OI

sets phoney photo- 11.30 ALISTAIR MACLEAN talks Mayfair graphic studio in Budgle Bird (Adam Faith, right) Is always in trouble, and this week on he's looking to Gerald (Artro Morris) to save his skin. about his career as preparation for mail. novelist. News: 4.55 owoy m. 4.50

SOCIAL WORKERS.

d s cd dv cono 12.00 Weather. Cowboy 'News. Africa.

REGIONAL TV

Crossroads rang. i00 G peny. Esdesa sale. 10.30 Comedians "T ne Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again'. GOod

BBC 2

YORKSHIRE:

Odd 1.45 couple. nuuocval l 2.15 Bellbird 2.30 Good after- 11.00 Play .OU onooR. School. 4.20 Golf, Bottom ot sea 3.00 Kate. 4.00 Sound noon. Cricket. 6.35 Show Jumping.

4.10 News. 4.15 Cross 7.15 NEWSROOM, Weather. roads. Hatin stonse 4.00 44U nouse. Glamoui Skippy. 5.20 5.50 7.45

FILM:

'LA

KERMESSE

Poi. 6.00 News Calendar weather.

HEROIQUE'

(Carnival 7.00 Partners. Comedians 11.55 o.ou Fev. 7.30 London 10.30 Film: T:eS) JACoues rlltk "ine Gulecne. der's satire on bourgeois Wages of 12.50 Weather. life at beginning of 17th

HTV:

2.35 Out of 2.55 ATV MIDLANDS: 3.10 Good after- town. Flanders. century in 3.20 Grasshopper Horoscope Remember.

TYNE

TEES:

1.45 9.40

GARDENERS' WORLD.

3.35 4.40 Happ! Funny face stane ancaantee MOUSen yvonnell 2.15 Bellbird 2.30 3.00 3.45 Women. 4.15 Tinkertainment. in space. Yoga.

10.10 SPORT

TWO.

Oris Test ha cos[ 4.30 Crossroads. 4.55 Woobinda. Today. Kate The soline Action; Open Golf; . 4.40 4.10 News. 4.15 Crossroads 5.20 5.50 News. 7.00 a penny. Match. Flaxton Ivaud. Thunderbirds wish 10:30 Ommdians. Report MaKe west. me sua•ers. 11.35 NEWS, Weather. 6.30 Wales. 6.30 Stewart. 7.00 London. 0.00 Treatment'. Partners. Comedians. 7.30

11.40 LATE NIGHT LINE-UP.

7.30 Comedians. in tor a penny

T&GWU

Jobs fear mounting urges white- again on Clydeside collar men to return THE SUGGESTION is rife in not be WHITE-COLLAR workers on strike at British Steel Corp- Glasgow that 2,500 men at the emment s unert Colld law avoenank and Clydebank division of the oration steel tinplate plants in West Wales for two

UCS

now defunct are being weeks have redundancy pay totall- plete given Boene crecnnances built their ing £500,000 to induce them leaders to be some the of their back to work. to accept loss have SaCKco.

BONC CU:

jobs without continuing the to Marathon's payroll. of Cibery, Association But work-in. cal and Supervisery Staff section fully One hundred and seventy-six Uo to …iransoon anel Genera inercseu have already been sacked men Workers' Mula ha toreiectey the hut. De scssetde 151 only them formula out because peace alc expected to be full-time officials after talks last „e cove n Ullly the Texas-based Marathon Man- weed SDebane tose nerooc semmaenm ufacturing Co on July 24.

Commenting on the sacking ol ment of Employment conciliation cies. T se wisaotmne enure officer. 176 and the decision to pay down the oad anonse their wil?

workforce that no will There even doubt men sUiIC T&GWU Welsh regional secre- the redundancy money, Stalinist about this because the men can- tary Tom Jones told the strikers they were 'hurting themselves'.

to CAV Acton hear 'final offer' caicul walca ooaccaunion officials. Jones said that he and other oficials had tried to persudat WORKERS at the CAV of mer skilled hours earlier this week for the rest—would be groups men to return to normal The feel, working, especially

BSC

her discuss the situation. vence combonenk ra Co WONKeNS although tory Acton, West rate and added to the instance, wanted of work that 1 ney deciaea to give tae a resumption London, have been time rate. the principle of increas- strikers €20 for their moeaoincmul necoualons funds and imposed a ing the proposed rise to could begin'. company has calicu lo d Mlass

MICCL"

them in the tuture. back and total of 4,100 production ing this morning to hear offered no further pro- Loe ower. vals

COT

week details manage- gress towards equal should craft workers pay 'final' offer out No more finished tools ment's come and not out of the uinoiale ano steel Nolanls nave womell

