Pioneer

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Political Notes By F. W. Jowett, M.P. POLITICS AND PENSIONS. The debate in the House of Commons on the relations between politics and pensions led to no result. This is only what might have been ex- pected. for no political party has yet faced the question In a practical way. There will he 5,000.000 é.r 0,000,(XX) discharged soldiers, nearly all of theni vot'-rs, when the war ends, and their just claims, will have to be met in some way or other. The members who contend that political parties should not establish machinery for deal- ing with pension grievances are themselves iden- tified with unofficial agencies which are either political or are equally objectiona! for other rea- sons. Some of the members in question are pa- trons of -.b,- organisation known as the Com- rades of the Great War," for instance. This organisation has ¡w('n formed with the object of safeguarding existing institutions after the man- ner of the Primrose League. Large subscrip- tions are arailah-le from private sources for the support of the Comrades of the Great W ar movement with the object of drawing dis. clvarged soldiers away from democratic in- fluence which threaten the rights and privileges of Tht- property-owning classes. The patrons of this organisation are afraid of discharged sol- d? joining the Labour Party, and they an' willing to pay liberally to prevent them doing to DELEGATED ACTIVITY. Another instituiion established since the war begin aKo requires careful consideration. This is l ie- -'veil I lei I non-party ]>ensions bureau es- tablished a^ an unofficial committee of Members of Parliament. The bureau -referred to does not conflicT in any way with such organisations as the d (Vmrades of the Great War," indeed, on the contrary, it may heeouut: a JJ>eful .uljiuict to t Sr- n for the bureau is an expensive agency with offices arid paid officials for investigating individual grievances of pensioners sent. to the bureau by members of Parliament who subscribe to the funds. Whilst saving trouble on the part of the Members of Parliament, who subscribe to the funds and relieving them of responsibility, the bureau enable* them to appear to be active in serving the interests of discharged service men without the necessity of personal industry on their own part. THE BUSY M.P. Already it is abundantly clear that the du- tiffi of members of Parliament will in future he immensely increased. In every constituency there are many thousands of individuals who are concerned in direct transactions with the "W ar Office, the Admiralty and the Ministry of Pensions who arc erity-ely unacquainted with the procedure of administrative departments of State, and have only the haziest notion of what i* due to them and as to how to proceed to pro- tect. themselves against wrongful treatment. In ever-increasing1 number, for many years to come, therefore, constituents of Members of Parlia- ment will seek guidance and redress through their representatives. I, personally, am accu- nudfuin? an enormous r<?ord of cases. <?f-h of which lias involved ((trrcspond?ncc with public (-oi-r(?,I)onfien(,e K-itli l)ii!l?]IC ject of personal interviews with the individuals eomvrned. and, also, in a large number of cases, interviews with Ministers or visits to public offices have been necessary. In some form or other mem hers will in future be obliged to ob- tain assistance for this work so Ion- as the pre- sent system of administration is continued, flit-her members iN 111 have to seek the help of party organisations or they will have to sup port, by their ownindiyidllal subscriptions, fill official parliamentary departments to which they can delegate 11 large pan of their work of thiscta.s.s. THE REAL NEED. I But the present system ot administration is -not the last word in Parliamentary Government by any means. Indeed, the enormous magni- tude of the task with which Members of Par- liament are confronted is largely due to the fact that whilst the functions of State departments are being rapidly extended Parliamentary methods remain practically unchanged. Tt is I of t l i(-? not an unofficial (Jommittee of Members of the House of Commons that is requ i red to deal with the departments charged with the administra- tion of pensions and separation allowances. Nor is it necessary or advisable that an enquiry and information bureau should be maintained for their convenience by members who can afford the necessary subscriptions. What is required is an official Standing Committee on which all parties shodd he represented In proportion to their numbers in the House. This committee should be responsible to the House of Commons for its policy and conduct, and every Memltor of Parliament should have equally the right of for- warding to the Committee the facts concerning any case which he believes to have been unfairly or unjustly treated. THE REAL STRENGTHS. J If it should be argued that such a. Committee would Ix, weak and unable to withstand unrea- sonable demands on the public resources made by organised bodies, the answer is that, on the oontrar\. a Committee