HITLER AND HACKNEY
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—In connexion with Mr. Powys Greenwood's contribu- tion to your last issue, " Hitler and Hackney," will you allow me, as chairman of the Trade Union branch mentioned, to explain that the meeting he describes was not an official meeting of the branch, but a more or less fortuitous gathering of Trade Unionists from a number of different unions and trades in East and South London.
Mr. Greenwood makes it clear that our conclusions were arrived at " out of the blue," so that there is no need to apologise for the fact that they are only half-baked. Even so, Item 4 in the programme, " Fixed Trade Board Wages and the abandonment of the right to strike," seems to require explanation. As it stands, few Trade Unionists but would regard this as a rank betrayal. The point we were trying to make was this. If we condemn profiteering by the other side, we must ourselves forswear any attempt to take unfair advantage of the country's need, and while we are, by this time, wary of appeals to our love of country, we will let no one say that we are deaf to that appeal when we have solid evidence that it is genuine. Such evidence might be provided by legislation establishing adequate minimum wage levels throughout industry (not for- getting agriculture), and setting up something in the nature of industrial courts of immediate access in cases of disagreement. In far too many such cases at the present time, Trade Unionists have only two courses open to them—to supplicate, or to strike. And employers can prove themselves apt teachers as to the limitations of a policy of " appeasement."—Yours faith-
fully, H. E. LISTER. 13 Chapman Road, Hackney Wick, E.9.
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