Pioneer

WORKERS! Vote and Work for WINSTONE

"ENGLAND DOES NOT LOVE COALITIONS, 99 -Disraeli.

Political Notes By F. W. Jowett, M.P. I THE PLAYFUL PREMIER. The Prime Minister speaking at Manchester two months ago acknowledged that he and the other members of the Liberal Government had "played" with the housing question. This was in his Limehouse days. Obviously it is, also, the case that he was playing with the people at the same time and the people allowed it. How are the people to find out whether or not he is playing wjtli them now ? THE SHAM FICHT. There is an easy way by winch it may be dis- covered whether Mr. Lloyd George is any more to be trusted now than he was when he played with reform proposals before. It is by wav of enquiry into the substance of his present proposals. He talks of a national Housing Scheme, for instance, of the need of good houses for all with the object or rearing an Al population. But we know all that. We have known it for very many years. We know it when he was "playing" with the housing question. When he and the political tricksters who are now working the Coalition conspiracy were engaged in a sham fight over a prodigously lengthy Housing Bill full of legal verbiage over which wordy debates were carried on. for dav3 and weeks, and months. THE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS. What we want to know at present is: Where the Prime Minister is going to find the money for housing? Who is to pay for it? When is the building of houses to begin? He is palpably shirking these questions and it is, therefore, clear that he is playing with the people again. THE FIGURES. Examine the position. It the country were from war expenditure 1-: £ 200,000,000 a year to find for the regular, ordi- nary expenses. But there is now the war debt and Mr. Lloyd George has no suggestion for re- ducing it. Therefore, t400,000,000 a year will be required to pay the interest on the National Debt. Pensions and allowances will require, for some years to come, say, another £100,000,000. Where, then, is Mr. Lloyd George going to get money for housing, money for land development, money for development of the transport system ? CEORCE'S VACUE ALLUSION. Take housing first. Not less than a million new cottages are urgently required if Mr. Lloyd George's references to the subject are to be taken at their face value. These will cost no less than £ 300,000,000 at present prices. And the only allusion he makes to the means by which additional national expenditure can be met is a vague and unsubstantial one relating to in- creased production. But what is the connection between increased production and the provisipn of enormous sums for housing, land development, afforestation and the reorganisation of the transport system? BUT WHO WILL PAY? Production is not carried on in State factories, excepting, of course, the State war factories, which the Government does not propose to keep. The benefit from increased production, there- fore, will go to the employer. There will be more surplus value for him. The State will not benefit. The question remains: Who is to pay for the things Mr. Lloyd George says must be provided ? THE ONLY METHOD. I Only by one of two methods can Mr. Lloyd George's latest promises be met. One is by the nation setting aside completely the old system of private ownership, establishing a co-operative commonwealth and directing the whole of the material resources and the common effort of the community to feeding, housing, educating, and entertaining the whole people. That is the best way. if the people could agree upon it. The other is to make a heavy charge on those mem- bers of the community who possess a surplus of means over their own personal requirements for the purpose of meeting the cost of housing, land development, afforestation, etc., and of meeting., in addition, the cost of the ivot 11 Mr. Lloyd George has not the slightest intention of adopt- ing either of these methods, and, as lie knows of no othe', he is dumb. All that he is after is votes for nominees or the return of his nominees by uncontested elect-ion. TO ESTABLISH SUPER-CAPITALISM. I It is foi quite other purpose than for housing and the rest of his electioneering stock-in-trade Mr. Lloyd George wants his Parliament of nominees, ft is to establish super-capitalism in the form of trusts and combine and to protect vested interests." It was not necessary for him to tell us that he was not an aid of vested interests. Who is there tha.t has watched his career and is not aware of the fact ? His first legislative proposal, when, as Minister, he was at the Board of Trade, brought compliments and thanks, profuse and unstinted, from the ship- owners. He it was wno painted out the Plimsoll line and made every owner of 10 ships a present of the equivalent of one extra ship in additional carrying capacity for which no eaptain or crew had to be employed or paid. He it was who io'keyed the t"ihl-:IPNU) roji years agreement in 1907 for the benefit of their em- ployers. He it was who relieved the share- holders of the London Docks of their unremuner- ative investment and gave them gilt-edged securities in exehange-a. transaction for which all goods entering the Port of London are charged heavier dock dues. THE PRICE. I Mr. Lloyd George has bought off opposition to his trumpery measures by creating new vested interests for insurance companies, land- lords. doctors, bankers, and every other power- ful class that has, in its turn, stood up to him. The "rare and refreshing fruit" he "played" the workers with—just as a fisherman plays the fish ii-itli bait,-his in the end been given to the vested interests. VALES FOR THE VELSH. I I Why then should Mr. Lloyd George bo afraid I of "vested interests?" Clearly they are not afraid of him.. See the list of his supporters: Curzon, Milner, Beresford, the Cecils, -Bonar Law, cheek by jowl with Mond and the Guests, all united on the new election cries "Vales for the Velsh," The land for the man who can till I it," Houses for all," "Education for all," "Highet. wages and shorter hours for the worker." And the banher under which they go forth to conquer the people is that of the Lime- house demagogue, Lloyd George. On that ban- ner there might now be fittingly inscribed the motto "Damn the consequences," for conse- quences there will be, unlooked for and startling, even if for the present they are deferred.