com|K)sed of representa ti vex of all parties in the State, responsible to the public for its policy and conduct, for which it would have to offer good and sufficient reason if challenged, would be in a stronger position than is an individual Minister acting, as indi- vidual .Ministers are liable to do under pressure applied by political machinery. On the other hand it would also be the case that individual members of Parliajnentt would be able more readily to influence policy and to secure through their contact with, and, in the final resort their control over, the administration of the official standing committee, changes and amendments in met hod and practice that would tend to the number of grievances and lighten, consequently, their work. Here is to be found, I submit, the only means by which the difficulties and dangers of the present situation in regard to pensions and allowances can lie substantially reduced and greater security given to discharged soldiers and others that they ii-ill be justly and fairly treated. » COMPLACENCY. This movement towards extending democratic control over departments of State is continually finding expression in one form and another. In the proposals for Indian reform which, after careful enquiry, arc recommended for adoption by the Viceroy and the Secretary of State for India there is included a proposal to set up a Standing Committee of the House of Commons. When questioned on this matter in the House recently the Secretary of State made it perfect- ly clear that the policy of Standing Committee on Indian affairs is an integral part of the plan of reform. Whereupon, one member, Mr. Whyte, wishflll to point the moral to other de- partments, asked the Secretary for India whether he would recommend his colleague the Foreign Secretary to adopt the policy of com- mittee control for his department, because, he said. "What is good for the India Office is also good tor the l-oreign Office." The present For- eign Secretary is so well satisfied with the For- eign Office (which is chiefly responsible for the mistortune which has fallen upon the country) that he is not likely to accept the .suggestion. < THE INTOXICATION OF WAR. The anti-alien press "stunt" might easily have wrecked the negotiations for exchanging prisoners with Germany. One of the leading provincial newspapers has had the decency to acknowledge that the "stunt" exposed the ne- gotiations to serious risk of faifcire. The "York- shire Observer" jtointed out that when the Home ii-,i, withdrawn from the Hague Con- ference because a newspaper stunt on the intern them all" lines had got out of hand, the spirits of the relatives and friends of pri- soners in Germany fell to Zero. "IT was so obvious," the Yorkshire Observer went on to say, that the new agitation was incompa- tible with the hojtes with which thousands of families in this country had been filled that there was expectation that the German pleni- potentaiies would straightaway leave the con- ference." Such is the blind prejudice with which war madness fills those who fall victims to it, however, that thousands of people were at one and the stille time anxious for an agree- ment to he negotiated with the German Gov- ernment concerning prisoners of war and de- manding that innocent people suspected of being remotely associated by blood relationship with Germans could not be on any account trusted. I he Prime M inister's outrageous speech in the debate on the Aliens' question pandered to the worst passion of this class of people. For- tunately, the "chickens are coming home To roost, for the mem bers of the Government are to have their pedigrees enquired into along with the rest. There are others, also, not members of the Government but more highly placed than they who will feet the effect of the "stunt." tb(- stunt. THE RUSSIAN MUDDLE. I The situation in Russia grows rapidly more desparate. What with the military encroach- ments by Germany on the one Itand and the appearance on the Murman Coast at Vladivos- tock of Allied forces, preservation of any sort of order is rapidly becoming impossible. The encroach men ts are defended by the Germans and by the Allies on precisely the same grounds, viz., that they have been invited by thl" Rus- sians themselves. In both eases what is meant is that disaffected elements, in all probabilitv liberally provided with cash, have, for purposes oi their own. accepted iiii,ii,tii-N- Al)- parently the British and French Governments have conic to the conclusion that as Russia can not be induced to take any further part in the war by means of organised armies, the best (Kilicy is to plunge the country into a welter of confusion and disorder in the It.ol)e that it will cease to count for anything or anybody. A strange effect of a war to establish democracy. FRANCE AND BRITAIN. I France, although invaded, will not send youths into the trenches whose eighteenth birthday occurs during 1918. The Cnder- Seei-etary of State for War has acknowledged this fact in the House of Commons. He would not give any encouragement, let alone give a promise, that boys of eighteen belonging to this countrv would be kept out- of the trenches. i

