The Trade Union Congress opened at Newport on Monday. Mr.
Will Thorne, M.P., who delivered the presidential address, said that he believed the coal strike had brought them one step nearer to the nationalization of the coal mines. In the transport workers' dispute he charged the Government with unprecedented exertions on behalf of the masters, while " in every way possible the police had helped the blacklegs and owners." They wanted a better distribution of wealth. In 1869 the amount received by the workers was about 400 millions, or about half the total annual wealth produc- tion. Last year that total was about 2,000 millions, of which the workers received not more than 800 millions, although the increase of the nation's wealth was due to them. Mr. Thorne strongly condemned compulsory arbitration, and pronounced the Trade Unions (No. 2) Bill to be quite inadequate. He criti- cised the working of the Insurance Act, advocated the abolition of the Prudential and other collecting societies, and declared that the object of all wage earners should be the collective ownership of land, railways, and the means of production and transit. In the discussion on a resolution dealing with the amalgamation of trade unions by industries, part of an amend- ment repudiating Syndicalism was ruled out of order.
Previous page
