Tweet

Monthly Circular.
No. 10.	February.	1916.
TO THE MEMBERS.

Gentlemen,

Minimum Wage.

A somewhat lengthy circular, with the figures set out in detail, has already been issued to the County; and I will, therefore, content myself with a brief endeavour to emphasise the wisdom of the Ex. Committee in accepting the Owners' offer of an additional 5 per cent., making a definite advance of 20 per cent. on the basis rates to be added to the Minimum Wage for the period of the War.

Your Ex. Committee have for a long time now recognised that the ever increasing disparity between the Minimum rates and the County average, not to speak of the actual earnings, was daily becoming a vexed problem, for which the present arrangement cannot be accepted as a permanent solution. It is, however, in my opinion, an infinitely better course than to go to the Umpire with 20 per cent. in the melting pot, under National circumstances so abnormal in every aspect as to not inconceivably accentuate that glorious uncertainty which is bound to confront us when appealing to any Umpire who, by virtue of environment, and void of that practical experience of the needs and aspirations of the working classes, is bound to experience no little difficulty in arriving at an absolutely impartial conclusion.

Those of our members who have closely followed the Minimum wage proceedings of the past will be aware that one of the chief arguments from the Owners' side is, that the nearer the minimum approaches the County average the less incentive there is for piece workers to do their best; and we were obsessed with the fear that under present conditions, with coal so important a factor in the prosecution of the War, the Umpire might easily give greater consideration to a specious argument of this kind than would be the case under normal conditions; and any adverse decision, even though it were obtained under abnormal circumstances, would be anything but a helpful influence whenever the time arrived to re-open the question.

I am not unmindful of the fact that many of those who criticise the settlement will be inclined to suggest that the present high cost of living provides us with a splendid opportunity to fight a question which is the direct outcome of the agitation for a living wage; but a careful consideration of the subject will tend to the conviction that arguments along these lines, useful as they may seem at first sight, have their limitations, and may easily lead to illogical comparisons.

Although we are living in most uncertain times, I am not anticipating that the market price of coal will decrease to any appreciable extent during the period of the War, nor probably for some considerable time after; but it must not be forgotten that we are practically at the high water mark, as, in all probability, the Government's Limitation Bill will preclude further rises ; and, in the event of prices decreasing, the settlement arrived at would be worth more to us than it is at present, and the advantage would be relatively greater in proportion as prices further declined.

In view of all the circumstances, I am strongly convinced that the Committee were wise in accepting the Owners final offer, rather than go to the Umpire; and, whilst they do not hope that all our members will agree with their action, they trust that those who are inclined to criticise will aim at criticism of a constructive rather than an irresponsible character; and, if this be done, then the final solution of a problem which is not free from difficulties, will be materially facilitated.

Labour Party Conference and the I.L.P.

It is a matter of some satisfaction that, amidst a certain amount of congratulation I received on the opinions I expressed in my last Circular, re-the Independent Labour Party's attitude to the War, there is one Lodge, viz., Urpeth Busty, which has carried a resolution of censure, and this they have sent on to me.

Had this Lodge been content to simply send their resolution, without endeavouring to put me right, 1 would have ignored it altogether; but the fact that they seek to controvert the opinions I expressed, entitles them to a reply.

With the object of making such reply appear coherent, I am inserting their letter :—

URPETH BUSTY LODGE,

26/2/16.

Mr. T. H. CANN,

Dear Sir,

Your January Monthly Circular to hand, which was read at our meeting on the 23rd, and caused a serious amount of discussion amongst our members, with the result a resolution was passed, Condemning your action in reviewing the Labour Conference first from a capitalist press point of view which in every instance is reactionary in its attitude to the workers, more especially since the workers' paper, the "Daily Citizen" went down, hence our members consider as a Leader of trade unionists it would have been much better had you had a report or review from the Representatives of Labour before you went into print yourself about it, seeing you were not present at the Conference.

Our members consider you acted against the interests of the membership in putting your uncomplementary comments into the local capitalist press; showing to them a certain amount of dissension in our ranks as workers, a thing our President, Mr. House deplored at the Council meeting held Feb. 5th, in regard to certain sections of our members going into the same press with their views, re-the ballot on the Compulsion Bill, hence our members consider your action is no more justifiable than our members who transgressed on the same lines.

In respect to Ramsay Macdonald and his party our members are sorry to see gentlemen in your position so ready to ridicule him and his party, a man who has always striven to improve the hard lot of the down-trodden populace; they also consider it would have been a great blessing if there had been more Keir Hardie's, Macdonald's, Snowden's, and others in the whole of Europe, and this deplorable state of affairs would not have been with us to-day, in fact those very men for the past 8 years have tried to demonstrate in the House of Commons where we were drifting through our secret diplomatic relations during the last ten years; they advise you to read a Book which can be purchased for 1/-, namely, E. D. Morrell's Book, ten years of Secret Diplomacy.

Whatever your views of past wars are, as been engineered in the interest of capitalism; this one if looked into closely, may not be altogether free from the same cause, as large fortunes are been made as to Great Britain not been out for territorial acquisition, our members advise you to wait and see what the end of the war brings same as Mr. Asquith advised when certain members objected to the serious rise in food stuff in the early part of 1915.

