Page
WHAT IS YOUR
T is common enough to hear men
To this the thoroughly comfort- able reply by calling me a Bolshe and women (especially men) of the Thoroughly Comfort vik and telling me it is wicked to strike "encourage the poor to quarrel with able class say of workers who for more reasonable wages or less their bread-and-butter
This is a familiar aspect of the exhausting hours: "What are they grumbling about ? There are many Class War. We can't do anything worse off than they are."
Hamilton Fyfe
He
“A lot of pity seems to have been extended to supposedly, hard- hit hus men, but really. I cannot appreciate that the men soyen
refer, we
de ployed are as badly hit anth
ndustries far: public is led to believe;
Veloped, and according to Mr. Co- "There are many, occupations, I lin Clark, who is reckoned by many am afraid, where men have to the ablest of our younger about, it, except make a note of the
work_equally hard, if not harder, mists the National Income is cap- and frequently are expected
to
able of providing for every family defer meal times in order to be of workers in Britain an income of obliging."
$6 per week.
I have sometimes asked such sums they consider "quite enough" people whether they would sympa- for others to live on, so that some thise with a strike of the worst- day, perhaps we may give them the paid. They usually reply with a muttered. “Not the right way go about it.”
opportunity to see how well they
IDEAL
I suppose their idea is that spectful-requests for a rise should be made for employers to turn down, and a patient ear be lent to the in-
can manage to keep themselves on variable assertion that "the busi- such pittances. ness can't stand any increase of expenses.
I have sometimes pointed out
that only by the demands of the B workers themselves are found
more highly-paid can the wage-level be raised.
whole
UT it's a different thing when
crabbing strike action just because The worst-paid d are too down the strikers have better conditions trodden, to revolt. They are ill- than their own.
Among the letters I got during organised as a rule. They have no resources to carry them through a the London Bus Strike, which looks, can only benefit by the way, like making history strike They through wages generally going up, and possibly marking a new stage and that general rise is caused by in Labour development, was the action of the better-paid...
THE
onė.
WAGE
econoTM
N less than that no one can be said to live a full life. Yet how few of the millions of Trade Unionists, are getting that, or any thing like it? Then the writer, evidently thoughtful fellow, went on to de- If you asked a land-worker what scribe his work in a garage from he would call a reasonable, wage, he eight in the morning till seven in would probably say, fa, because he the evening five days a week, and, only gets thirty shillinga. "if lucky, 8 to 1:30 on the sixth day.” If you asked a Clyde, engineer
hours.
or this, and for taking responsibil- getting 2 168, he would very ity that work is done properly, he likely pat it at £3 108. gets 3.10s, a week.
Both would measure the ideal in Two younger men, 24 and 21, are terms of the actual, and they would paid 358. and 25 for the same be making the same mistake as the The employer's excuse is writers of the letters I mentioned. that they are "gaining experience." That mistake is to allow for the These three considered the bus- disastrous effects of competition; men well-off, and their view was to accept the conditions imposed on from which I quote these sentences: shared by a good many others, the workers to-day as if they were What is the answer to them? unchangeable; to make the touch- The answer is that, if suchushort stone applicable to wages, not sighted thinking were to prevail, "How much will give people a de- the whole working-class, with the cent life?" but "How much can one exception of a few specially skilled lot. of workers expect to get in the categories, would be at the mercy market where everyone:is paidyas of the employers for ever and ever, little as they can be starved into amen!
taking ???.
WORLD GOES BY By "ULYSSES"
EPORTERS are usually male side of it is most convincing. The
REPORT Uways susceptible. un beatific expression of vi counten-
of
set, Whether this or that workers ought to get more wages
equipped with the knowledge neces-ance, eyelids down, mouth open, ears sary for genuine dramatic criticism, flapping, as I. bring the act to the /or shorter hours-is not a question and according to actresses general- consummation of ingurgitation, has to be settled by the argument that
"But," you may say, “suppose we apply your touchstone, suppose we set before us the hope of £6 a week as a family income, how can we possibly realise that hope?”
ty that worship, which belongs to only to be seen to be recognised as ons get less and work longer. WEL
The au-
the unknown, they usually turn on the acme of dramatic art.
the dience is satisfied, without any in- a tap of gush, flowing from reservoir of other men's phraseology, artistic superfluity of lip-smacking, with flotsam of technical or cant that I really wanted it. terminology in it.