Those Medical Certificates. RHYMNEY RAILWAYMEN KICK ACAINST OLD COMPLAINT. That old railway trouble breeder the com- pany regulation requiring tlw production of a, medical certificate by employees who have been absent for more than a month through sickness which is generally taken to mean (by the man- agements) examination by company medicoes, has brought about a disturbing situation be- tween the Rbymney Railway Company* and its Cardiff employees. It was, it will be remem- bered, just this trouble that caused the trouble on the Swansea line at the outset of the recent railway strike. A meeting of the N. U .R. Joint Committee on Sunday morning, held at the Rus- kin Institute, Cardiff, went into this cause of friction and decided to give their members every support in their fight against the demand for attendance before the company doctor, and the practice of "degrading" which it is contended usually follows a protracted illness. In the evening a mass meeting of railwaymen was held in Cory 'Hall to deal with the same question, and the report afterwards given to the Press stated that Very strong feelings of re- sentment have been expressed for some time against the men being compelled to undergo a medical examination by the company's doctor in addition to supplying a certificate from their own doctor. The men contend that as their own doctor is a qualified medical practitioner his cer- tificate should be sufficient without the men being put to the inconvenience of attending be- fore the company's doctor. That feeling came to a climax by the calling of this meeting, and a very strong stand was taken by the mem against the continuance. of this practice, and it was de- cided to appoint a deputation to meet Mr. E. A. grosser, general manager, to-morrow morning for the purpose of getting the practice immedi- ately stopped." kho-

Calvinists and The League. I I MAJOR DAVID DAVIES AND OPPOSINC I FORCES. At the evening session of the North Wales Calvinistic Methodist Conference last week-end Major David Davies, AI. IV, advocated the claims of the League of Nations Union. He declared that in future we njust regard war as the great- est crime anyone could commit against mankind. He realised that it would take time to make the change an accomplished fact. Foreign policy must be disentangled from questions of domes- tic politics, and this could be accomplished only by some scheme of devolution. The League must be a league of free nations. The admission of autocracies would ruin it. Now that the Kaiser and his crowd had disappeared for ever there was no reason why the enemy people, if they were sincere and gave guarantees, should not come within the circle. There were forces working against the movement. There were vested in- terests that would oppose it, and the movement would be thwarted unless the people backed it thoroughly. 01, the motion of the Rev. J.' E. Hughes (Car- narvon), the meeting pledged itself to support the movement. I Professor David Williams (Aberystwyth) and the Rev. J. J. Hvans (Dwyran) related their ex- periences with the Welsh troops in Palestine and France respectively, while Dr. Griffith (Brymbo) addressed the Association on the temperance question.

I RUSSIA AND THE JEWS. I The President of the All-Russia Government has informed a delegation from the Siberian and Ural Zionist Congress that Russia would join Great Britain at the Peace Conference in a de- termination to create a Jewish national-country in Palestine, and said he thought that the Jews should be represented at the Conference.

