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Political Notes By F. W. Jowett. THAT INDEMNITY: The £ 5,000,000.000 which Germany is called Upon to pay to the Allies during the next 30 years, under the so-called treaty of peace, to- gether with certain unspecified sums which may be demanded at the end of that period, includes £ 1,000,000,000 to meet the cost of the Army of Occupation. The claims of Fiance and Belgium Vvill swallow up the remaining £ 4,000,000,000, and scarcely be affected by so small an amount. It should be clear, therefore, even to the limited Intelligence of Henry Dubb that the candidates who led him to believe last December that the Germans would pay the British war debt—which will amount to at least £ 8,000,000,000 when the total is reached—lied to him. Probably the can- didate who got his vote so easily will try to trick him again by saying that at the end of 30 years more millions will be demanded of Ger- many, but before 30 years have passed the pre- sent generation of Henry Dubbs will bp mostly dead, and those who remain will have forgotten all about the election stunts of December, 1916. Mr. Lloyd George and the other artful dodgers of the Paris Thieves' Kitchen inserted the vague reference to further demands from Germany in the Peace Treaty to hide the truth from the Henry Dubbs of their respective countries, for they 'know full well that Germany will not and cannot pay what they have promised to demand. NATIONALISATION & COMMON SENSE." The Editor of Common Sense' says that the revelations of the Comptroller and Auditor- General in his recent report 0» the expenditure of the Ministry of Munitions shows that na- tionalisation means waste. They do nothing of the sort. What they do show is that Capitalism is the greatest source of corruption in the world to-day. They show also that the system of gov- ernment under which we live makes it easy for the capitalist to defraud the public. What an Illuminating story this is, for example: A com- pany contracted to make 57,000 rifles, and made a friendly arrangement with some official, be- hind the 'backs of the public representatives for the Government to supply > £ 60,000 for plant and buildings. It was found shortly afterwards that the company could not produeg^tj'g rifles, so it was allowed to make parts of rifles, Further grants of State money followed, and then a pre- sent was made to the Company of the buildings and plant. The cost of the plant and buildings Was £ 135,(XX). Afterwards the Ministry decided to purchase the factory, and the price was fixed at £ 50,000. CAPITALIST CORRUPTION. The above-mentioned transition and other Jike unto it was carried through when it had been discovered that there was a tremendous short a^ of munitions. Capitalist profiteers who possessed or could lay hold of any old tiling in the shape of a factory containing machinery which there was the slightest possibility of turn- ing on to the manufflcture of munitions drove bargains with officials (who lifted nationalisa- tion, and therefore were unwilling to fight the profiteers) of the most outrageous character. The nature of these bargains made by capitalists through officials of their own class we now see. But this is not the worst there is to be said about the matter. The ugly truth about thc shortage of munitions is that scores of thou- sands of lives were sacrificed because the con- tractors for munitions successfully opposed for 4Itno than a year the intervention of the Stati- on a large scale in the manufacture of munitions. The established firms of munition makers would not allow the intrusion of the Government in their harvest field. They promised deliveries which tliev could not possibly execute, and pre- tended to believe that they could get further supplies by the employment of sub-contractors who had never had any experience in the manu- facture of munitions, until in the end the Gov- ernment was obliged to take the matter in hand and commence manufacturing after a year ot valuable time had been lost. CONCERNINC MONEY AND LIVES. The Coal Commission continues to furiilsji it- lustrations of the waste and folly of private en- terprise. In the "Herald" of May lltli is re- corded another one. iVlr. Charh's E. Rhodes, a mining engineer, gave evidence on the 13th, and he was cross-examined 011 the subject of gob fires hv Mr. H. Smith, the Yorkshire miner. Mr. Smith' asked the witness if it were not a fact that fob fires could be avoided by driving into the coal seam at the boundary ami then working backwards to the pit bottom. All.. Rhodes agreed that this would probably piomote safety, but he confessed that it would seriously defer profits. On being pressed further tne witness admitted that his advice on such matters de- pended largely on financial