Ulster Assembly Bill gets its second reading

the House of Commons on Monday night without a vote being taken.

Elections are fixed for June 28 and, aside from objections to the exclusion of Sinn Fein candidates, the Bill was welcomed by MPs on both sides of the House.

Tory Ulster chief William Whitelaw is expected to rule tonight, during the second reading of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill, on whether the ban on Sinn Fein will be lifted.

Only one Labour MP, Mr James Wellbeloved, showed signs of radical disagreement with the Assembly Bill. When he tried to torce a division, no other MP could be found to come forward and join him as a teller.

Mr Wellbeloved wanted the powers of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to be subject to an affirmative vote because of their wide-ranging character.

He also wanted elections to the new Ulster Assembly to take precedence over the local government elections due to take place on May 30.

The parties who will contest the election for the 78 seats are Bernadette Devlin... nothing new from meetings.

Ill-feeling as hospitals WORKERS in hospitals covered by the Wessex Regional Hospital Board are continuing their overtime ban and a policy of non-co-operation. They have placed a ban on private patients and are vetting the rate of supplies to the central sterile department.

The workers are demanding a full investigation into the activities of the North Hampshire Management Board, which brought in volunteers when the ancillary workers walked out.

They are also demanding the right of shop stewards to sit in on still in disarray and Mid-Ulster MP Miss Bernadette Devlin told me yesterday nothing had come of meetings to consider ways of preventing the Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Labour Party portraying themselves as the anti-Unionist opposition in the six counties.

In addition to Devlin, go back OWN CORRESPONDENT meetings of Management Committees and Regional Hospital Boards.

The hospitals affected are in the Portsmouth, Southampton and North Hampshire areas and National Union of Public Employees officials met hospital representatives in Winchester yesterday afternoon to try to make arrangements for a full return.

THREE large Liverpool hospitals were expected to return to normal working at midnight last night. A large meeting, mainly of women workers, last Friday turned down a stewards' recommendation not to proceed with the strike in view of the imminent settlement.

WORKERS at 14 Glasgow hospital laundries were also expected to return to normal working at midnight.

UNION officials were yesterday attempting to persuade workers at the Central Sterile Supplies department in East Birmingham to return to work.

On Monday workers at the unit, which serves about 50 hospitals in the area, had refused to return to work.

UNION officials were also trying yesterday to secure a return to work at Ashington Hospital, Northumberland, where laundry workers and drivers were still on strike.

Union chiefs agreed on Sunday to accept the offer of £2 for men and £2.60 for women (arrived at by bringing forward an 80p 'equal pay' rise from October) and to go to the Tory Pay Board. both wings of Sinn Fein and the nationalist party were represented at these meetings.

It is thought unlikely in official government circles that Whitelaw will lift the proscription of Provisional Sinn Fein • to allow them to contest the elections.

In Monday's debate,_ Labour shadow spokesman on Northern Heath 'interested in miniPRIME MINISTER Edward Heath has expressed interest in a 'mini-TUC' formed of unions registered under the Industrial Relations Act.

An organizer of the Federation of Registered Trade Unions, which is being established in Coventry, said the Prime Minister had written expressing interest. 6,000 price complaints are thrown out TORY Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs Mr Geoffrey Howe has announced that of 12,300 price complaints between SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE MEETINGS Make Scanlon retract! No collaboration with the Industrial Relations Act!

No acceptance of Phase Two!

Force the Tories to resign!

Build the revolutiona

South London TUESDAY APRIL 24, Clapham Manor Clapham Manor SW4 North London VEDNESDAY APRIL 2!

Woodlands Hall, Crown Street, Acton, W.3. East London SUNDAY APRIL 29 7.30 p.m.

Ibbey Hall, Axe Stree behind the • Town Hall Liverpool Transform the SLL into he revolutionary party MONDAY APRIL 23, 7.30 p.m.

'The Mona', , James (Entrance at back Moor St) and British READING Trotsky, Going?

British Perspectives for the SLL into a Ireland Mr Merlyn Rees reiterated the party's view that a way ought to be found of allowing Sinn Fein candidates to stand.

Labour 'left' Mr Stanley Orme, said: 'We are completely opposed to people who use the gun. But at the same time, we think that, if the people who represent the political wing of such an organization can test their strength at the ballot box, this may be a more effective way of defusing that gun than the very precarious methods having to be used by the security forces now.' • Sixteen English detectives are to join the Royal Ulster Constabulary to assist in security operations.

TUC' The letter said the government would be pleased to hear the views of unions which had sought to make the Act work.

Federation organizers hope to recruit over 200 unions--with a membership • of 1.5 million—to the body.

November 6 and March 31, half were found to be 'not related' to the so-called price freeze.

Investigations had taken, place, Howe announced, into 5,700 cases. Some 5,225 of them were found to be 'not substantiated'.

SLL LECTURE

SERIES working class Merthyr Tydfil Caedraw School Merthyr Tydfil 7.30 p.m.

Wednesday April (Note date chan!

Lectures given The Unions and class in Britain.

The Revolutionary Pas t of the British working class- -and its future.

The Transformation of the SLL Where is Britain Problems Revolution.

Transforming Analysis Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Published by Workers Press, 186a Clapham High Street, 7UG. Printed Plough 01-622 7029.