Pioneer

I.L.P. MUSICAL EV-ENINC. A musical evening for Morthyr i.L.P. mem- hers"' children will be held at Bentley's Hall every Wednesday at 6.30 cominent-ilig I Wednesday next, January 29th. Conductor R. 'Kellt. Pianist, Comrade Gvulym Jones. Mem- bers, "tllil your children nlong!

I I.L.P. NOTES. I "PIONEER" CONFERENCE. I There will he a Conference at the Ruskm In- stitute, Cardiff, on Saturday, February 1st, to consider a scheme for the development of the Pioneer." Each Branch has been asked to send at least one representative to hear the pro- posal explained. A discussion will take place and the suggestions will then be referred to the branches for their respective Federation to de. cide. I RESOLUTIONS FOR NATIONAL AGENDA. I-  I All resolutions for the National Annual Con- ference at Easter must first be submitted to the Divisional Conference, and must reach the Divi- ¡ sional Secret.a.ry (J. Watt) not lat-er than Janu- ary 28th. The Divisional Conference will be I held in Cardiff on Saturday, February ]5th. The Agenda.s will be sent out not later than February 1st. Secretaries should therefore arrange special meetings of mem bers for the purpose of Ki?"S mstru('tlOn to their delegates. i BNCH FEES. All members should make1 it then- special busi- ness to see that they art- clear on the books this month. Collectors and Branch Officials should remind the members that this month is the last for the current year so far as fe-ts only are con- cerned. The Branch Secretary by rule forward the February fees in March, which is too lnte te be recorded in the accounts of the Head Office and the Division.

I JUDGE ON WAGES AND PRICES. I J uchreRowhwds, a.t Merthyr County-court on Wednesday, declined to make an order against a man, sued for payment for drapery, on learning that the debtor's earnings averaged onlv t2 9s. 3d. a week. The fact that the man had two chil- dren to support oh these earnings, remarked his honour, and having regard to present day prices, would not justify such an order and the case was adjourned for a month.

I Red Flag in Japan. I PROTEST ACAINST SIBERIAN INVASION. I THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP TO THE BOLSHEVIKS. The following letter and resolution, which ap- peared in the Moscow Pravda and Petro- grad Pravda." on October 1st, 1918, show that Japanese Socialists take the side of the Bol- sheviki, and welcome the Russian Revolution:— The Japanese. Socialists are opposing this the second Russo-J apanose war just as they op- posed the first. We all remember the energetio protest made by the Japanese Socialists when their Government started the war in Korea in 1905. We know that this protest was met by a whole series of unspeakably harsh persecutions by the Japanese Government. During and im- mediately after the war the Japanese Govern- ment was careful not to foment discontent, but plater on all Socialist and Radical societies and groups were dispersed. The reaction culminated in .the so-called Kotokussk affair; some of our best Japanese comrades were hanged and others were sent to prison without trial or judg- ment. Since that period there has been no Socialist organisation in Japan, and the perse- cution of Socialists is carried on with even greater barbarity than under the Romanoff re- gime in Russia. Nevertheless, Socialism has not died out for it is immortal. Small Socialist groups exist in various towns, for instance, in Tokio and Yokohama. The following letter addressed to the Rus- sian comrades is the first joint effort of the Tokio and Yokohama, groups. These groups are protesting against a Japanese military in- tervention in Siberia and have adopted the Bol- shevik point of view. It is a matter of great joy to us that the Socialists of the most reactionary country in the ?w<)i-ld have come forward with a clear and defi- nite statement of their views on the important problem of the world's revolution. We rejoice still more at the fact that in spite of the lying bourgeois press, the idea, of Bolshevism has had such a strong influence1 on the Japanese workers. The Japanese workers are too weak at pre- sent to prevent the Japanese intervention in Siberia. Hundreds of Socialist- publications have been burned in Japan in the course of the last four years, but during the same period hun- dreds of strikes have taken place. Some of these strikes have been suppressed by armed force and there have been many killed and ■ v. cm hsvf, fallen heavily upon the Japanese proletariat. We greet our Japanese comrades and are glad to re- ceive this expression of their sympathy and goodwill. TO OUR RUSSIAN COMRADES. r rem the very beginning of the Russian Re- volution we have followed your fearless activi- ties with enthusiasm and admiration. Your doings have had an enormous influence on the psychology of our people. We are now indig- nantly protesting against the dispatch of Japanese troops to Siberia under any pretext, as such an act will inevitably impede the free development of your revolution. We are grieved that we are too weak to avert the peril with which you are threatened by our imperialistic Government. We are unable to help you in any way as we are persecuted by the Government. But rest assured that the Red Flag of the Revo- lution will in no distant future float over the whole of Japan. We enclose a copy of a resolu- tion adopted a.t our meeting of May 1st, 1917. With revolutionary greetings. The Executive Committee of the Socialist Croups of Tokio and Yokohama.

RESOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE SOCIALISTS. We, the Socialists of Japan, having met in Tokio on the 1st of May, 1917, express our deep sympathy with the Russian Revolution to which we do homage. IQ "We recognise that the Russian Revolution is on the one hand a political revolution of the bourgeoisie against a medieval absolutism, and on the other hand a revolution of the proletariat against present-day capitalism. The transformer tion of the Russian Revolution into a world social revolution concerns not Russian Social- ists only, but the Socialists of the whole world. The capitalistic order has in all the countries of the world reached its highest development, and we have now a period of a full-blown capitalistic imperialism. Unless they wdsli to be deceived by the ideologists of imperialism, the Socialists of all countries must hold steadfastly to the in- ternational standpoint, and all the forces of the international proletariat must be directed against our common enemy-international capi- talism. Thus only will the workers be able to fulfil their historic mission. The SociaJists of Russia and all countries must do their utmost to stop the war in order to help the workers of the belligerent countries to direct their attacks, not against their fellow workers, but against the ruling classes of their own countries. We have faith in the heroism of teh Russian Social- ists and of our comrades throughout the world. We are firmly convinced that the revolutionary spirit will spread and permeate all the countries. —Executive Committee, Socialist Croup of Ttkie.

I.L.P. MEETINGS. I OLYMPIA RINK, MERTHYR, Sunday Next, Jan. 25th, 1919, At 2.45 p.m. prompt. Speaker: Mr. MORGAN JONES Admission by Silver Collection.

MORE ABOUT MOONEY. PAGE 3.

LIPTON'S for QUALITY Ãbe Largest Tea Distributors, Manufac- f turers, and Retailers of Food Products in the World. Tea Merchants 1t3" Special Appointment to H.M. King George V. LIPTON LTD., City Road, LONDON, E.C. 1. BRANCHES & AGENCIES THROUGHOUT ———— THE UNITED KINGDOM. ————