Our members are sorry to see a Leader like yourself has lost faith in the doctrine of the International Brotherhood of Democracies, the failing of the same has been the cause of all our strifes in war and other things, and they assure you if you take other than the capitalist press, you will still find a section in all the countries at conflict to-day, still striving for the above which you seem to think was only a beautiful dream ; they also consider your idea that no international agreement or understanding as to working policy could survive between the nations struggling for National existence is ridiculous, especially when you suggest the Lion and the Lamb should dwell together in peace and concord; they honestly believe this war has been in a very great measure brought about by the Lion, namely, the capitalist class, to slay the Lamb, the worker, and suggest you yourself try to get a wider vision; but if Macdonald and his party are as bad as you try to make them appear, they think when Macdonald was at Sunderland and West Stanley on Thursday and Friday nights, Feb. 17th and 18th respectively, your place as a leader of the Durham Miners was there to show to us Mr. Macdonald's and others policy was a myth, we as workers were asked to follow, but when questions were asked for Mr. Cann's name was shouted out, but he was not there.

Long may Macdonald, Snowden and others be spared to help in working out the salvation of the down-trodden, for they will all be needed at the end of the present hostilities.

With the usual astuteness (I nearly wrote guile) of this section of the Labour party, they studiously ignore the fact that the chief aim in writing as I did was the true welfare of Trades Unionism; and how obvious a duty it is for any Trades Union leader to do all that lies in his power to endeavour to eliminate any policy or methods which were not only calculated to do so, but were actually breeding dissension in our ranks, and lessening that spirit of unity and perfect organisation that is just as essential to success in the struggle for Industrial and social salvation, as it is necessary for the success of the Allies in their struggle for liberty and the survival of the weakest of nations.

I do not know whether their meeting was a sparsely or a well attended one, but the responsibility for a motion of condemnation, for having the temerity to think differently to them, is one that the whole of the members will have to shoulder; and as I made it clear that I thought, even tho' it might be mistakenly, that the cause of Trades Unionism was not being advanced by the methods adopted, then I am entitled to assume that in the eyes of the Urpeth Busty Lodge, the Independent Labour Party comes first, and Trades Unionism is but a necessary adjunct, tolerated because it brings grist to the mill for Independent Labour Party Propaganda.

One serious cause for complaint seems to be that I got my information from a Capitalist Press in the first instance ; and, secondly, they deprecate the publication of my comment through the same tainted medium, and especially do they condemn the press as a medium for discussing problems of this character, and more particularly since the collapse of the "Daily Citizen."

Whether it is due to short sightedness or intolerance does not seriously concern me, but may I point out that they have ignored the fact that the whole of my comment was based on the premise that the Press reports were correct. However, I do not think the point is worth labouring, as they do not even challenge the accuracy of the Press reports.

A further ground for censure is that I should allow the Press to publish my circular, whilst at the same time we are guilty of condemning the members when they resort to the same source for the ventilation of their grievances.

I am prepared to frankly admit that I have more than once deplored the use of the Press on matters of purely domestic policy affecting our Association only, and more particularly if such matters were in the process of negotiation ; but surely they are not so blind as to be unable to discern the difference between comment on local policy or grievance and that of a National character. The distinction is so obvious that I am surprised they do themselves the injustice of putting the point forward; and to quote the Chairman's opinion, as expressed at the last Council meeting, as being analogous to the present case, is so grotesque a conception of analogy that really no fair comment can be applied to it.

I am afraid my days of blind idolatry to anything of human institution have gone by ; and, much as I have admired the generally consistent attitude Mr. Macdonald has adopted in regard to the War — an attitude which I have more than once prayed many of his followers might have the manly courage to emulate, instead of dodging behind the fear of public disfavour; and greatly as I recognise and appreciate the large amount of disinterested service he in the past has rendered to the cause of Labour, service which I hope he may long be spared to continue; yet, despite this, I am unable to exalt him on an altar of infallibility, that makes it imperative I should fall down and worship him.

I make an idol of no man's opinions; and if I felt, at any time, that he or anyone else were acting in any sense that was, in my opinion, inimical to the best interests of the working classes, I would not hesitate to say so, even though it brought me into conflict with the spirit of brotherhood, which is so strong a theoretical plank of the Independent Labour Party's programme.

I do not hesitate to confess that the ways of secret diplomacy are not in my line, and I am willing to admit that the leaders and many of the rank and file of the Independent Labour Party know far more about them than I would care to do; and although I am grateful to them for drawing my attention to Morrell's book, I am too old to find a study of this subject either interesting or of service; but if, no matter how the ways of diplomacy may have been abused in the years gone by, they were instrumental, so far as the present War is concerned, of such steps having been taken to minimise or prevent our National Home from being pillaged and destroyed, then I readily exclaim: Thank God for even that amount of preparation against the attempt to destroy our National life, which all circumstances go to demonstrate was the inevitable intention of Germany.