WOLKCIS

at CAV been laid off because of the their seruiemenu a thouch lIls Will released skilled rise. dispbout 100 men have also been national pay claim. rate is already 90 per the lab men get their The offer identical of the Others point out that demands. is cent men's. £3.36 is far short of the to that recently accepted Shop Under last year's site stewards' lead- Talo on oy tne nover company al Solihull, Warwickshire, because workers factory are £6 originallv claimed pay the strikers LuCas ers at the deal. There the plant depends Birmingham. equan sums be paid that also consi- say they dropped to on supplies It £3.25 derable dissent the losed BSC general equal against sixth or eighth the In orcosillss Dullls the tionay nei dropping bi cwintenn works a •wansea Tor un creast evervone on ure site ci Com lactory s pay „sunuciue making the rear-end structure plus the present overall figure venors the national They have been acotcnal Rover. for skilled x tram evor ters this would work out at demand for five-hour cut offered .£3.36 as a per- Range £3.36 each. INTERNAL drivers on unofficial and an extra the working week. pay-rate, but the sulldl Unskilled Meanwhile But pay semi-skiled. support. management strike TOr more The not clear Rover plant yesterday voted to workers would get the whether the manage hor ase in besle ot yin. that new starters would stay out. There no. vehicle flat £3.25 alone if the ment have agreed to this was revert present the offer were accepted. The second day. producuon 101 probosal OI nOL mnaced oralory workers on me rale surikers na ve the it is highly unlikely they site, are staging a rejected personal- ana nearıy 4,000 day and nignt rrnce denerts mo

WHO

… the shift assembly workers were laid offer include one day's would do so. sit-in strike for the ate propo al donn proposal and off until the works holiday which holiday this year In of theic extra consequence, toration heated arguments abou vious No. Z position in slart. Lonlcl. ana d lurlueı ddy dasic The 120 drivers are demanding year. Sick pay the been the factory's pay struc- Storekeepers at Acton wold De oiter have higher work which increased by • El a week. breaking out all over the ture are also banning over- would give them an extra £3 a 2,700-strong site on the Toolroom workers and varyıng alliv uuli

WOLKIS

€2.75 for skilled, £2.50 walked for rule. week. eve or todays meeling

OUI

IWO

Kers Prose, Friday Juty 16, 1872 PAGE 11: ok on Independent channels at 9 p.m.

London. 10.30 Film: 'The Wages Fear. 12.50 News. of 1.05 Epilogue. SCOTTISH: 3.35 Horoscope. 3.45 4.10 Animaland. Women. 4.15 Crossroads. 4.40 Happy house.

4.55 Skippy. 5.20 Cartoons. 5.50 News. 6.00 News. 6.15 Love ple. American style. 6.30 In for a 7.00 7.30 Comedians. penny. und Saint. 8.30 Helen McArthur. 9.00 London. 10.30 in camera. 11.00 At odds. 11.30 Late call. 11.35 Marcus Welby. GRAMPIAN: 3.37 News. 3.45 Women. 4.10 Yoga. 4.40 Happy 4.55 Rumblie jumblie. house. 5.20 Bush boy. 5.50 News. 6.00 News, weather. 6.05 Mr and Mrs.

6.35 Crossroads. 7.00 Comedians.

London. 10.30

7.35 UFO.

8.30 Hogan's heroes. 11.00 Job look.

11.05 Film: 'The Evil of Franken- stein'. PRODUCTION of Courlose and at plants in Coventry. both plants. The Courlose workers walked out a week ago after a shor steward was sacked. They will not return to work until he is reinstated. Then this week, 40 Spanzelle workers went on strike over conditions in a new agreement which involves a reduction in the workforce. The agreement will also mean that production workers will be required to clean windows etc.

Next round of talks with manage- ment will be on Monday.

EDINBURGH,

Glasgow Ayrshire workers at Distillers Co Ltd plants are considering new offer from management in fifth week of their strike. THREE THOUSAND workers at the three Lanarkshire plants of Honeywell Ltd struck in support of pay claims up to f9 a week.

Management has offered up to £3.

GLASGOW'S

Pumps Ltd Weir workers ended their four-week- old strike to go holiday. on Shop stewards urged rejection of AUEW divisional organizer Town management's £2.50 but Sherriff urged the 2,500 men to call off the strike.

SLL

LECTURES

BIRKENHEAD: Sunday July 16, 12 noon. The Royal Castle Hotel (opposite Lairds). 'The Marxist Method and Building the Revolutionary Party.'

