COASTERS ABROAD.

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1922, Page 7

COASTERS ABROAD.

IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND. Writing from tho North of England under date of June 16, “Cornerman’’ of the “Argus,’* remarks on the unemployment so: — “I am still making the above ad-

dress my headquarters, and have now about finished my tour of the North of England. I went to Carisle last | week-end, and found conditions there i the same as in most big towns —bad. Unemployment is rampant, and the streets ajo full of workless men and youths, hanging about street corners and looking pale and hungry. Returned soldiers, minus limbs or arms, are to be seen playing violins, barrel organs and concertinas, whilst one is frequently accosted by men with the service badge in their coats, hawking studs, post-cards, boot laces, and such likes. Carlisle, a city of some 60,000 inhabitants, and one of the largest railway termini in England, is at present a city of poverty, and God alone knows how many of the men and women exist. As you will have heard by cable, the engineers’ lock-out is over, a big majority voting in favour of the employers’ proposals. At present the boiler-makers are the only mili- . tant section of the industry, but at a national conference of their representatives, hold at Newcastle, yesterday, tho executive was instructed, with a view to arriving at a settlement, to take what steps they think necessary. This no doubt means surrender, and with it the victory* of the employers will be complete. English industrial workers are to-day as disunited as they were before the war, and the prospects of better conditions and wages are worse than in New Zealand. There are rumours of trouble in the mining jndutfry, but what is the use? Most of the men’s leaders are opportunists, or weak-kneed in the hour of a crisis and the capitalistic press has carried on such a successful propaganda that public sentiment is in the majority against the men fighting. A case was heard recently before a King’s Bench Divisional Court, in which Messrs

Skinner and Holford, Ltd., colliery proprietors, were charged with a contraventiop of the law providing that minors shall not be down below over seven hours. As usual, the information was dismissed, the Magistrates holding that there had been no offence, because some of the shift were up within the seven hours. An appeal was allowed however and on the ruling of the Lord r Chief Justice the owners were convict ' cd. According to an announcement on miners’ wages by the Mining Associa tion, the average earnings per shift per person (men and boys) during April was 10/61. The aggregate wages bill at the collieries was £7,750,380, of which £5,682,400 represented ■“standard wages.’’ The association contends that when wages are reduced to the minimum as provided in the agreement, they will be 42.97 above the 1914 level, and not 20 per cent. Even so the association forgets to state that the present-day cost of living is in some eases It'll per cent, higher than in 1914, and that many workers ar. paying 20/- a week house rent. “The half-time or child labour, system in England, will 5 tally disappcai

at the end of this month. On and after July 1 no child can leave school before the end of the term during which he or she attains the age of .14 years. Negotiations between North Wales quarry owners and their 7000 employees, now on strike over a minimum wage, reached another stage yes terday, when the owners offered :i minimum of 45/ weekly instead of 41/ to those men who fail to earn theii contract rules. The men are consider ing tho offer. With irregular employ inent, high rents, beef and mutton uj

to 2/- per lb, and a family of sometimes four and five to keep the quarryman earning even 50/- a week is in A for a “high” time! The extreme poverty in some of the Welsh mining districts is so severe that in some cases children are unable to attend school owing to the want of boots and clothing. Some of the miners are earning only 6/- a day wheih is totally insufficient in cases of men who haw a family to maintain. In one district of Elintshire, members of tho education authority regretted that Urey had no power to give boots or clothing and requested that the attention of the relieving officer bo called to the more serious cases. At Blaina 13,000 out of a population of 16,500 are on tho

rates. At Abcrtillcry £12,000 is outstanding on the poor rate alone, and on the district rate about £17,000. Since March only £7OOO has been collected. Industries have been closed down, partly in consequence of the high rates, thus causing more unemployment, which means that there is less money for the ■ssistanee of those in need. And in the midst of all this poverty and privation there are more motor ears and ouring autocrats to be seen in England han before the war. On every county road, from early morning to set of sun, thousands of elaborately-fitted md highly-powered private touring cars tick up the dust in one mad stream of pleasure-seekers. Garages are springing up like mushrooms in the provincial towns, and beyond giving work to an average of about 100 mechanics per town, they eater in 90 per cent, of | cases, for people who rush around England in comfort and affluence, knowing little and caring less for the grim b: ttle being waged against starvation by the workers of the towns through which they pass. And to this country of wealth and poverty: to this “heart of the glorious British Empire” will come the Prince of Wales, after a little trip to the East that will cost tr.e British ratepayer More millio than the average Henry has pounds. Already elaborate preparations have been made to welcome him home and more | public money expended to greet a young | man who has been doing nothing else but spend public money for the past i few months. The daily press are coni- | ing out with hectic, headings such as “Our Prince,” “Prince (.'harming lie- | turning,” “Homecoming of ‘Our Young Man’,” and the well-worked I smile is again in evidence, guaranteed ; to win the hearts of the starving and , work less and serve as a substitute fur | a nhich-needed solid feed! W'hat a ! wonderful and deadly weapon the | Capitalists possess in the daily press! i “I saw it in the papers” is the hall- : mark of truth and even the youngsters are being catered for by special dope. Education is the only salvation of the workers of to-morrow. Until we are able to get to the mind of the youngster and instil into it that doctrine of brotherhood and equality, the fight will be well-night hopeless. Customs and environment die hard and the chances of converting a man nearing 40 are as slight as turning the Prince of Wales into a Communist. Give my regards to all.”