The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-17
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

u1y CNeIllIlS Jlle CI6WS ISluSeu W JuIA
in when the lights were sounded out
When the order was given to weigh
anchor and proceed to manoeuvers.
the men refused to obey, whereupon
the manoeuvres we're abandoned. On
Tuesday and Wednesday the dis
obedience continued. The authorities
are doing their utmost to minimize
the Importance of the happenings.
They announce that the disturbances
are confined to Invergordon. How
ever, all leave has stopped at other
ports and naval shore patrols have
been strengthened.
1t was announced that the First
Lord of the Admiralty will make a
statement in the House of Commons
this evening
Altho a strict censorship has been
established by the Macdonald gov
eminent, the latest capitalist press
reports indicate that the resentment
of the sailors over the wage cuts on
the fleet are widespread and are of
militant character. The New York
Times reports the news Of the strict
censorship as follows:
Unofficial intimations have been
conveyed to the British newspapers
that the government hopes they
morning with the bare statement
of the case by the Admiralty and
not run the risk of making serious
trouble by celebrating the matter
before a careful investigation Is
made. 1t is very evident that there
is fear of trouble with the police
and soldiers, even the. school teach
erS, because of the pay cuts ordered
as part of the plan of balancing
the budget"
The New York Telegram carries
the following Mote to Editors" which
was given out by the government in
order to stop any real information
from coming out concerning the &C
tons that the sailors have already
taken, which made the naval officers
fear a mutiny If they proceeded to
sea.
'"The director Of naval intelli-
gence particularly requests that
pending further statement the
press refrain from printing any
thing concerning alleged events in
Invergordon other than the Off
ciaI statement"
The Macdonald government fears
not only the resentment among the
sailors but fears that example of the
sailors will be followed in the army
and in the air forces.
The spirit of the men is indicated
in the reports of the capitalist press
that the sailors sang the Red Flag
when they refused to continue to
work. The New York World Tele-
gram reports the militant singing of
the Red Flag in the following:
"Sailors trained to honor the
slogan, Britannia Rules the
Waves held protest meetings
ashore, sang the Red Flag Com
munist battle song. smashed can
teen windows, and returned to their
ships to sit about the decks play
ing cards and singing and shouting
in open defiance of discipline"
The latest reports of the capitalist
press also show that the action of
the sailors, far from being sporadic,
was carried out in an organized
fashion by the sailors of the various
ships. According to the World
Telegram, the action started on the
Rodney and the Valiant and then
was taken up by the sailors of the
other ships.
According to marines who came
ashore at Invergordon today, the
refusal of seamen to work followed
a prearranged plan. Enlisted men
of the Rodne yand Valiant first re-
fused to work when they we're
called to duty at am. yesterday
and started cheering as a signal to
men aboard the other ships.
cat 8 o'clock. when the white en-
sign was raised in the usual man
ner and the band played God Save
the King the ratings of the other
vessels of the fleet gave three
cheers and then refused to work"
The actions of the sailors have re-
suited from the Macdonald wage
cuts to the navy, The Macdonald
budget means sharp slashes for the
lower ranks of the sailors, while the
high pay of the higher officers has
hardly been cut at all. This is the
Macdonald program Throughout
staving off the collapse of British
capitalism at the expense OF the great
masses OF the working class, in the
shops and on the ships.
While the able seamen have had
their wages cut rs per cent, the
ce-admirals will have their wages
cut only 10 per cent. In practice
this means that while the pay Of the
able seamen has been cut from 81
q day to rs cents, and of ordinary
seamen from SO to SO cents day,
the pay of the vice-admiral has been
"cut" from $275o day to FATS.