considerations. Ine editor of. "Common Sense" displays much in- genuity in founding arguments against nationali- sation 011 examples of capitalist raids on the public purse, but with all his ingenuity, he can- not get over an admission so fatal to his theories us that of Mr. Rhodes, the mining engineer. CLOUDING THE ISSUE. "1 .I' An attempt is also being matje to connive government control of food supplies and raw materials with Socialism. But thes-ort of gov- ernmept control which is set up by l capital] government is carefully dosigned to prevent it developing into Socialism. Capitalist janitors are appointed to supervise the collection and distribution of produces, and distribution is ar- ranged as far as possible through private traders. Even the Co-operative Wholesale Societies have been compelled in some to allow their supplies to be li,,ttidlc- traders. The Herald." May 16th, quotes Mr. H. Rough, of the Flour Mill Department. Scot- tish C.W.S., as follows:— It seemed ridiculous that, with a practi- cal representative of the Co-operative Move- ment on the other side to buy wheat for the movement, he should be compelled to sell the wheat he had bought to the Government, who turned this Co-operative wheat into the hands of their Agent (in most cases a well-known private trading house) who in turn put it into the hands of another private trader, who had to be paid a commission for handing the Wholesale Society the invoice." Control, even limited in its operations as it has been in the interests of private traders, is better than unrestricted private trading when supplies are short and prices can be raised against the consumer almost without any limit, hut it is not Socialism. I AN UNSCRUPULOUS ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. i The Supreme Economic Council met the other day to consider the blockade of Hungary, and arrange plans to ensure the starvation of the German people iti case the German Government refused to sign the peace terms which have been drawn up in the Paris Thieves' Kitchen. Lord Robert Cecil was in the chair. This lawyer aris- tocrat has succeeded by means of one or two in- sincere speeches in persuading quite a number of people who should have known better to be- lieve in his good intentions. The fact is that the common people have no more deadly enemy than Lord Robert Cecil. He is crafty and cruel, but he is capable on occasions of speaking fair words with an appearance of sincerity*, He was questioned on one occasion in the House con- cerning the truth or otherwise of the allegitioil that the Germ airs collected their dead and ex- tracted the fat from them in corpse factories. He must have known that the allegation was untrue, and although he did not dare to endorse it. he read out an unsupported statement to the effect that such a corpse factory was in exist- ence where the fat was converted into lubri- cating oil, and the bones ground into powder for pigs' food. He read the statement with no other object than to keep the corpse factory lie in circulation, and the hate fires burning. He adopted the same method with regard to the lie relating to the adoption of polygamy in Ger- many. Questioned in the House on the matter, he pretended to believe in that statement, al- though he must have known it was a lie. t THAT UNEMPLOYMENT Mr. AVardle, replying for the Ministry of La- bour to a question in the House of Commons 1 May 14th) admitted that out-of-work pay had been stmiped to two women under the following circumstances (1) A married woman discharged from work 011 munitions Oil December 8th last received out-of-work pay until the 29tli February following. She was then offered domestic ser- vice, although slip had two children, and could not, therefore, leave home. Her pay was: stopped. (2) A married woman aged 40, w ho had an invalid husband to look after was refused out-of-work pay because she also declined an offer of domestic service for the same reason as the (?ie already mentioned. Mr. Wardle ex- plained that the decisions were nna}. ")'he women-folk of the class that governs do not go out to work. on the contrary they employ ser- vants, and they are finding it difficult to get ser- vants at present. If the conditions were re- versed the decisions would not be regarded as final by the Government. I ELECTRICITY MADE SAFE FOR PROFITEERS. The Electricity Bill, which passed its second reading last week, requires the careful attention of the Labour Party. Its declared object is sound enough, but the means by which it is pro- posed to reach that object are in some respects -ill().s t unsound. The object of the Bill is to or- ganise the supply of electricity so as to enable its generation to be accomplished OIl a large scale at reduced costs. For that purpose a large