Political Notes ————— —————— By F. W. Jowett. THE SOLDIERS' STRIKES. I The soldier's strikes have done more than any- thing; else to compel the Government to change its policv with regard to Russia. There has never been anv reason to doubt that the people, generally, were against interference in Russia. I do not suggest that the people of this country are on the side of the Bolshevists. It is not to be expected that they could be because whatever may be said in support of the Bolshevists the British public have not been allowed to hear of it. Public opinion lias been opposed to interfer- ence in Russia. on the ground that the Russian people should be left to tliear own devices, and that if Russians wish to kill (<wli other British soldiers should not risk their lives and suffer hardships to prevent them. But the attitude of the public has not been aggressively hostile to intervention, and Mr. Lloyd George would have oontinued to disregard public opinion if the sol- diers had not- given him a fright. TO STARVE THE RUSSIANS. The change of policy on the part of the Gov- ernment, however, only goes so far as to substi- tute one method of opposition to the Bolshevist Government of Russia by another. No more British soldiers are to be sent to Russia against their will at least, that is the announcement— hut the Allied forces that are there- will be kept there to prevent food teaching any part of Rus- sia which is under Bolshevist rule; Mr. Llovd George is also willing to try the riiect ofspeàk, ing with Bolshevist representatm s in Piirls. The Fren-ch Government, on the other hand, will not fHmsent to hold any intercourse v th Bolshevists. The French Government has n< objection to meeting representatives of any or the reaction- ary rulers who have set up in op jxxsition to the frolshevist Government of Russia, no matter how bloody and cruel they are, if on! they will give satisfactory assurances to forei :i bondholders and confession hunters, and pre, 'nt Russia be- coming a Socialist- State. INTERESTS ACAIN. -1 I Keen aa thc? -it. j?s to maKe I ivar .on .Russia jtoggjuot >vant bo bear Hie urum of It. i-h«e"s<aSS#*Siay be s&id of Ita.h Japan has no wish to go further into Russia than her interests lead her. If there is a posihility of staking out a new chum for Ter- ritory for herself, Japan will provide men tor l, that o i-' the job, but not otherwise. The fact is that oi all the associated powers Great Britain is get- ting out of the war most slowly. The Americau army, which has seen very little of the war. compared with France, or Great Britain, or Italy, is returning home very rapidly, and both Italy and France are also demobilising thel- armies more quickly than the British. THE VOICE OF CORKI. In the meantime, the strength of the Bolshe- vists appears to be growing, and the Allied in- tervention, except for its success in starving the Russian people, appears to have accomplished nothing* more than the union of Bolshevists, Menslievists and Co-operators, against the inva- ders. ft U significant that Maxim Gorki, who for a time was in violent opposition to the Bol- shevists, has joined them. In a statement which he has published he declares that the armistice terms forced by the Allies upon the Central Powers are ten times worse than the terms forced upon helpless Russia by the Germans .at 1 Brest Litovsk. He, therefore, calls upon all in-' tellectual people who have a real interest in the solution of the great social problem to "revolt against those who aim at the restoration of the old regime, who are endeavouring to drown the Russian revolution in torrents of Russian blood, and who desire to plunder her, as they used to plunder Turkey, and other countries before the war, and as they are preparing to plunder Ger- many now." AT THE PEACE CONFERENCE. -I At the Peace Conference betweell the Allies, the first of President Wilson's fourteen points is set a.side for a start. Open covenants openly arrived at," he placed first and not without •. reason. But now that the Allies have met face to face to formulate definite proposals to be em- bodied in a treaty of peace each and every one of them fears to lay- their cards on the table. What part America is taking in the game is not clear at present, but America is taking in the game is not clear at present, but America is not one of the Allies, it is an Associated Power. Pre- sumably America is pledged to open covenants openly arrived at," and as America has no secret commitments and no annexationist claims there is no reason to believe that President Wilson has changed his position with regard to the matter. France, Italy and Great Britain, however, have good reason to prefer secrecy. The secret treaties cannot be defended openly, and no one of the present parties to them caai decently ask another to relinquish its claims under the treaties without being charged by way of retort, with selfish adherence to its own claims. WHEN THIEVES FALL OUT. If Italy is. for instance, asked to forego iliose annexations promised to her in the secret treaties she will naturally expose the weakness of the case of France who seeks, also, to annex territory for strategic and economic reasons ir- respective or the wishes of the inhabitants. And yet, the only hope for the future is that each Government should be compelled to justify its claim's openly before the world: the alternative being a secret deal between the different parties behind closed doors, which Mill bo afterward. presented to the world and defended as a fair settlement, whereas, in point of fact, it will be merely a division of spoils. At present the Con- ference Chamber look s uncommonly like a thieves' kitchen. THE CRAB-ALLS AT WORK. I In the meantime military measures are being taken against every helpless nationality to facili- tate territorial theft and prevent ohe self-deter- mination .of peoples which the vju* was to have ensured. The Czechs, the Roumanians, the Slave, the Poles, as well as. the Italians, are all taking forcible possession of territory inhabited by people who are not of their own race. The French military authorities are ruthlessly de- porting. from Alsatia, sons born, .in Alsatia, of l}rH'a.J) 1:ne.tt.rh..£h;U!N:i:u in thou- sands are being employed on forced labour in Belgium and Northern France. Even in war time the infliction of forced labour on the inha- bitants oi besieged territory is universallv re- garded as atrocious conduct, but- during an ar- mistice the offence is worse. It has been left, however, for the French Foreign Minister (M. Piclion) to beat the record of all the numerous examples of arrogance and unreason in these times by his boast that the Allies have means to prevent the Germans of German-Austria uniting with the German Republic—a union which, if it is possible for any union to be thor- oughly justified by the principle of self-deter- mination of peoples, is so justified. The means to which, the Foreign Minister alluded, are star- vation. To the edict "no bread for Bolsheviks" has been now added anotlwr-d no bread and no coal for Germans who wish to enjoy that self- determination which the Allies have pretended to offer to the whole of Furope at the cannon's l mouth. SUCARINC THE GEORGES. I Kings and Princes have their sycophants. So have Prime Ministers. Judging by the extent to which sycophants are allowed to exhibit their iollv ill pictorial and other papers, apparently wIthout protest from the objects of their adora- iti?)n, this form of advertisement is also agree- ably welcome to the persons concerned. Miss Megan Lloyd George, the public is informed bv the Premier's leading press fugleman, has won the affeetions of all Paris." She helps to give the r rench ia clearer conception of her father." She is pictured and filmed as a feature of the Pans Oonfpronco as if it a society gatliGr- ing and not either the end of a world tragedy or the end of the first in a series of tragedies. And the Prime Minister himself plays the syco- phant. if another of his press fuglemen is to be believed, for he is said to have favoured the pre- posterous suggestion that the much photo- graphed but entirely inexperienced Prince of Wales should be appointed to take part in the proceedings of the Peace Conference. Evidently it pays to lick the boots of little great- men.

