MARCH,1946 75 astrikearefightingadifficultbaule.Theirunionfunds givethemnobenefit,theirleaderscondemnthem,thewhole ofthedailypress,fromthe DailyWorker tothe Daily Telegraph, accusesthemoftreason,andtheGovernment whichwenttopowerontheirvotessendssoldierstobreak theirstrike.Thedockersbuiltupaneficientstrikeorganisationandactedwiththegreatestvoluntarydiscipline, sothatevenLabourM.P'swereledtopraisethem,butin theendthelackofmoneydrovethemtoreturntowork foranawardofamerefractionoftheincreasetheyhad demanded.Afterthisexample,meninotherindustriesare charyofembarkingonstrikes,andinrecentmonthsthere havebeenonlyafewverysmaldisputesofshortduration. Workingslow,ontheotherhand,seemstobegainingin popularity,but it isverydifficulttoseewhetherithas muchrealsuccess,asfewoftheincidentsaremadepublic. THEprincipalindustrialworyofthegovernmentcomes notsomuchfromdisputes,asfromthelabourshortageinbasicoccupations,particularlycoalminingand farminz.Themenreleasedfromthearmyarechoosing morehighlypaidandlessunpleasantjobs,andfarmwork- ersandcolierswhoareoferedspecialreleasefromthe armytoreturntotheiroldworkareelectingtostayon inordertobefreetochoosebetterwork. Inminingthere isestimatedtobeanannualwastageofmorethan70,000 men,partlyduetothereluctanceofyoungmentoenter theindustry,andtoalessextentduetotheseverein- creaseoflungdiseaseinSouthWales.Effortsatcompulsion,andparticularlytheBevinBoyscheme,havefailed completely.Fewoftheconscriptsbecamegoodcoliers, andalargenumberestimatedat20,000havedeserted andarestillbeinghuntedout.Atpresentthereisahigh degreeofabsenteeismamongthediscontentedminers,and theMinisterofFuelhasthreatenednewpenaltiesformen whopersistintakingholidayswhentheywantthem. Thecauseoftroubleinfarmingistheextremelylowwage rateof£3.10.0(141/2dolars)aweek,thelowestindus- trialrateinthecountryforskilledwork.Thefailureof anattempttoraisethelevelby£1,hascausedbitterness amongthefarmworkers,whoarejoiningthetradeunions morerapidlythanforfortyyears.Thereisnotlikelyto beanylargestrikeoffarmworkers,astheirgroupinginto smalunitsmakesorganisationdifficult,buttheyareal- readybeginningtoworkslow,andalsotoleavetheland asfarastheycan.Duringthewarthefarmswereculti- vetedwiththehelpoflargegroupsofoutsidelabour,land girls,conscientiousobjectorsandprisonersofwar,and whenallthesearereleasedandthelabourrestrictionson landworkersareremoved,therewillbeagreatlabour crisisinthefarmingindustry,whichcanonlybealeviated bybeterconditionsofwork. Yet,althoughtherearenotenoughmenforminingand agriculture,unemploymentisalreadyreappearinginthe industrialcentres. Inmassitisnotveryserious-300,000 inall—butthesignificantfactisthatitisappearingalmost entirelyintheolddepressedareasofWales,Scotlandand theTyne,whichweregivenanartificialstimulusbythe munitionsindustryduringthewar.Wales,with5%of thepopulationofGreatBritain,has20%of itsunem- ployed,andtherearetownsinScotlandwhereupto50% ofthepeopleareoutofworkowingtothefailureofwar- timeemploymentThegovernmenthascompletelyfailed toprovidetheindustrialmeansofimplementingwartime promisesthatthe"depressed"areaswouldneversuffer againastheydidbeforethewar,anditseemslikelythat anyfutureeconomiccrisiswillonceagaindevastatethese areas. BibliotecaGinoBianco THEUnitedNationscarryontheirdeliberationsamong thealmostcompleteindiferenceoftheEnglishpeople. Fewevenmentionthesubject,andiftheydo,itisusualy incynicism.Amongtheintelectualstherehasbeena rushforhighlypaidjobs,andtheforeignsectionsofthe B.B.C.havebeendenudedbyafloodofresignations. Russophobiaisontheincrease,andonlytheCommunists andafewisolatedintelectualslikeJ.B.PriestleyarecontinuingthechorusofpraisefortheRedArmywhichwas infullswingalittlewhileago.TheothereveningIheard Vyshinskyhissedwhenheappearedonanewsreelina centralLondoncinema.Someofthisfeelingisofaspuriouskind,arisingmerelyfromtheoficialanti-Russianline, butmuchof itreflectsagenuinehorroratRussia'srecord inEurope.Thisatitudeisparticularlystronginthearmy, whichayearagowaspro-Russian,butwhich,sinceBritish soldiersbegantoencountertheRedArmy in theflesh, hasbecomesteadilyanti-Communist.Amongtheintellectualsthechangeinattitudehasbeenshownbythegreat popularityofGeorgeOrwell'ssatireonRussia, Animal Farm, whichayearagohewaspeddlingroundpublishers whowereafraidtobringoutsuchananti-Communistbook. THENEWLes,bER IsHappyToAn WORLDEVENTS Anewmonthlysupplement.Thisdetailedinterpretativeclose-upstudyeachmonthofanimport- antcurentproblem,writenbydistinguishedpoliticalobserversandanalysts(WilliamHenry Chamberlin,DavidJ.Dallin,etc.)isinvaluable foracomprehensiveandrealisticunderstandingof thenews. Currentsupplement:NewDevelopmentsinPost- warSovietRussia; astudyofinternaltransformations,byBorisNicolaevsky,SolomonSchwarz, GeorgeDenicke. COMINGSOONIN"THENEWLEADER" DLeoornoBth l yuTmhompson DBaervnidarJd. HDea l l einr KatherineLenroot MWil eensdAetk lBinesr ogen Gov.ElisArnal FrancisDowning ArticleLsoBu y isDeBrouckere H.N.Brailsford MChaaur r leicseZWimimliaemrman JKearr rylRVeononrher is BorisJ.Nicolaevsky GerhartH.Seger WiliamAgar THEMENWHOMAKETHENEWS WRITEFORTHENEWLEADER! TheNewLeader,7East15thSt,NewYork3,N.Y. NAMEZ O N E ADDRESS CITYS T A T E $3for52issuesandtwelvemagazinesupplements; $2forsixmonths;$1forthreemonthtrialsub.
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