NEWCASTLE: Monday July 17, 8 p.m. Hotspur Hotel, The Haymarket. Lecture given by SLL Central Clift Slaughter, Committee, on 'An introduction to Marxism'.

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Friday July 14,

BY PETER JEFFRIES

THE latest trade figures can give the capitalist class little room for satisfaction. The £15m June surplus was the first time this year the 'visible' trade figures have been in the black. They hide the fact that imports fell by £10m over the last month, a sure indication of the squeeze consumption and even more on serious, continued slump in a new investment which depends heavily upon foreign equipment imports. Exports for the current half year were still running some 2 for year. For the April-June 'visible' period the deficit on trade amounted to nearly £80m.

The payments figure as a whole was in surplus for this period only because of earning on 'in- visibles'-shipping, insurance and banking. Nor will any broker be fooled by the 'strengthening' of sterling which followed the publication of the trade figures. For the centre of the currency crisis remains the dollar.

The once mighty dollar re- mained at its 'floor' level in every Eúropean financial centre yester- day and was only prevented from falling below its agreed levels by the support it received from the European central banks. In other words, the flow of dollars into Europe continues un- abated, aggravating the crisis • every Common for Market currency. It is against the development of this unavoidable world crisis that every worker must look at the June trade figures. A TOTAL of 12 civilians and three soldiers died in Ulster since the ending of the IRA ceasefire last Sunday night.

The army say there have been 884 shooting incidents—590 of involving security forces.

them They claim to have shot 44 'gun- men' '. Up to midday yesterday 41 explosions had taken place since Sunday. NATIONAL leaders of six unions yesterday demanded a meeting with British-Leyland Motor Cor- poration chairman Lord Stokes in an effort to stop a deal ex- pected to lead to 350 redun- deal involves dancies. The £5m plant making transmission equip- ment for heavy vehicles at Thorneycroft, Basingstoke. It would be sold to the American- owned Eton Corporation.

LATENEWS

A FURIOUS row broke out in the Commons during question time between Fife's Labour MP, Mr William Hamilton, and the Tories. Hamilton began referring to a weekend speech by Sir Alec Douglas Home in which he had spoken of 'greedy trade unionists' 'Why do, you allow him to talk about greedy and selfish trade unionists?' he asked Heath.

'The Foreign Secretary, above all in the government, should keep his mouth shut in these matters in ' of his own party's family view record over the generations in Scotland.' This brought furious shouts from Tories, who chanted: 'cheap, cheap, but Hamilton persisted: 'So long as the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary continue to castigate trade unionists like this, when Lord Carrington and other members of the Cabinet are seeking to profiteer in the land market and other ways, they will never get the co-operation of the trade unions in any sort of wages policy? ay July 14, 1972 SHOP stewards at Bri- tish-Leyland's Austin. Morris factory, Long- bridge, Birmingham, yes- terday condemned management tactics in going over their heads with a Measured-Day Work pay offer. Departmental meetings last Friday carried the stewards' recommendation to reject the offer, which holds out guaranteed earnings of up • to £50.25 by November 1974. The meetings also rejected the idea of further talks on MDW.

Un Monday, full-time union oth- cials persuaded the stewards to withdraw this ban. But it was reimposed the following day by senior stewards on the workers committee. In an obvious bid to under- mine the stewards' authority, Ley-

WEATHER

EXCEPT for a little drizzle in north-west Scotland, all areas will have a warm and dry day, periods of sunshine. with Outlook for Saturday and Sun- day: Continuing dry and warm.

NEWS DESK

01-720 2000

CIRCULATION 01-622 7029

Office. Clapham London. Printed by Plough Press Ltd.

180b Clapham High Street,

SW4 7UG.

land hurriedly prepared a detailed statement on its offer which to individual went out workers on Wednesday. The immediate rises, the sta- said, would be between £6 and £7 a week for men and women. would £1.30 in Nov- receive a further ember, women fl. MDW would a new guaranteed male rate of £44.20 a week, rising over the next 28 months to £50.25, the statement went Women would get on. £35.35 rising to £45.25.

JULY FUND

£558.83

BUT DON'T

SIT BACK

YESTERDAY'S post of £108 showed a slight sign of change bringing our fund up to £558.83.

But we are a long way from ralsing our £1,750 target by July 22 before our Summer Camp begins. It is vital this month we raise our Fund in time. Our expenses are higher than normal due to the holidays. But changes in the political situation demand an even wider circulation for our paper.