Accidents in Mines. ARE THE MINERS TO BLAME? I Al.,T).i.) ling increase of fatal accidents in mines."—" Merthyr Pioneer," July 13th. Over 300 South Wales iiiiners were killed by falls of debris for the six months ended June." —"National News," Jiilv 14th. "At the inquest concerning the death of John Mudd, hewer,'at Wooley Colliery, Orook. it was stated by John Rendlebury, deputy, tha.t de- ceased was at the Yard seam where the timber rule was 4ft. 6in. from the face. Witness jowled Mudd's working place and found it perfectly safe. Afterwards he found that Mudd had set a prop and road-tree at the face close to the goaf, and a fall had occurred from a part where deceased should not have worked. Witness had given him definite in- structions how to work and had told him not to work in that place. The coroner pointed out that the deputies did not act in the interests of the owners only, but of both employers and employed. Discipline was at the root of the whole thing, and if there was one place where it should be enforced, it was the mine. Science land Ait of Mining," July 13th. 210 PER CENT. INCREASE. I The foregoing extracts on accidents in mines I have been taken from three separate papers this week-end. They all point to the seriousneki of [the question. I was greatly interested to read that part of the President's address to the South Wales Miners' Conference dealing with the increase of accidents in the minffi of South Wales, as reported in the Pioneer." Accord- ing to the President's address there were 322 miners killed from all causes in the South Wales coalfield in 1916. In 1917 this was increased by 38 deaths, 360 miners being killed. This means that there are two men killed every three weeks in 1917 more than were killed in i916, and tiII we are progressing. A nice state of affairs to be sure, to have a man killed every day through- out the year in the South Wales Coalfield alone. But worse is to come. The "National Xews" says that 500 miners have been already killed in six months, and that from falls of roof in the South Wales CoaJtieId. That is at the rate of 1,000 deaths per vear, and from one cause alone —falls of roof a.id sid<"h. It c?m? almost incre- dible that there should be an increase of over 210 per cent. in deaths in mines, from one cause alone in less than two years. I have been read- ing some interesting correspondence that has been appearing in a local contemporary bearing on this subject. In the course of the correspond- ence one of the writers points out that the col- liery officials prosecute the men for sleeping in the mine. riding on trams, and carrying wood up the shaft, while they themselves go scot free, although they indulge in the same prac- tices with impunity. Another writer asserts amongst other things that certain colliery managers in this district (Rhymney Valley) connive at breaches of the Act by their officials, and mentions cecrtain specific instances of this kind. OFFICIALS IMPEACHED. I Instance -No. ] Where a large accumulation of gas was allowed to exist. in a part of the mine, which was neither cleared away or reported upon. Instance No. 2: Where some workings were abandoned and allowed to fill up with gas. This gas was allowed to overflow into the* haulage- road, where there were large accumulations of coal-dust, and considerable sparking of the haul- age rope. That a cap to the top of the lamp couid be found at almost any time at the point where the rope sparked most. Instance Xo. 3: (/a ) Where some firemen's dis tricts were examined and reported upon for one shift, but not for the other, (b) Where some portions of the mine were neither examined or reported upon, although men had to work and pass in the parts of the mine so unexamined. A case was mentioned where the examiners refused to be responisble for certain portions of the mine, a.s it was physically impossible for them to get around those places in the time fixed by the Act. The management conceded their point. INDIFFERENCE OF MINERS. I But the astounding part of it all is, that no one has been appointed to examine and report upon those places, although men have to work and pass daily therein. Are the miners to blame for this state of affairs- Personally I have no hesitation in answering in the affirmative. Throughout the South Wales Coalfield only in about six or .seven districts have permanent ex- aminers been appointed. What is the reason for the indifference of the miners to the alarm- in increase of accidents and their prevention. Take, for instance, the Rhymney Valley District where the glaring breaches of the Act enumer- ated above, have been committed. A scheme for the appointment of permanent examiners was before this district a short time ago, oTtt it was shelved by men who never risk their lives fur- ther than the weighing machine at the pit-top. Of course, they don't trouble; if anyone gets killed it will not be they; if anyone gets blown up it will not be they. Scotch the tiling. The miners' agents and cheek weighers are just as callous to the safety of life and limb of the miners as the owners. GEO. DA VIES.