Owing to directing my attention to the presumed wisdom of their leaders' warning in relation to Secret Diplomacy, I am compelled to point out to them that, side by side with this warning, the self same men were preaching the doctrine of a reduction in Naval Armaments. It may be true that there were many sinners in the varied ranks of Labour leaders in this respect; but it is just as well, when cataloguing doubtful virtues of premonition, to at the same time remember that we may have some shortcomings.

Dare we contemplate what the result would have been for England, if the efficiency of the Navy had been materially impaired.

With all due deference to the Urpeth Busty Lodge, I venture to suggest that it requires no vivid flight of imagination to conjure up the picture of Belgium's fate being that of ours, with this all important difference: that we are pledged and with every hope, despite the antagonism of the Independent Labour Party, of redeeming that pledge, and restoring the material losses of this ill-fated Nation; but what we cannot restore is the appalling desecration of the priceless and sacred ties of home life that have been so wantonly destroyed.

Did this aspect of the situation ever enter the minds of the Urpeth Busty Lodge, and could they even think about its possibility without shuddering? I again do them the bare justice to say I think not. The high cost of living is a microscopic misfortune as compared with what this would have been.

So far as the international Brotherhood of Democracies is concerned, I have no objection to the sentiment of it. As I said before, it is no doubt a beautiful dream, and would be worth furthering, if it were capable of realization; but if the furtherance of it requires us to be blind to the frailties of mankind, to the extent of imperilling the very existence of our lives, liberties and that heritage of freedom (even though it may not be perfect), which cost our forefathers so much sacrifice to acquire, then I make no apology for saying that a more practical policy will always command my support.

I offer no excuse, nor do I desire to retract my use of the lion and the lamb illustration to show how Utopian the idea was. I don't even object to their representing the Lion as Capitalism and the Lamb as Labour. If they consider it an apt illustration, they are quite welcome to the use of it; but I do not think they will attempt to deny that the best part of my life has been spent in endeavouring, to the best of my ability, to make the Labour lamb into as formidable an animal as the Capitalist lion ; and it was with that idea in view that I wrote my last circular which brought forth their vote of censure.

They cannot be serious in suggesting that I should follow round and personally refute the opinions of either Mr. Macdonald or any other individual with whom I happen to disagree. I do not object to them stating their opinions, nor the channel they use for doing it; nor do I intend to be muzzled so far as my own are concerned, nor even dictated to, as to where and how I shall express them, by any sectional clique of our members.

I fervently re-echo the wish that Macdonald, Snowdon and any others who are desirous of assisting in the work of raising the down-trodden, may long be spared to continue their efforts in that direction ; but if I think that some of their methods are doing infinitely more harm to the cause than good, then the cause, and not personalities, no matter how outstanding, shall be my first consideration.

---

Mr. House reports the decisions of the Compensation Committee, held on February 7th, 1916, as follows :—

Fatal Cases.

Fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Tudhoe	R., Brain	15	Kibbler
South Moor	James, Brophy	16	Driver
Byers Green	Joseph, Coates	17	Pony Putter
Houghton	Sidney, Cooper	21	Weighman
Craghead	Anthony, Gibson	15	Driver
Trimdon Grange	Martin, Hart	15	Driver
Sunnybrow	J. T., Heslop	26	Beltman
Malton	Thomas, Loughran	49	Hewer
Lumley Sixth	Stephen, McIlwraith	56	Shifter
Horden	Thomas, Minto	30	Hewer
Lumley Sixth	John, Saunders	56	Stoneman
Thornley	J. W., Tunstall	15	Driver

Non-fatal Cases.

Non-fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Windlestone	Joseph, Barker	48	Shifter
Trimdon Grange	Charles, Brady	21	Putter
Witton	Joseph, Cartledge	49	Stoneman
Horden	Robert, Cushlow	52	Hewer
Lumley	Joseph, Dawson	58	Hewer
Chopwell	John, Doran	14	Driver
Marsden	Matthew, Foster	14	Belt Boy
Philadelphia	Walter, Hamilton	27	Labourer
Leasingthorne	Richard, Houlahan	20	Driver
Leasingthorne	Allen, Johnson	18	Driver
Dawdon	Robert William, Johnson	21	Putter
Seaham	John, McQuillan	47	Hewer
Horden	Nichol, Reed	22	Putter
Chilton	Edward, Sawley	44	Hewer
Lambton D	Thomas, Stokeld	52	Screener
Wheatley Hill	Walter, Travena	58	Labourer
Wheatley Hill	John, Walker	63	Hewer
Wheatley Hill	John, Ward	65	Wasteman
Derwent	John, Wright	31	Hewer

County Court Cases.

During the month we have had the following three cases tried in the County Court :—

Wheatley Hill	John Walker	63	Hewer
Witton Pit	Joseph Cartledge	49	Stoneman
Horden	Robert Cushlow	52	Hewer

Durham, February 1916. T. H. Cann.

 

Source:

NEEMARC - Ref: NUMDA/1/6/41, D.M.A. Minutes, Circulars etc. for 1916 (one volume: covers Jan-Jun)