Workers in every district are look- ing for a lead to make this gov- ernment resign. We are very confident that you, our readers, will respond In every way you can. We urge you all, therefore, not to sit back for a We have £1,191.17 to moment. raise and we are relying on you it. So, ask for extra amounts. Raise all you can and post immediately to: Workers Press July Appeal Fund, 186a Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UG Also included is an offer of £1.10 a week to certain grades of skilled workers and guarantee of lay-off pay at 80 per cent of the new rates for up to 12 days a year when work is disrupted by disputes outside Leyland's car division. What the statement does not say, of course, is that for many pieceworkers the offer in fact represents a considerable cut in earnings. Moreover it does not describe the kind of productivity increases which Leyland would hope to exact under MDW. Speaking after a meeting of the stewards' Leyland combine executive in Birmingham, Eddie McGarry, joint chairman, sum- med up • the stewards' attitude to the new system: 'We believe that British-Ley- land is trying to take away the authority of the shop stewards', he said. "This policy will go the same SEVERAL hundred govern- industrial workers ment erupted into chants of 'Heath Out!' yesterday after- noon while lobbying MPs at the House of Commons. They were protesting. against the necent £1.50 pay offer.

Workers on the lobby came from the royal dockyard, ord- nance factories, Ministry of the • Environment depots and research establishments and other state industrial centres from all over the country. Delegations travelled from Rosyth in Scotland, Glascoed in South Wales, Portsmouth and Exeter. Joseph Jenning, president of the Construction and Allied Trades Workers at Portsmouth dockyard, said that the 200,000 industrial workers government had been used as 'whipping boys' for the Tory government's policy of attempting to hold down wage increases. Les Chaplen, secretary of all the dockyards' staff, warned that unless there were results from the lobby and from the meeting of union • negotiators with the government later this month, there would be guerrilla strike action throughout the whole of the service. Present basic rates are £17.30 a week for unskilled and £23.35 for craftsmen. The government claims that average earnings range from £20.87 to over €36 but, as Les Chaplen pointed out, take-home pay for craftsmen can as low as £14 and for labourers even lower. The government's figures were said by many workers on the lobby to depend on long hours ot overtime. Many sections of the service now find it difficult to get overtime to supplement their salaries. SHOP stewards on. Hull and Liverpool docks had acted in direct defiance of the Transport and General Workers' Union in blacking three container firms, the union's counsel told five Law Lords yesterday. Mr Peter Pain, OC, made this submission on behalf of the T&GWU on the fourth day of an appeal by Heatons Transport (St Helens) Ltd and two other firms. The firms are challenging a Court of Appeal ruling that the union was not responsible for UNION lawyers may initiate a test case against Midland Cold Storage Ltd if the High Court declares that dockers have no right to the work at its Hackney depot.

Midland is currently asking the court's Chancery Division to declare that the work is not dock work as defined by law. If the company obtains such a declaration, the T&GWU will probably make a counter-applic- ation with the aim of highlighting the law as it exists at present.

The union would hope that, whatever the outcome of the case, it could receive the atten- tion of the employer-union com- mittee which is due to report on the port jobs crisis on July 26.

(The committee is chaired by Jack Jones,

T&GWU

general secretary, and Tory banker Lord Aldington, the Port of London Authority.) T&GWU leaders would regard such a test case as equivalent to from an appeal tribunal decision, of which there have been several recently. A spokesman said yesterday he thought it would be 'foolish to stor representing our mem- where courts, necessary, just because there's a National Industrial Relations Court in existence'. It was not clear yesterday afternoon whether shop stewards would be required to give evi- dence in such a case, or whether they would attend if asked by the union.

NEW MOVES

towards resuming national wages negotiations for 3 million workers in Britain's engineer- ing industry, were agreed in York yesterday. of The executive committee the Confederation of Shipbuild- ing and Engineering Unions, agreed to meet the Engineering Employers' Federation. Service, Jack the confedera- tion's general secretary, said: "The talks will be exploratory to find out if there is any value in going ahead with a bigger meeting. Whether we will talk money or not is anyone's guess.

'We don't want agreement at it has got to be any price, acceptable.' The meeting's date had still to be fixed and in the meantime, the campaign to secure agree- ments at local level would con- tinue, he said. president of the The con- federation, Jack Higham, said: "We are looking the En- Employers Federation gineering to be more realistic in their reply on the major items of wages, holidays and equal pay.'

National pay negotiations were abandoned last December when the unions rejected the em- ployers' offer of £1.50 a week extra in reply to their claim for £6 a week more on basic rates.

• See p.3 nd the action of its shop stewards in calling on union members to black their lorries. As a result of the Appeal Court decision, fines totalling £55,000 imposed by the Industrial Court were ordered to be repaid. Pain said that an essential for any strong trade union was that a constitutional position must be maintained under the rules and that when action was taken it must be by those constitutionally empowered to do so.