HOW SIR EDGAR JONES VOTED. All Parliamentary facts taken from Hansard," the Official Report of the House of Commons: 27th February, 19 J7.—Mr. John Dillon moved: that the Ministry of National Service Bill should not apply to Ireland., '-Edgar Jones voted against Dillon. IRISHMEN-VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 5th July, 1917.—Mr. Lief Jones, M.P., moved a condemnation of the Government for increasing the output of beer by one-third, and depriving the rest of the community off sugar and barley. Edgar Jones, W. E. r Edgar Jones, W. E. Guinness and others voted against Lief Jones' motion. MERCHED Y I DE (S.W. Women's Temperance Association), you are working for Sir Edgar—do you know this? MOTHERS that have failed to get jam or sweets for the kiddies-VOTE FOR WIN- STONE. 10th July, 1917.-Corn Production Bill.-He voted for giving a guarantee of 45/- a quarter for wheat for seven years to farmers (which results in higher tithes to the clergy). This is a first step to Preferential Tariffs. FREE TRADERS & DISESTABLISHERS- VOTE FOR WINSTONE. Now notice this:— 23rd July, 1917.—Same Bill.-Government pro- posed minimum of 25/- a week (equal to 15/- pre-war) to farm labourers. Labour Members wanted to raise it to 30/ Edgar Jones voted for the 25/ and his supporters claim he can represent Labour as well as anybody! Oh, ye gods! 18th July, 1917.-Edgar Jones voted against bringing the men who bungled the Mesopo- tamia Expedition to book. 2nd August, 1917.-He voted in favour of put- ting Sir Edward Carson in the War Cabinet at £4,500 per annum salary. Irishmen, note that again. 11th April, 1918.-Military Service Bill.-Edgar Jones (the recruiter who stayed at home and never joined the army) voted to conscript men of 51. SOLDIERS AND EX-SERVICE MEN —VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 12th April, 1918.-Same Bill.-He went one bet- ter! He voted to give the Government power to conscript men of 56-men nearly old enough to be his father. OLD MEN-VOTE FOR WINSTONE. 8th May, 1918.-Education Bill.-Sir Edgar voted against a clause for safeguarding chil- dren in school from being given military in- struction." PARENTS-VOTE FOR WIN- STONE. 3rd July, 1918.-Education Bill.-A clause to ensure to women the same pay as men if they were doing equal work was defeated by the aid of Sir Edgar.—WOMEN—VOTE FOR WINSTONE. Parliamentary Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. GENERAL ELECTION, 1918. WINSTONE'S MEETINGS FOR NEXT WEEK: FRIDAY (to-night): Troedyrhiw 6.30 j Pentre- bach 7.30.—Principa1 speakers, J. WIN- STONE, S. O. DAVIES. SATURDAY (.Nov. 30): Treharris Boys' School- J. H. THOMAS. MONDAY (Dec. 2): Troedyrhiw Bovs' School- ( MISS J. MORGAN JONES. Treharris: Woodland Place School-.J. WIN- STONE, MRS. ANDREWS. TUESDAY (Dec. 3) Dowlais Central Hall, 7 p.m.—CAPTAIN BENNETT. Merthvr Rink, 7.30 p.m.—CAPTAIN BEN- NETT, MISS J. MORGAN JONES. Tabernacle flail, 6.30 p.m.—CAPTAIN BENNETT. WEDNESDAY (Dec. 4): Merthvr Rink, 7 p.m. —REV. HERBERT MORGAN., DR. MARION PHILLIPS. Merthyr Vale, 7 p.m.-DIZ. MARION PHILLIPS. THURSDAY (Dec. 5); Dowlais, Penywern Clftipel, Women's Meeting, 6 p.m. Dowlais Carnegie Hall-NOAH ABLETT, REV. J. M. JONES. Troedyrhiw, 6.30 p.m.—MISS HILL. Abercanaid. 7.30 p.m.—MISS HILL. FRIDAY (Dec 6): Dowlais, Carnegie Hall, Morning Meeting. MONDAY (Dec. 9): Ing. Rink, 7 p.m.— MONDAY ( D oe..9 ) inlei-t-livr Rink, 7 p. m FRANK HODGES. VOTE FOR WINSTONE

