FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.

Grey River Argus, 1 September 1927, Page 6

FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.

Movement in Britain. COMMUNIST SUCCESSES. Following initial successes: in the Castleford area, further striking victories have been achieved by the Communist Party and Minority Movement candidates in the Yorkshire Miners’ Association branch elections. The results show they have three chairmen (C.P.), three treasurers (M.M.), ten delegates (6 C.P., 4 M.M.), and eleven committeemen (6 C.P., 5 M.M.). Before tho elections they had only one Party member as delegate to Council, and practically no other branch official positions. By branches the ro suits are as follows:—Allerton (C.P Chairman; M.M. delegate and Treasurer), Briggs Whitwood (C.P. chairman and delegate; M.M. treasurer and four committeemen), Fryston No. 1 (C.P. chairman; M.M. delegate and one committeeman, Barnsley Main (C.P. delegate; our nominee for chairman was defeated by only nine votes) Rockingham No. 1 (C.P. committee man), Rockingham No. 2 (C.P. dek gate —unopposed), Wharnccliffe Wood moor (C.P. delegate), Silverwcfod (C.P committeemen), Manton (C.P. del? pate), |Askeiffi (C.P. Jcommlitteeman.) Bullcroft (C.P. committeemaai), Den aby (M.M. delegate), Barrow (C.P delegate), Wath (M.M. delegate), Edlington (M.M. Treasurer).

Silverwood is significant; the branch was recently visited by Joseph Jones, who indulged at length in his usual anti-Communist stuff. Comrade Ilarrv Webb replied to Jones at Silverwood the next week. In the elections only two of the old gang were returned. The comrade who was elected to the com niittee as Askern was the day after the election given notice. At Silverwood only two of the old officials got bach and a Party member came second on the poll for the committee. The new leadership must live up to its mandate —-fighting for a national Union, and organising a local Back to the Union campaign (already, with the change, non-unionists are talking of “coming back”). Monthly mass meetings of those miners who live at Rotherham thould bo held, and in general the “gingering up” of the Rotherham area of the Y.M.A. undertaken. At a meeting of the Fife Miners’ Executive, the branches showed again well ahead of the officials regarding the immediate needs of the miners. In spite of tho official fog screen about “Russian Dictatorship” and the Min ers’ International, the branches by 49 votes Io 3 “instructed 8.M.F.G.8. of ficials to strengthen the Anglo-Russian Miners’ Committee as only by consol idation of that Committee can a real Miners’ International be built up.” Another resolution dealing with organ isation, “recognising the inherent weaknesses (which manifested them solves last year) of the Federal struc lure of the M.F.G.8., instruct th** M.F.G.B. officials to call a conferenct of rank and file delegates from all parts of the coalfields for the purpose pf discussing and laying the basis fo) ci centrally directed British Minework ors’ Union,” was passed by 37 votes to 10. Tho Communist Party can justly claim that they have won the first round against the officials by getting the branches to adopt those resolutions Very important issues faced the delegates to the annual conference of the South Wales Miners’ Federation, held in Cardiff. The first was victimisation, which took up nearly the whole of the first morning. In spite of op position to the strike method, the con ference decided to call a special confcrertee in the near future for the purpose of endeavouring to make provision for victimised men; at the same time to discuss a stoppage of work in ordei that these men might be re-employed, thus rendering provision of victimisation funds necessary. Tho second important matter was the affiliation of the Communist Party to the Nation’ll Labour Party. After a short discussion a vote was taken and only six in the whole conference voted against the Communist Party being affiliated to th? Labour Party; subject, of course, to the Communist Party being prepared to accept the constitution of the Lab our Party. The conference protested against the “ non-recognition ” by the T.U.C. General Council of Trades Councils affiliated to the Minority Movement. The next matter was international organisation of miners. The resolution and the addendum calling for the setting up of an Anglo-Russian Miners’ Committee for the object of convening a world conference of mineworkers regardless of religion, colour, or politics, was unanimously carried. The question of One Miners’ Union and re-organisation of the Miners’ Federation was adjourned to a special conference because of lack of time. The desire of the delegates to have this matter speedily dealt with in view of the early approach ef the termination ■ of the Durham Agreement was only secondary to the earnest intention that when it is discussed it must secure full and detailed consideration and not be skipped over. In the ballot for VicePresident, S.O. Davies secured 91 votes as against 23 for Arthur Jenkins and 11 for George Davies. On the whole, though the conference was not as en thusiastic as one might hope, there was, nevertheless, evident determination to build up and improve the organisation to such an extent as will make it a machine capable of directing and con trolling the mineworkers in their fight against coal owners who are becoming rapacious with every new evidence of weakness on the part of the workmen. In the elections for the officials and committee of Abertidwr Lodge, only two of the old committee were returned —and they were left-wingers. The only Communist on the old committee has been elected Chairman; tha Vice-Chairman and the delegate to tho East Glamorgan district arc likewise Party members. For the Committee of twelve, the Communists had seven Par ty members standing, and six were elected. The other six are definite leftwingers, one a Minority Movement member, and the other a N.U.W.C.M official. Senghenydd Lodge voted for C.P. affiliation to the Labour Party. It is the writing on the wall for the right wing leader”