Political notes for union speakers in the general election campaign

              Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
9, ARKWRIGHT ROAD, HAMPSTEAD, LONDON, N.W.3.
POLITICAL NOTES FOR UNION SPEAKERS IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN - OCTOBER, 1931.
THE ATTACK ON WAGES
The whole of the attack by the international financiers and British Capitalists is centred in their determination to reduce wages, and consequently the standard of life of the working people.
During the war period when capitalists were making easy millions and our national millionaires were doubled in number, the employers were compelled to pay reasonable wages, but as soon as the war was over and their fabulous profits were not so easily obtainable, the financier and capitalist commenced a campaign to bring down wage standards.
So successful have they been, in spite of trade union effort, that the wages of British workers have been reduced by £400,000,000 per annum. That is the amount of sacrifice which the workers have already made.
The reductions, however, were not fast enough to suit our capitalist masters, for the strength of British trade unionism has been able to hold back the avalanche, although not to entirely stop it. The capitalist and banker, therefore, in a world depression caused by their own mismanagement and greed, where workers are starving in the midst of plenty, had to adopt some method other than the straight attack on organised trade unionism.
This attack has now made itself manifest in a political effort to bring about their desires, and we see all the forces of capitalism, landlordism and high finance, ranged in one camp against the workers who produce all wealth, and they have taken with them a few wealthy people who it has hitherto suited, for longer or shorter periods, to be members of the Labour Party, but now that their sources of wealth are in danger, have sold their souls in their own personal interests and for the cheap and temporary plaudits of the Tory Party.
The present so-called " National Government is nothing other than a band of political exploiters and adventurers, representatives of wealth, pelf and privilege, without one redeeming feature other than its determination to fight for its privileges and the class it represents, which we could wish was more whole-heartedly followed by the working classes themselves. It is a gang of robbers of the nation's poorest citizens and their children, a gang of exploiters and mercenary minded political cut-throats.
The Government has already, to secure the channels of exploitation to the people it serves, reduced the wages of all civil servants and the miserable allowance of the unemployed, knowing that this will be followed by reductions in the wages of municipal employees, and then the industrial capitalist will have his great opportunity of further reducing the wages of workers all round.
Let our members realise that this will include railwaymen, and they should remember the speech of Lord Gainford in the House of Lords on September 17th, when he said: —
" Twenty per cent. should be taken off the railwaymen in the aggregate. That would mean £24,000,000 saved to encourage traffic on the railway system, and would enable dividends to be paid upon trustee and other savings which are invested in the Railway Companies. I want that kind of subject to be considered by the Cabinet to see whether savings cannot be effected in items of that kind."
All co-operators and small shopkeepers and other tradesmen should remember that such a policy of reducing the spending power of the people, will reduce their incomes and bring them down also, and that a vote for the Government representative means a vote for greater security for the banks who exploit them every day.
WHAT OF THE BANKERS?
Spokesmen for the Government deny that they are merely the creatures of finance and banking interests, but the Prime Minister admits that he knows nothing about high finance, therefore he can't know what has happened to him; but let us look at what their own side has said.
The Daily Express, in an open letter to the Governor of the Bank of England, said on September 25th, 1929, as follows: —
"Among your colleagues are several who are closely identified with large foreign interests, and who may be tempted to consider questions of current policy from the standpoint of international finance. But the Bank of England is, or should be, a British institution serving British interests."
Two days later the Daily Express leading article, commenting on the action of the Bank in raising the Bank Rate by 1 per cent., said: —