No-Conscription Leaflets. I At the London Sessions on Tuesday the ap- peal by At is-. Violet Tillard, general secretary of the No-Conscription Fellowship, against a con- viction and fine oftlOO and ten guinea costs for refusing to furnish to the competent mili- tary authority the name and address of the printer of leaflets addressed to branch secre- taries of the Fellowship was dismissed. It was intimated that a fortnight would be allowed for payment of the fine. Mr. Purchase, for the appellant, said he understood that the money would be paid. The alternative is (il j days imprisonment. 1

I The International Rapprochement. 1 SEVERED LINKS RE-BOUND. I UNANIMITY OF ALLIED AND CENTRALI SOCIALISTS ON PEACE TERMS. Air. Arthur Henderson, speaking,at a confer- ence of Labour organisations at Northampton on Saturday, announced that five replies bad been received from enemy countries to the Al- lied Labour memorandum on war aims. The first, he said, came from the Bulgarian Socialists, who accepted practically all the general points of the memorandum, expressing some relatively unimportant resolutions on the question of Macedonia. The second had been given by the Hungarian workers, who had submitted to the Stockholm Committee a statement of policy verv much .on the lines of the Int,er-A-Ilied me. and who had taken the positive step v. calling a general strike, which was not only economic, "but political in its character. AUSTRIA IN AGREEMENT. I The third had come from the Austrian Social- ists. It. accepted as a basis of discussion th*> principles of the Inter-Allied memorandum. They endorsed the conception of a federal system for Austria Hungary, and agreed also with the sug- gestion of a federation of the Balkan States. They declared that they had always repudiated the treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the treaty with Roumania, and they agreed that the question of Alsace-Lorraine, like the Italian, the Polish, the Turkish, and the Colonial questions, must have a solution in conformity with the desires of the peoples concerned. The fourth reply came from the German Minority Socialists, who had also taken a for- ward step in the Stockholm negotiations, and their statement submitted to the Stockholm Committee was on the lines of the Inter-Allied memorandum. GERMAN MAJORITY CONCURRENCE. I The fifth and the most significant reply had come from the German Majority Socialists, who had sought to send a reply through M. Troel- stra. The action-of the authorities in refusing facilities to Troelstra to attend the Labour Party Confeivr^ prevented the writ-ten docu- ment Jravvii up oy the German Majority Social- ists being placed in the hands of the Allied working-class representatives. They had nevertheless received a. summary of this statement, and it seemed that the German Socialist Majority accepted practically all the general principles of the memorandum. They were even ready to discuss the question of re- sponsibility for the origin of the war and the problem of Alsace-Lorraine. They agreed upon the necessity of the complete restoration of BeL gium's independence, and that an international c onference would be very useful. Finally, like the French Socialists and the British workers, the German Socialist Majority decla-red that a League of Nations was neces- sary in order to destroy Imperialism. VINDICATING OUR FAITH. I 11 1 ventitte to say," added Mr. Henderson, that these replies are of high political import- ance. They vindicate our faith in the spirit of internationalism. They justify our demand for facilities in holding an international conference. If this way is to he won for freedom and demo- cracy the forces of reason and goodwill, which have not been entirely extinguished, even in the Central Empires, must be invoked. We have endeavoured to reinforce military effort bv 7politlical conversation and a Labour diplomacy. We shall continue our efforts in the belief that the replies from leaders of working-class parties in the enemy countries will help to shorten the war. Mr. Henderson declared that after four years of effort both sides must recognise that they were neither victors nor vanquished. The latest deliverance from Count Hertling had shown that the question of peace by agreement could not be ignored. The replies must be regarded as of an encour aging character. They proved that an inter- national conversation between representatives of the working-class parties in the Central Em- pires and those of the Allied countries was not only possible but necessary. There was no intention of negotiat.ing peace or of taking binding decisions, but they believed that these conversations would help to clear away misunderstandings and misconceptions, and would strengthen the will for peace in the enemy countries. It would show the peoples of the Central Empires how they had been misled and deceived by their rulers. It might bring the working-class movement in Germany and Austria-Hungary into line with the democratic movement on the question of peace. That was the aim they had in view, in seeking to raise an interna-tional conversation.

Colliery Enginemen & Stokers. I A deputation representing the Colliery En- ginemen and Stokers" Association visited 10, Downing-street, during the week. The Associa- tion had put forward a claim for a 25 per cent, advance in wages, an eight-hour day, and im- provement generally in the conditions of their labour. The Coal Controller offered them 1/6 per day for men and Hd. for youths. That being considered unsatisfactory they sought the intervention of the Premier, hence the de- putation, which included the following South Wales representatives:—Messrs. W. Wat hen (president), W. Hopkins (general secretary), and Thomas Jones (South Wales Winding Engine- men). A considerable discussion took place, and the Premier made a certain offer which was not considered satisfactory. He had to leave, and the conference was continued with Sir Guy Cal- thi-op and Sir Richard Redmayne. Nothing de- finite was arranged, and it was agreed to have a further conference with the Controller next Wednesday. The deputation, which represents all mine workers other than miners, also asked for the abolition of non-Union labour.