The Independent Labour Party I Welsh Election Fund. TRADE UNION SUPPORT. I Many applications have been made for Collec- ting Cards and vigorous efforts are being made to collect. Tt is pleasing to report that Trade Union Branches are taking the matter up, as will be seen by the subscriptions this week. Have you sent your quota ? £ s. d. Amount received last week 22 0 0 Maindy Lodge No. 2, Rhondda 2 2 0 IJady Lewis Lodge, Ynyshir 1 1 0 J. Watt 1 0 0 Bafry T.L.P 0 0 Total £26 8 0

NEW ZEALAND'S WAR ON THE 'FLU. I In order to combat the influenza epidemic far-reaching measures have been instituted, in- cluding the formation of Vigilance Committees, throughout New Zealand. Distribution by the authorities of standard medicine at nominal charges, the closing of hotels at four o'clock in the afternoon, prohibition of public meetings, closing of schools, colleges, and hair-dressing establishments, and the discontinuance of church services after 5 p.m. has been arranged.

I im,Woman! What of Your, Vote. ITS POTENCIES FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE INFINITE I IF. USED ARICHT NOW. I BY MINNIE PALLISTER. How often even now one hears women say: "I have my house and children, I can't bother about politics and voting." But surely the woman who should be most interested in political questions is the woman who has a house to look after, and children to tare tor. While women have been I engrossed in lmusework and in caring for the needs of her family, bad laws, badly adminis- tered, have been undoing the good she has been trying to accomplish. THERE IS A REMEDY. A worker's wife wrestles with the drudgery of the- cleaning of her inconvenient cottage. She cleans grates, scrubs lfoors, dusts a hundred times a day, washes the clothes without having a proper wasli-liouse or even a boiler, cooks at an open range, she becomes a slave to endless duties, all made more arduous because of in- sufficient room and lack of appliances, and she puts up with everything because she does not realise that there is a remedy—that she can have any conditions which she desires. It is time our women realised that bad housing is not an accident, not ordained from on high, a thing to be borne with patience—but that it is simply the result of a vicious political system which has left the government of the workers life to a sel- fish body of interested politicians, an evil which could quickly be removed by a government pledged to put human life before property. A PLEA THAT IS CONE. We can now no longer shield ourselves behind the plea that we are voteless. In future we are to blame for the conditions we allow. Women must realise that a strong Labour Government would mean homes instead of jerry-built houses, communal kitchens, communal laundries, more labour-saving appliances A woman, in order to | be a good housewife; n not be a slave. It is the lack of proper implements for her labour which enslaves her, not the labour itself. In a well planned convenient home, a woman can accomplish more in an hour than she can accom- plish in three hours under modern domestic con- ditions in the industrial system, she could care for her home more efficiently and at the same time keep her youth and her health far longer than she does now. Women! Work done for your I. L. P. candidate is work which will richly repay you in bringing decent conditions for yourself and your famMyT THE GREATEST BENEFICIARY. The woman with children to care for has more to gain from a reform in politics than anyone else in the world. The greatest sufferer from a capitalist system is the child. Is milk scare? the child sutfers. Are houses small and draugh- ty? the child is stunted and pale. Is education poor, schools crowded, teachers unskilled and overworked? the child is not well taught. Our children get no nursing, they get no adequate supply of pure food, they get no gardens, no ad- vanced edducation, no room to grow. What does the I.L.P. programme offer to mothers? THE I.L.P. OFFER. Maintenance allowance for each child, compul- sory medical and dental attention, airy, sunny houses, gardens, and parks, beautiful schools and experts to teach in those schools. Mothers, you love your children, work for your people's candidate. You cannot have healthy, happy children while land is held by greedy mono- polists, while houses are built for profits, while mines and factories are only used for selfish ends. You are all powerful, use your power: Vote for Labour, work for Labour, and reap your reward in fair-play for your dear ones. WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE. Your child reads in her fairy story of the magic wand of the fairy godmother, the wand which changed rags into satin and a pumpkin into a carriage. You have placed in your hand a far more wonderful wand than any fairy god- mother's wand. By using your vote you can change slums into homes, rubbish into gardens, prisons into schools; you can abolish drunken- ness, vice, disease, war, lunacy, and bring joy and fullness into lives now mean and sordid. Do not neglect your great opportunity, put your- selves at the service of your election agent. The success of an election depends largely upon visiting, canvassing, the distribution of litera- ture, things which women can do efficiently. If you have a vote, use it; if you have not a vote, get some other woman to use her vote for your candidate. The I.L.P. has always stood by women, women have now an opportunity to stand by the 1.I.P.