TELL, there is only one way. That is to change the system, The deciding factors must be--
"Are they getting enough to to substitute Socialism for Capita- satisfy elementary human needs? lism. This means transferring the And do their hours give them the ownership of all the means of pro
persons chance of leading a healthy, hap duction from private
community. So long as private py life?” The difference between Capitalism persons own the factories, mills, and Socialism is that the one asks other transport services, so long collieries, shipyards, railways and "How little can we get the worker
the
An actress is to them always an Answers To "emotional actress," as if there were any acting who are not emotional. Correspondents Should she be pretty, as she quite
The correct answer to the to accept under the grim pressure will they take the cream off the frequently is, and not adverse from publicity, and "graciously consents" riddle, Why is a flapper like a span of competition?" while Socialism proceeds and leave the workers the
H.H.
heads declares, "Every worker must get to an interview with the newsman,ner? is that she "turns the
You must be care-as nearly as possible the weekly sum he's a gone coon. There is only the of the knuts.”
A good story that will ensure him a decent ex- sub-editorial blue pencil to prevent ful to get it right. him making himself and the paper or joke incorrectly told may be istence."
In the only country which has ridiculous, and the lady happy. quite spoiled, and that's always a
yet adopted Socialism, it has not been possible so far to share out on a basis of universal well-being.2 There are still many Russian work-
le word," passed some
K.W.
!
akim milk
When the community owns the means of production, its experts can decide what to produce. This would enormously reduce waste. Competitive trade, makes – nearly everything cost a great deal more than it would if we produced for ourselves on carefully planned lines.
ent classes, of workers to extort
ployers living in
The
I remember reading somewhere, waste.
* sometime in the hazy past, a de-
It would not cause me scription of the wonderfully artistic way in which an actress of estab- an instant's pain if you were never lished reputation occupied the stage to write to me again. I know it is ers who have not enough living- We shall, as, Socialists, plan, our alone, and "without uttering a sing- a hard thing for you to believe, but space, who have a very little over payments as well as our products. effective the honest truth is that I could when they have satisfied their daily No longer will it be left to differ minutes in pouring out a cup of exist happily if you had never hap-needs, who are far from the standa
was de- pened. Riding back on the empty ard of comfort at which Socialism what they can from reluctant em- tea and drinking it. This scribed as an exhibition of "cleverly hearse, after your funeral, would re- aims suppressed emotion.” It seems to present for me the end of a perfect. But that is because Russia had amount required to support a fam-
a great deal of lee way to make up: ily, or a single woman or mar be more like a case of suppressing day..
Industry, was not highly developed be calculated and that will be Ajax: I myself am prepared to sit on
If that is your opinion even before: the civil, want (with standard ware, any stage, without saying a single of me, you are quite entitled to it. Britain and France helping the re If Mr. Colin Clark is right, and yon bels). After that war, it had to be nobody has challenged him, the word, mind you, and to pour out I admit without reserve that
in have said something I can under- established almost from the ground figure would. in Britain, be a bottle of beer and drink-it the most realistic manner. where I gained such dramatic abil-¡ ity, I will prove my modesty answering that it came naturally me. No credit to me
a thirst.
Asked stand.
B. by
*
*
are barred Improprieties Why waste your evident lack of nar Itrative prose? Write me something
decent.
just happens that I cant
1
**
*
where about £6.
will
some-
up
What Russian workers known is- That is what all workers should that, as industry, prospera, sa, they go for, as hard as they can. will become better off. They know, they are united, and resolute, they too, that, as one of them put it to can get it. If they quarrel among Mrs. Sidney, Webby they get what themselves, indulge in heresy there is. They do not see people hunts, and say Why should 180- X-Yes, the old custom of firms, who live, by owning walk off with, and so get better wages, or shorter nine: they will find hand is really masterly. Henry Irving forbidding employees to marry has the greater part of the value of hours than
themselves even. VOR off than could not have surpassed it. The idea practically died out. I remind you what they producer of concentrated attention and fas- that in Hong Kong, as is well known, Their production is not yet equal. they are now..
There is no doubt whatever tidious care as I tilt the tumbler one can live just as expensively as to providing all that Socialism-con-
siders their right. This is due to about that. and spill the beer against the inner two.
representation of real desire as
pick up the bottle with a trembling
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