Grey River Argus and Blackball News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1922. CONFLICTING STOMACH PHILOSOPHIES.

Grey River Argus, 7 June 1922, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1922. CONFLICTING STOMACH PHILOSOPHIES.

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How much—or little—can a, worker live on? Iders differ! From all sides there come continued reports of a ruthless economic war on the working class. This country, unless it has a change of Government shortly, is destined to see a worse war on wages than ever, eccentuated by a bigger influx than heretofore of cheap labour. There is a plan afoot to shunt 2,000,000 out of Great Britain. Australasian is destined to get the majority of them. The now openly admitted reason is that the moneyed classes in England, if they can dodge the responsibility of saving these “surplus” citizens from starvation, by shouldering it upon the Dominions, are quite ready to do so, “Migration,” or a “renewal of the British race,” is the name these exploiters give their base design to escape taxation. Nothing is more easy than to produce wealth, but production has declined at a time when humanitys needs are more simply because, despite a plentitude of raw materials, the owners and controllers of the machinery of production and distribution are unable to collect what they term “an adequate return upon investments.” Australian shearers may stay idle, iron works may close, our own miners, timber workers, or other wage-earners may remain idle, but it is the owners who deereeed the stoppage of the wheels of industry, and the misery and want bred by unemployment. The Empire is designed to grow while millions starve and while hundreds of millions are squandered on armaments or the implements of human slaughter. Some few designing “heads” and a host of jmpty heads, give their time to drag*

ooning the rising generation in the empty practices of flag-flapping and saluting and mournful “community” singing, but do they imagine that sort of thing is going to avail against starvation in years to come? More fools they! The * 4 shrewdies” among tlie owning classes arc out for patriotism th:it is more accurately spelt “profits.” A while ago Britain’s coal industry was reported ruined, but wages were then put on the chopping black, and we see the British coal industry reported very busy now. The fact is that the “victors” in the war have to compete with the “vanquished,” the burdens imposed on whom make them exploit their labour worse than ever. Hence, before the crowd who shout for more production, will even allow any production, they require w: ges levelled to where they can see plenty of what they term “interest on capital invested.” Mind, tis not now the cost of living they holler at the worker, but the “slumps,” us if profits should come before even bare subsistence for the actual producer! International cut-throat competition may be keen, but the capitalists aim to take profits out of their workers’ bodies, if unable to exploit them otherwise. The British Trade Commissioner at Wellington declares trade statistics show the slum]) talk was greatly exaggerated by New Zealand employers, but they did not scruple to continue in a general sacking match so as to lower wages below the 1914 level. The Government doesn’t even know how many are unemployed in the country, but is ready for further big batches of immigrants in a month or two. The workers of New Zealand had better unite, not merely in defending the principle of a decent standard of living, but make the Arbitration Court graduate its pace in wage-cutting as slowly as it did when adjusting wages to the rise in the cost of living. At the present rate, it is calculated the Court would have wages over .20 per cent, below 1914 rates were the cost of living to return to the 1914 level. In Australian, indeed, the employers are as it is compulsory, in order even more moving to drop arbitration, in order even more greatly to accelerate the wage-cutting! Wo note Mr Massey has something of the same idea in his head. If he regains power at the coming election, this country is destined for a great industrial unh eaval, but a huge wage war nevertheless, and doubtless a greatly reduced standard of living for all calsses of wage earners. That is as certain as anything can be! The plans are already prepared, and the secrecj’ about them and the vague hints about strategic moves this session to initate them, are a very ominous feature of the situation. Women workers in the cities are already hardly able to exist since the wage cut even when not unemployed. The women are likely to suffer most from the exploiters, so they had better beware. The whole idea behind the plutocratic talk about a trade recovery and a better outlook is that they expect cheaper labour and hence larger profits. It is hard to get many workers reflect either on profits, or their sometimes hidden identity with what is called patriotism, but is really at best sectionalism or worse. If these wage slaves refuse to learn their lesson from observation and reflection, there is the sad saisf action of predicting their stomachs will soon teach them.