The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-27
Ships Crew Reveals That
British Imperialism Rests
On Quicksands Of Discomfort
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL

lNISCONTENT among the workers! There is plenty of
it on an ocean liner. "The Mauretania," of the
Cunard Line, the British steamship corporation proved
no exception.
In the early evening several days at sea, with the
first decent weather had had out of Cherbourg,
France, the sailor posted in the deck house far asen
in the second class section unfrendly In fact
he invited conversation.
"The union is good!" and 81 had to come to sea,
because couldn't get job land" and 'the S1.50
day that get isn't enough die on let alone live on
summed up most of his complaint
He had gone to sea in 1884, first joining the British
navy. That was 43 years a'o. He is still a sailor.
Most of his wrath wa1 directed against Havelocl Will
son, the head of the Rrt So Union, who brought
little infamy upo his last year by joining
with the reactonary lab, fsnlp in the betrayal of
the British general strike sailor was quite proud
of the fact that members of the Sailors Union had
Joined the general strike in spite of Havelock Wilson's
efforts to keep them at work.
Then it is Havelock Wilson that you are opposed to
and not the union itself" pointed out
But it was difficult to persuade him that the union
getting much for him. The betrayal of the general
strike and the surrender of the offciadom had brought
big reduction in wages. Conditions than
ever. The get pay for instance, for the few
days they in port between trips. This made
possible for this sailor when in port at Southampton
England to home to his wife and children The
Under these conditions he was prone feel that the
money paid in dues to the union was a waste.
"But you can't get job British ship without be-
longing to the union" he added.
Here was smoulderng material, thai could be set into
flames against organized labor when lured into the grip
of fascism.
Out the deck among the many passengers watch
ing the sunset host of Rotarians, who
turning from the International Congress of Rotarians
just held at Ostend, Belgium.
These Rotarans pufed with the of their
gathering Nearly 5000 had from the United
various countries of Europe with several thousand
England These middle class professional and little
business men, many of them with their families,
quite proud of the strength they had shown Business
good in the United States and "Sent CAL, their
common pride going to be reelected president in
spite of the anti-third term sentiment
These Rotarans gogetters for themselves and for
American greed, with faith in their organization and
their social SYSTEM quite the opposite from the lack
faith of the British sailor in his union and the
his class.
They the Special Train at Care ST. Iazare, /
the railroad station in Paris from which departed
for the coast letting everyone know who they They
couldn't have been conspicuous if they
ing the nghtshirts of the Ku Kux Khan, the hooded
order of their ik They had their special dinner"
board. And of their number had published, on
the ships PRESS Bulletin" on the wind-up of the
Ostend gathering that had been addressed by Albert
King of the Belgans, himself They had not understood
lin. But that had made difference. They gurgled
yer this king, just much American "high society