LABOUR AND COMMUNISM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17528, 4 May 1925, Page 6

LABOUR AND COMMUNISM.

TO TRI £DI TOJ Sir.—Regarding your leader, Who’s Who in the Labour Party, I contend that the Engineering Masters' Federalion have made more men in Britain Communists than any other body. I know levei-headcd men. first-class mechanics. who have seen Red owing to the starvation wages paid to engineers at home. The rate of pay minimum. and that is the rate of pay for the trade, is at present Is an hour plus 10s a week for bonus, £2 17s a week. Xo man can keep a family on that wage, they may exist, that o all. Thousands of ’mechanics are leaving Home for America, where they get a decent reward for their skill. Messrs Vickers, at Barron, re-opened their shipvards there some time back to stem i he rush to leave the Old Country. Prewar, an engineer was paid a higher wage than manv trades. To-day m England, bus drivers, tramway men and even council men on road work, get a better wage. Good luck to them. I am not a Communist, but if I could not keep mv family in decent food, 1 have not a doubt I should soon be one. If some of the people were

to go into some of the coal-mining centres at Home and see the conditions under which the poor devils live and work you would not wonder at unrest. I L have a certain respect for Mr SnowI den. but I can remember hearing him ; speak in a mining town and 1 can ! assure you he was then a right out Com- ' munist, if ever there was one, *;i fact, i it. was owing to hearing him speak that ! Frank Hodges, one of the ablest men j on Labour's behalf was inspired to become Ihe man he is to-day.-—I am, etc., j AX OLD A.S.E. MEMBER. • 1 Smre then, presumably. Mi Snowj.den has learned what C orr.muiifism I -rali' hands for -Ed, star >