number of existing generating stations will have to be abolished, and the big men of the electric supply companies seem to have persuaded the Government to protect their interests in the pro- cess. Commissioners and District Boards not responsible to the public appear to be empowered under the Bill to go into areas where municipal authorities have at present the right to supply power and light, without the consent of the municipality, and even in the face of its opposi- tion, but they cannot invade areas supplied by Power Companies. Another indication of the! intention to favour private profiteering com- panies is to be found in the provisions relating to terms of purchase of existing undertakings. Profiteering undertakings, if they are taken over, are to be paid a sum equal to the value of the concern, but undertakings of public authori- ties are to be taken over at a price which is based on the capital, which in all municipal un- dertakings is heavily depreciated. It was stated in the course of the debate that Sheffield Cor- poration, for example, would sacrifice about tHC)1000 011 account of repayments of capital ex- penditure and reserves set aside, under the sug- gested method of purchase. Private companies do not repay the capital outvof profits, they dis- pose of their profits to their shareholders. A NEW ARMY SCANDAL. Colonel Norton Griffiths is a relentless perse- cutor of all who are opposed to compulsory mili- tary service. But he is indignant at present be- cause boys from the public schools (i.e., schools for the sons of men of his class) are just now being parsed into the Army as privates and not as commissioned officers. It is mererlv a tem- porary arrangement, due to the armistice, for the scheme of compulsory military service under normal conditions provides an easy passage for boys from the public schools into the army as officers, without serving, as ot hers have to do, in the ranks. It is not to be expected that the I sons, of aristocrats should be trained for military service in the ordinary way; be slanged or cbrsed by the drill sergeant, scrub tables and 'floors, and take their share as privates in the dirty and disagreeable work of the regiment, so they are given the special privilege of entering officers' cadet schools, provided they have taken (Continued at foot of next column).

I Dr. Campbell Morgan and Russia. I TO THE EDITOR, Sir,—I was not much surprised to hear that the Rev. Compbell Morgan had been repeating nonsense about Bolshevism in Russia. His words, lately reported in a Glamorgan paper, we are told, contained the following passage- One of the principles of Bolshevism was the nationalisation of women. If they wanted to test that statement the literature was avail- able." And so it is—why doesn't Dr. Campbell Mor- gan read it. He may read in the Socialist Constitution of the Russian Republic that all citizens of both sexes who have reached the age of eighteen have the right to vote for, and to be elected to the Soviets." Docs this look like the nationalisation of women? Or does it not sound rather like liberty for all women on equal terms with men? And why is it that he does not read his daily paper—for since I saw him committing this same mistake, a few weeks ago, this calculated lie has been exploded often enough ? Does this doctor of theology under- stand that lie is committing high treason against the Truth ?—in fact, that lie stabs the Christ he professes to preach in the heart by repeating these lies? What kind of a fool's paradise does he live in, if lie repeats week after week and month after month a despicable lie, invented by murderers, when it has been often enough and absolutely disproved during that time. No man should appear in public to give utter- ance to any statement—unless he has taken reasonable precaution to verify his facts. Does he not yet know that it is morally wrong to as- sert anything positively, especially to an audi- (iiice of people, unless he has taken due care to have it proved ? But this is always the weakness of a popular preacher. He grows so much accustomed to be believed, trusted and followed by the silly, ignor- ant crowds, that he almost becomes to consider himself infallible. And who knows but that this trait in human nature first gave rise to the idea of the infallibility of the Pope. If so, I would advise the doctor to be careful, to watch and pray and "prove all things." And I am also doubtful of the good taste of any man who would give expression to such an adulterous suggestion before a mixed audience of men, women and children^ as is generally the case at a preaching service. And, again, what of the action of the continued aggression of the Allies in Russia? And what •if'the Triple Alliance of ¡. o. workers:' Is that giant