A Decimal Coinage. Lord Leverhulme ha.s introduced a bill to deci- malise our coinage, proposing that for the exist- ing coinage, of gold, silver and bronze, there shall be substituted new coins based on a deoi- mal system. Each coin shall be of value equal to that of one 480th part of a sovereign or a fraction or multiple of that standard, such 480th part to be denominated a halfpenny. One hundred of these half-pennies shall be known as a royal," and a clause provides that there shall be no further currency notes for 10s., but thgt notes for one guinea, half a guinea, And one royal be issued.

I Soldiers. and Dependants. I I WINSTONE OUT FOR BICCER PENSIONS, I ENTHUSIASTIC MEETINCS. Continuing his election campaign throughout the borough this week, Mr. Winstone was re- ceived with enthusiasm by splendid audiences. As far as he was concerned this election at Mer- thyr was going to be a clean and straight fight (he told them), and if the workers of the con- stituency desired a Labour member representing them in the House of Commons, they could gratify that wish were they only true to them- I selves. (Applause.) Not only the industrial weapon would be used, but also the political weapon, in fighting to obtain for the working- class those things to which they. were justly en- titled. Already the Coalition had commenced to crumple to pieces—almost before it came into existence— and one by one the Labour members had decided to take no part in it which had a special signi- ficance to the working-people. Coalition was a misnomer; the Government was not a Coalition but a gigantic Collusion for the express purpose of hoodwinking and deceiving the workers of the country-to split their ranks so as to allow the enemy to step in and do just what it had a mind to. (Applause.) Fortunately for us, how- ever, we had been told the plain truth-that the Coalition was to defend the vested interests, Landlordism and Capitalism. The Labour forces mobilised were marching forward as an Army to their goal, and they were determined, come what might, to bring about their emancipation and free themselves from the thraldom of Capitalism that kept them and their fathers in slavery throughout the ages. And this great movement of the common people was to be destroyed if possible. But he would remind the Prime Minis- ter and the Coalition that though it was pos- sible to fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, they could not fool all the people all of the time—(ap- plause),—and he sincerely hoped that the work- ing man and woman now having an opportunity to strike a blow for Liberty and Justice through the ballot-box would no thxrw that opportunity away. > POLITICAL PRISONERS. I One of the most vital questions of to-day was education. If we as workers were to enjoy the fruits of our own labour in the future more so than in the past, our children must receive the education due to every British citizen, and he stood for a system of education which would give precisely the same opportunity to the chil- dren of the peasant and the industrial worker as to the children of the landlord and Capitalist. and to attain this ideal the status of. the teacher must be raised and precautions taken in the interest of the health of the children. Development in science and engineering skill in the last sixty years had veritably brought about the harnessing of the Universe, but this knowledge and attendant wealth that might give life to the people had been poured out like a river to destroy the most sacred thing in the Universe—human life. That order should be reversed. The Labour Party—the greatest hu- manitarian party ever brought into existence- was wanted on the floor of the House of Com- mons. The workers had the power of saying yes or no, but if they said no, then they had no right to ever complain of this state of affairs, and they should for ever hold their peace. Touching upon the inadequacy of pensions to soldiers and their dependents, he declared that failure to do justice to these people was one of the greatest scandals under Heaven, and whether or not he were returned to Parliament the power he possessed as a Labour leader would be used all the time and every time to see they got jus- tice. In the matter of compensation to the in- dustrially wounded the Miners' Federation of Great Britain were going for full wages for the men permanently disabled by injury in the in- dustry in which they were employed. "Dora" and conscription would have to go, and political prisoners—every one of them- should be released. Such an -amnesty had been granted in Germany, aud what was possible in Germany could be done in England. (Applause.)