The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-05-11
London Letter
BY EVELYN SHARP
Federated Press Staff Writer

London.-Trouble is threatening on
the railways through a proposed re-
ductiOn in the wages of rail clerks and
others, that may lead shortly to a
railway strike, with all its accompany
ing dislOcation of transport and stop
page of industry.
The Norfolk agricultural labOreTs
are still fighting the farmers, nonoin-
ally over a shilling a week and two
extra hours per week-but Of vital i'm
poftance to the men, coming on the
top of incessant reductions of wages
and increase of hours which must be
stopped or every advantage won by
the men over their prewar staus will
disappear.
The miners strike has been settled
for the time being. A great industrial
victory has been gained in the sus-
pension of the building lockout
through an agreement to refer the va
lidity of the lockout and the employ
ers' wage demand to arbitration, and
refer the third point, increase in hours
to blot of the building operatives
before reference to arbitration. To
have averted enforced idleness among
half a million building workers at a
moment when the housing shortage is
acute is an achievement.
x
Capitalist newspapers are clamoring
for the abolitio of the unemployment
benefit ignoring, of course, that a
large proportion of this has been paid
by the workers themselves when in
employment in the name of economy.
They do not explain how economy is
to be effected by driving 5,OGG moo
peOple-counting the families of the
voorhees, million and a half that even
the official figures admit-into the
workhOuse. There is the popular allie
cation that "these people don't want
work" But only this week I saw 400
letters that arrived by one mail nj
answer to one insertion of an adver-
tisement for caretaker, and the
greater number of applicants could
mention years of previous service and
lmimpeachable references.
In parliament, the government has
introduced its budget, with popular
clauses reducing somewhat the tax on
beer and taking siXpences off the high
err rate of income tax, but molly three
pence off that on smaller incomes. It
is a rich mans budget, as might be
expected from a rich mans govern
ment. Nothing in it will relieve the
poor man, already taxed beyond his
economic capacity. The exemption
limit of taxable income is not raised
thegreatest relief that could be given
to those who pay direct taxes on small
incomes; nor is any of the tax remit
ted on tea or sugar, both necessities
in the poorest class of home.
Similarly, nothing drastic is prOpOs-
ed for the reduction of the heavy bur-
den of debt that is weighing down the
nation and helping to create unem-
ployment. AS labor pointed out in
the budget debate, the chancellor's re-
lance upon a sinking fund to pay off
national debt means that we shall be
saddled for generations with the at
tempt to pay for the war. The house
was. reminded that we have not yet
paid for Waterloo and the French
wars of hundred years ago; and if
we continue to rely on sinking funds
we never shall be clear of our war
debts, past and present. Labor start
ed again the case for a capital levy.
The foreign factor in unemployment
remains as potent as ever. The dis
closure made by John Hill of the boil
ermakers' union, pointing out that the
French army had stopped the manu-
facture or export from the Ruhr of
large quantities of steel ordered from
the Germans by British manufacture