still asleep? We see now that the British Government is setting up a Purchasing Com- mi ssion in London for the purpose of equipping the army of Admiral Koltchak, who is fighting the Soviet forces in Russia." This Commission then, by order of the British Government is to supply tanks, aeroplanes and poison-gas to light tho Soviets. This British Government went out to the late war to fight for Democracy, and they nre now out to destroy the Government of the people in Russia, and at the same time rescuing the Royalties of Russia, in order to bring them into England for safety. And so we read that a sliipful of grand dukes and duchesses, princes and princesses are on their way to dear England —so that England has now been made safe for Aristocracy and Plutocracy, though qiiite unsafe for the people of England, for a great many of the democratic people of England are pining in English prisons. And the workers of Great Britain are silent. The giant is asleep, while its enemies are tying up his arms in Russia and Hungary. And the enemy knows well, it will not then be difficult to tie up or break his legs and destroy him altogether in Britain and France. But. the workers in Britain and France seem to be ignorant of this. They seem to be quite i oblivious of the fact that the cause of the workers in other countries is their cause, and that a defeat of the people in Hungary means defeat for the people of Britain too. Note a provision in the glorious-brotherly- just-peaoe-terms just published: "The work- men's and Soldiers' Councils must be dissolved." This is the order given to the government over Schleswig. So, we in France and Britain are out to destroy all or any Socialist Republic that shows its head. Our people are oonscribed for this purpose, and the British Labour and Social- ist movement is silent—the Giant is asleep-and murdered while he dreams of victory.-Yours, etc.. I D. D. WALTERS.

I SINN FEIN. A meeting of the Merthyr and Dowlais Club was held in the I.L.P. Institute on Sunday. Mr. D. 0. Driscoll presided. The following resolution was passed: "That this organisation take no part whatever in the peace celebrations, as we believe there can be no peace until Ireland takes her place among the nations; further, that we call on all Irishmen to refrain from participating in these celebra- tions." Mr. Crowley delivered a short address on the origin of Sinn Fein.

Open Letter to South Wales Miners. Fellow-Workers, Allow me to call your attention to a matter, which I consider to be of vital importance to you and I at the present moment. I daresay that most of you are aware of what has happen- ed to our fellow-workman, Morgan Jones, last week. After a long period of continuous perse- cution. he has again been arrested and handed over to the military. Why? I shall in a few brief words, state what I consider to be the reason. We have in this country a militarist caste which is rapidly gaining control of our national affairs. The militarist brute element is in the ascendancy in our country in spite of the fact: that three quarters of a million of our country- men have died and suffered in order to destroy it. HIS OFFENCE. Morgan Jones is an anti-militarist. Therefore; our militarists cannot afford to allow him to he at liberty. He is a danger to them because lie stands for the rights of the workers who are at heart opposed to militarism. What was the charge against him ? He had taken pai-t in pro- paganda! What propaganda? Anti-militarist and pro-working-class propaganda! Therefore the enemies of the workers must put him under lock and key! He must be gagged Now, what does this mean to you? In the words of the coster-monger, What aba't it? When I moved a resolution in my lodge last night more than one said: "I strongly disagree with the views of such men on the war, but I believe in liberty of opinion and liberty of ex- pression." I take it that most of you, if not all. who disagree on the war, hold this view. THE VITAL QUERY. Then if this is so, what action are you pre- pared to take to secure Morgan Jones' release? We know that the passing of strongly-worded resolutions and the making of passionate ap- peals never moves the Government. The only weapon at present at our disposal to secure our demands is the weapon of the strike. Often the threat. of a strike is as in the el,se of ,ent, as in the case of the Sankey Award. But this is not a question of an increase in wages or the shortening of hours, etc. You all admire Bob Smillie, do you ? Smillie said these words in Manchester on May 6th, j 1917: "Conscientious objectors really started the Labour Movoment, and secured the right to organise into Trade Unions. Many of them were put into gaol, but these were the conscien- tious objectors of the past, and we must honour