The daily worker., 1924-05-03
By T. J. MURPHY

year, to be afterwards terminated by
IA days notice on either side.
May Be Political Crisis.
Upon this program the miners min
,rities are c,-eloping thruout the coal
fields and 1t may be that the salvation
of the Miners Federation of Great
Britain depends upon the development
Of this movement At the moment its
lent chance Of securing the post as
Secretary in succession to Frank
Hodges. (He has since been elected.
Ed. note.) But it is impossible to tell
yet whether this effort has struck
deeper roots than the discomfort aris-
ing out of the wages agreement. But
it was through the actions of its lead
ers that the first offer of the employ
ers were rejected and the government
was challenged to proceed with the
wages bill. And now it is struggle
between the politicians OF the labor
government and these leaders as to
whether the miners crisis will land
them into a first class political crisis.
But housing is the one question
upon which the government is schem-
ing and hopes to make the big thing
If its existence. 1t is in fact calculated
By many that upon this question they
will ultimately go to the country with
Wheatley and Macdonald united in a
campaign of indignation and rousing
propaganda. But there is a gap be-
.ween now and the time when they
hope to challenge the parties. This
/ they hope to fill with international
negotiations as their contribution to
the solution of the unemployed pro-
blem and the raising of British pres
tige in the Councils of Nations" But
evictions are developing on big
scale and making things urgent.
Hence facilities nave been given for
the pushing of the Rents Amendment
Bill which has now gone before a
committee. This is private bill to
which Wheatley gave his blessing but
hicn the government lid not adopt
Is its own bill for fear of defeat. This
proposed not only the reduction of
rent but the continuation of control
until 1928, with the provision that
anyone wanting their house back or
wishing to turn out a tenant must
provide alternative accommodation
The Liberals and Tories have COM
bined to defeat this measure in the
committee stage of the bill. But the
matter is urgent and there are already
the threats of Maxton and others to
challenge the evictions with mass ac-
ton. So one more item is going to be
watered out of the situation. The gov
ernment will be compelled to intro
duce a measure within the next few
days to stop evictions, but in order
to get it thru quickly the question of
rent reductions will be sacrificed.
Rough Seas.
The government is getting into
rough waters as well as deep. While
the plans for house building are being
prepared and negotiations between
the unions and the employers are 60
ing on, the building workers are push
ing in demands for I'd per hour in
crease in wages. There is a deadlock
on this issue already and the build
ing workers are threatening a ma
tional strike if something tangible is
not forthcoming during next week.
They have already had six months of
negotiation on the matter and pa
tience doesn't last forever. Then the
price Of bricks is going up at the
prospect of big contracts. In the last
few weeks they have risen 5 shiIIings
per thousand. The fifteen to twenty
years building program with guaran-
teed employment for three years on
end to the building workers and
shillings per week houses is looking
bit sick under these conditions. But
then, they will persist in chasing this
will of the wisp of "gradualism" and
refuse to face the fact that workers
government can never hope to carry
out its programs of reconstruction so