"The Big Five." STRONGHOLD OF THE INTERNATIONAL MEAT TRUST. A DEFINITE AND POSITIVE CON- SPI RACY." Illustrated with a cihart that looks like a spieler's web showing the joint interests of the five big packing oompames wliieh control the greater part. of the production, storage, and distribution of foodstuffs in America, if not in the world, the report of the Commission ap- pointed by the President of t,he Uinted States to investigate the meat-packing industry has reached this country. The report shows that five great packing concerns—-Armour and Co., Swift and Co., Morris and Co., Wilson and Co., Inc., and the Cudahy Packing Co.—have attained such a dominant position that they control at will the markets in which they buy their sup- plies, the markets in which they sell their pro- ducts, and hold the fortunes of their competitors in their hand*. ot only is the business of gathering, pre- paring, and selling meat products in their con- trol, but an almost countless number of by-pro- duct industries are similarly dominated and not oontent with reaching out for mastery as to commodities which substitute for meat and its by-produeb. they have invaded allied industries and even unrelated ones. SUFFERERS FROM THE MONOPOLY. riie producer of live stock is at the mercy of these five companies because they control the market and the marketing facilities, and to some extent the rolling stock which transports, the product to the market. The competitors of these five concerns are at their mercy because of the control of the mar- ket places, storage facilities, and the refrigera- ) tor cars for distribution. The consumer of meat products is at the mercy of these five because both producer and competitor are helpless to bring relief. The Repoi-t points out that these five concerns, itogether with their subsidiary and affiliat.ed com- panies, have not only established a monopoly over the American meat industry, but have se- cured control over the principal substitutes for meat, such as eggs, cheese, and vegetable-oil products, and are rapidly extending their power to cover fisli and nearly every kind of foodstuff. They also own or control, jointly or severally, more than half the export-moat production of the Argentine, Brazil, and Uruguay, and have large investments in other surplus meat-pro- ducing countries, including Australia. A POSITIVE CONSPIRACY. I 1 rT"II" -r; Tlle combination among the 'Big rive IS not a casual agreement brought about by in- direct and obscure methods, but a definite and positive conspiracy for the purpose of regulating purchases of live stock and controlling the price of meat, the terms of the conspiracy being found in certain documents which are in oui' possession." The extent of the control exercised by the Big Five is indicated by the fact that they kill, in round figures. 70 per cent, of the live stock slaughtered by all packers and butchers engaged in interstate commerce. There is only one independent packer who slaughters as much as 1 per cent. of the inter- state total of cattle, and only nine independents who slaughter as much as 1 per cent- of the in- terstate total of hogs. One of the Big Five" (Swift and Co.) is the greatest butter distributor in the United States. Together, the Big Five" handle at least half of the interstate commerce in poultry, eggs, and cheese. They are also important factors in the preparation and distribution of condensed and evaporated milk, and they have begun to extend their control in the fruit and vegetable-canning industry. YOU PAY WHEN THEY CAN. "The 'Big Five's' advantage in this field rests not so much on their ownership of canning factories, although in some branches their out-1 put amounts to more than a quarter of the total for the United States, as upon their rapidly- growing control of the wholesale distribution of canned goods. Armour and Co. increased their canned goods sales from about $6,500,000 in 1916 to about $16,000,000 in 1917, whereas the combined sales of these products of two of the largest independ- ent wholesalers amounted in 1917 to only a little more than $6,000,000. WHY FOOD COSTS MORE. In various staple groceries and vegetables, such as rice, sugar, potatoes, beans, and coffee, the "Big Five" have been dominant factors. Early in 1917 Armour and Co. undertook tho handling of rice, and in that one year sold more than 16,000,000 pounds of rice, thus becoming at a single movement, on the statement of the vice-president of the company, "the greatest rice merchant of the world." During this period the wholesale price of rice increased 65 per cent. In the manufacture of breakfast foods, animal and poultry feeds, fertilizers, fence posts, coal, wire fencing, builders' hardware, binding twine, lumber, mill work, cement, lime and plaster, brick, sand, gravel, roofing hides, leather and wool, the Big Five are rapidly becoming the monopolists. The Big Five are further entrenched in financial institutions throughout the U.S and have huge real estate interests ranging from im- mense terminal properties in great distributing centres to huge ranches in the West and in South America. THE INTERNATIONAL MEAT POOL. TIn' R?port? d'?s not, of course, deal largely with the international ramifications of th? Big Five." I)iit t4i tli,, I f'xistül1('P of tJ)ft nternational Meat Pool formed by the Armour, Swift, Morris, and Sulzberger! interests in conspiracy with certain British and South American concerns to regulate and divide the shipments of beef, mutton, and other meats (Continued at foot of next column).