them." Also he said: The conscientious objec- tor is fighting for the freedom of the democracy of the country." Smillie spoke those words two years ago. The Government still kept them in prison. Many of them have since died as a re- sult of ill-treatment. Morgan Jones was re- leased a physically broken man. He could do no work for a long time, and after a deal of care- ful attention lie recovered sufficientlv enough to take on some light work in a colliery. (Our business" Government could find nothing better for all educated school-teacher to do!) He stood as a candidate for the County Council in March, and I think he polled over 1,100 votes. What a're those 1,000 voters prepared to do for him now ? MILITARISM. 0 We have gone through a four and a-half years' war in order to "destroy militarism" and to make the world "safe for Democracv." Fellow- workers! the frail figure of our Comrade Mor- gan Jones lying in the detention cell of a mili- tary barracks to-day gives the lie to those high- sounding phrases! I have just received to-day's Herald containing the full text of the Offi- cial Document sent to commanding officers ask- ing them to report every Thursdav morning "without fail" on:- "Whether troops will assist in strike-breaking?" "Whether they will parade for draft to overseas, especially to Russia? "Whether there is any growth of Trade Union- ism among them?" "What effect outside Trade Unions have on them?" "Whether any agitation from internal or ex- ternal sources is affecting them?" So you see how thoroughly militarism has been destroyed Do you not think that the time for action has arrived? The "powers that be" are fortifying their positions and we are splitting airs about "methods" and "machinery of gov- ernment." It is useless discussing and quar- relling about "forms of government" when thci mass of the workers show no desire to "govern." When we have the frame of mind" we will find the "frame of Government." We know how to get more wages, and so Jet us adopt the same method to get more liberty. If Morgan Jones is allowed to go back again to prison, we, the South Wales miners who boast about our being "advanced, will be for ever disgraced. Let us then, "Act! act,! in the living present!" and remember tlie.ii,ords of Russell Lowell:— They are slaves who will not choose Hatred, scofifng, and abuse, Rather than in silence shrink From the Truth they needs must think They are slaves who dare not be Tn the Right with two or three! Yours fraternally. TOM EVANS, Chairman, l'ontardawe Trades and Labour Council. Dol-y-coed, Ynismudw. Swansea Valley, May 13th, 1019. »

Our Local Needs. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LABOUR COUN- CILLORS. BY L. BROWNING DAVIES. You will, I am quite sure, forgive my timerity in venturing—as a mere woman-to address you. There are, however, a few things to which I de- sire, most respectfully, to invite your special and particular attention, and I do so without apology, for. I feel that none is needed. You are, I doubt not, fully conscious of the tremend- ous responsibilities resting upon you as the re- presentatives of the noble army of workers on our local governing authorities. You have, as you aije well aware, been given a place in the seats of the mighty "-by the people, and you are there because the people felt that you would do your utmost to realise their ideals, further their aims and safeguard their interests; that you would strenuously endeavour to introduce as quickly as possible certain reforms, and effect certain improvements that are not only neoes- sary but absolutely imperative in the interest of the health and well-being of the great army of workers whom you represent. Sometimes it happens that when the people send their repre- sentatives to Parliament, to Councils, or other legislative or administrative authority, those re- presentatives become so obsessed with the dig- nity of their new position that the swelling of the head serves to close the eyes, and they be- come blind to the duties devolving upon them and heedless of the responsibility resting upon their shoulders. They thus fall an easy prey to the forces or reaction to be found, alas, on every governing body, and allow themselves to be do- minated and over-ruled by those whose interests are in direct conflict with the interest of the workers. FEUDAL SANITATION. Not one of you would, I am convinced, so far forget your duty not one would so far forfeit that self-respect, 'which is so priceless a thing to us all (and perhaps to none more so than to those occupying public positions) as to allow that kind of thing to happen. Thtworkers have confidence in you they have given you the very best proof of that confidence, and we are all well assured that you will justify it abundantly. Now