Miners' in Conference. DECISION IN FAVOUR OF SIX-HOUR DAY. MINIMUM WAGE DIFFICULTIES. SOUTH WALES STRONG IN DISCUSSIONS. The most important subject before the annual Conference of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain at Southport last Thursday was a de- mand for a six-hour working day. Separate re- solutions on the subject had been sent in by the Lancashire and Cheshire, Yorkshire, Derby- shire, North Wales, South Wales, Forest of Dean, and Northumberland Federations. The one which was considered to embody- the aims of most instructed the Executive Committee to take steps immediately to summon a special con- ference of the Federation—and afterwards of the "Triple Alliance "Nfiners, Transport and Railway Workers—with the object of so amending the Coal Minos (Eight Hours) Act, 1908, tha.t within four weeks after the declara- tion of peace the hours of all of the workers concerned shall be in no case more than six per day. FRANK HODGES MOVES. In moving this, Mr. F. Hodges (South Wales) believed that the adoption of a six-hour work- ing day would bring with it the passing of pri- vate capitalism in mining. The margin of profit to-day was not very great, and in order to maintain it the Government had had to raise the price of coal. It was easy* to imagine what the position would be if this rate of profit and present wages were to be maintained, and if there were to be a. reduction in the daily work- ing hours. It could not be done without im- posing a terrible burden on the community, and it was not fair that the community should bear such a burden in order to keep the industry a remunerative one. He admitted he looted into the future with some amount of pessimism, be- cause with nationalisation of the mines and a six-hour working day they must be prepared for a greater introduction of labour-saving ma- chinery into Lhe i»t Mr. S. Roebuck (Yorkshire) seconded the re- solution and it was carried. A resolution was also adopted to negotiate. at once for payment of six day's wages for a five days' wee k 11 The wording was considered un- fortunate by several delegates, who asserted that it would prejudice their case with the public, but it was explained that the object was to make a five-day week general, and to secure on those days a. wage sufficient to keep the miner in comfort. SOUTH WALES OBJECTS. The desirability for securing a new minimum wage raised considerable discussion. On behalf of the Lancashire and Cheshire .Federation Mr H. Twist proposed an amendment of the Muni- mum Wage Act. to raise the minimum wage of all adult workers to 10s. a day. Against this the South Wales, Northumberland, and Not. tinghamshire organisations submitted a motion that the minimum daily rates for all workers in and about the mines should be the ascertain- ed daily earnings, w hether by day or by con- tract, of each grade or class of employment." It was pointed out that great discontent was being fostered in nianv parts ot the country bv the fact that, whilst in some districts advances obtained under the conciliation board s had been added to tlv minimum rate, in others they had hot. Mr. H. Twist, in pressing the Lancashire resolution, said that in this matter they needed not onh uniformity of payment as far as it could be obtained but a higher minimum. STEVE WALSH'S AIMS. Mr. Stephen Walsh, M. P., added that it wat4 nccessary because their standard of living had completely changed, wages were inadequate, and piece rates were at a. false standard. The pre- sent m in im um wage was fixed under relatively normal conditions, and all previous oomparisons were misleading and false. He wished to avoid leaving to county court judges and arbitration boards the prospect of always having to dis- cover the average earnings of every gracle of worker. These grades were multiplied indefi- nitely by those- whose interest it was to make confusion worse confounded. The public, he was sure, would willingly accept the principle that 10s. a day was the very minimum on which any adult worker should have, his wages fixed. Mr. Hartshorn (South Wales) pointed out that in South Wales the lowest-paid labourer in the mines was getting a minimum of 10s. 9d. a day, and suggested that the two resolutions might be combined. The Pi •esident (Mr. Robert Smillie) warned the conference that if a minimum were fixed too high it would havethe effect of closing up the pits in some districts, and suggested that vigor- ous action to secure nationa l isation of the minefc would be preferable. The conference finally remitted the whole sub- ject to the Executive Committee.

Anti-Militarist Imprisoned. James Stewart, a member of the S.L.P., waa tried at Newcastle last Friday under the De- fence of the Realm Act, for publishing a paper called "The Young Rebe l." This paper, which has been in circulation for 18 months, is a pro- pagandist magazine for children run upon a.nti- militarist lines. It acts upon the position out- lined by Liebnecht in his Militarism and Anti- Militarism." Stewart has shared the same fate as his German comrade. The court sentenced him to one month's imprisonment. Mrs. Kas- lovsky was also tried for helping Stewa.rt to publish and distribute The Young Rebel. She is also a memher of tIlt, S.L.P.. and is a Russian comrade. The charge against Mrs. Kaslovsky was adjourned until the _oth June. One of the. areat features of the case was Comrade Stewart's brilliant and defiant speech in court.