I The Things They Say. STATEMENT THAT MACDONALD, SNOW- DEN AND HENDERSON VOTED ACAINST MOTION UNTRUE. ANSWERED FROM THE RINK PLATFORM. At his recent meeting in the Drill Hall, Mr. Hugh Edwards, amongst his many other state- ments, let fall some pearls of political wisdom that prompted some of the ex-Service boys pre- sent to submit the subjoined note to the I.L.P. Rink mooting chairman at the subsequent Sun- day meeting. The data necessary to completely kill the lie was not then in the possession of the chairman and he promised a reply for the fol- lowing (last) Sunday. Harry Morris, as local secretary, wrote immediately to the Labour Party Bureau, and at Mr. E. C. Fairchikl's meeting last Sunday the letter and the reply were read. The reply was received with great applausc>. The Rink platform invites as many more of the same kind of queries as the local Coalitionists cares to throw out. Here is the letter aud the reply:— Mr. Chairman, Sir,—With your approval kindly answer the following: At a meeting of Edgar Jones sup- porters held at the Drill Hall la.stThursday night, Mr. Hugh Edwards, M.P. for Neath, stated When the resolution was passed in the House last year for freeing soldiers and sailors pensions of taxation, Messrs. Ramsay Macdonald, Philip Snowden, and Arthur Hen- derson, among others, voted against it, also when the resolution was passed that every totally dis- abled soldier and sailor should have a pension of at least 30/- per week, Arthur Henderson voted against it, saying 27/6 would be suffi- cient." Will you kindly answer the above ver- bally from the platform to-day and state if this true.— From A FEW OF THE OVERSEAS BOYS. I

The Labour Party Information Bureau. 33 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.I. 15th January, 1919. Mr. H. Morris, I.L.P. Institute, Market Square Chambers, Mertliyr Tydfil. Dear Sir.-NVitli refer(-n(, to the two ques- tions which you fcarw->i»de«la.t(i us- o.w-d&e. J-1> t-h iust., a Division took place in the House of Gommoils on Juno 13th, 1918, on the motion that the disability pensions of soldiers should be excluded from their statement of income for the purpose of the Income Tax. The statement that Messrs. Macdonald, Snowden and Hender- son voted against the motion is untrue. They were all three absent. I cannot trace the second Division referred to on the motion to raise the pension of a totally disabled man to 30/- a week, neither can I find any reference in "Hansard" to any debate on the subject. The point was, however, raised at the time of the Election, and in the absence of Mr. Henderson from this country I think that I cannot do better tliui to send you a copy of the tele-gram which he sent in reply, which is as follows:— Statement Election camouflage. I fought for more money than Treasury would sanc- tion." If the men who asked the question can give any further c lue I will, of course, do all in my power to assist you.—Yours faithfully, I W. GILLIES. I

from South America to the United States and certain foreign countries, particularly England. The Commission declares that there is no pos- sibility of effecting fundamental improvements in the situation created by the predatory" Big Five," short of the acquisition by the Federal Government of the distributive utilities now controlled by the Big Five,' and the establish- ment by the Federal Government, upon equal terms for all, of the additional storage and dis- tributive facilities necessary to open the channels of commerce in foods and related products and ensure their free and unrestricted flow from the producer to the consumer." THE REMEDY: STATE MONOPOLIES. I The Uomnnssion therefore reoommenas tnat the Government should acquire all rolling stock used for the transportation of meat animals as a Government monopoly; that, similarly, the Government should acquire the principal and necessary stockyards of the oountry, to be treated as freight depots and operated as open competitive markets, with uniform scale of charges for all services performed, and to ac- quire additional yards from time to time as the future development of live-stock production may require. It is also proposed that the Govern- ment acquire by privately-owned refrigerator cars, with the necessary equipment for their proper operation as a Government monopoly, as well as all branch houses, cold storage plants, and warehouses to provide facilities for the com- petitive marketing and storage of food products in the principal centres of distribution and con- sumption. The stockyards and essential adjuncts, such as exchange buildings and terminal rail- roads, must be acquired and operated by the Government under conditions that will ensure to the producer a fair market, reasonable charges, open bidding, full and helpful market informa- tion, and the limitation of violent fluctuations in price.