I want to point that we living in tha Twentieth Century, and that sanitary science has marched far along the highway of Progress. You are smiling, and I can in fancy hear some of you murmuring with quiet sarcasm, "Queen Anne is dead." Yes, T know that T have written the obvious, made a statement of fact with which everybody is familiar, but the conditions exist- ing in some of the towns and villages in the mining districts in South Wales and Monmouth are such that I have no need to offer an apology for so doing. Those conditions unfortunately renders my statement of the obvious a necessity. There are many things to be met with that are sufficient to make one wonder whether we are living in the Twentieth Century;. wonder whether sanitary science has really marched far along the highway of Progress. And I want you, each one of you, to realise, that terrible things exist, that they are a blot upon our local ad- ministration, and that you are sent to the Coun- cils to remedy them, and that quickly. Take, for instance, those unsightly open ash-bins that are to be found at any rate in some parts of the dis- tricts covered by this journal. These are not only hideous, but a menace to health; placed often just outside a small house (big ones would not tolerate it five minutes). All the germs, all the smell, all the factors that brew disease, fly in through open window or door, operate quickly on the struggling child-life in small stuffy rooms, with disastrous results. These hideous disease-incubators are a scandal; and should be attended to immediately, 'ere the very hot weather oomes. Someone has woefully failed in the discharge of a duty to his fellows to have allowed them to remain an eye-sore and a pur- veyor of disease for so long. It is up to you to get rid, of them or at any rate to nullify their iil-effeets by providing each with a close-fitting cover—but rid the district of them would be the better way—and have the rubbish collected daily. More labour would be needed, you say. Yes, well we hear sometimes there are a large number of unemployed now that the war is over. LURID, INDEED. I Again, when those ash-bins are emptied their contents are thrown into an open cart, the dust the dirt, the germs, all the evil things generated by the refuse deposited there, being permitted to wander abroad at their own sweet will, with- out let or hindrance—and to fasten their poison- ous faijgs on whomsoever they will. (Did some- one say, Epidemics, influenza, measles, fevers? I wonder why ?) I am* not exaggerating a bit. I am not painting the picture in lurid colouring —there is no need, actual colours are in very truth lurid enough. If you think that I am over- drawing things, ask your medical officer of health. If they speak the truth they will bear out all I have said. Do you know of the deplor- able housing conditions existing in some parts of the districts, the utter unsatisfactory state of the sanitary arrangements—some of these being of the most primitive character? Do you know that recently a woman died in a small house of three rooms? The upstairs'rooms were totally unfit for a. sick person to occupy, the rain coming in badly and no fireplace, and that poor woman had to have her bed brought down into the one room downstairs, and there she died-and there mark you, she had to lie, in that one room in which those who loved her had to live and eat until she was carried forth for burial. Do you know this? This is the sort of thing that con- cerns you, that you are sent on to our adminis- trative bodies to alter. We are, I repeat, look- ing to you to do something. We are prepared to back you up to the fall extent of our power. Shall we look to you in vain ? I trow not. For are you not Labour men —the true repre- sentatives of the people. I have other thmgs to bring to your notie in future articles.

the precaution of joining the officers' training corps at their school. If this privilege were abolished conscription would not be so popular with aristocrats and plutocrats as it is at present. I PATRIOTISM NOT ENOUGH. The heroism of Edith Cavell is rightly honour- ed by this generation, and the story of it will he told with admiration long after this generation has passed. But when the hateful feelings .fos- tcred by war have died down, the story will be told differently. At present it is told to increase the hatred between man and man, and to widen the breach between nations. It is were not so, every newspaper last week, when Edith Oavell's body was being removed for burial would have thrown into high relief the niwt pregnant and significant words s he uttered when facing the German rifles: "STANDING IS VIEW OF GOD AND ETERNITY I REALISE THAI1 PATRIOTISM IS NOT ENOUGH. I MUST HAVE NO HATRED OH BITTERNESS TOWARDS ANYONE." |