To meet economic crisis Labour must Nationalize big business under workers control without compensation

NO ONE SHOULD be taken in by the mood of complacency which has settled over the Labour Party leaders. The nearer to the election, the more tight-lipped they become over the economic sword of Damocles hanging over world capitalism. It's all right it's only the Jumbos' WANT TO know the latest line on the Jumbo jets.

Of course, Marx was a clever bloke. But remember he wrote when the aeroplane was a twinkle in Orville Wright's eye.

White-hot Harold, now. He BY A WORKERS PRESS buried the TSR-2, spent hun- REPORTER dréds of millions on the Concorde; he knows all about the significant new factors. that will be the first lap.

It's now got a cold grip on *Before I start the main part This spine, and it will squeeze of my speech tonight, said Wilson at his last pre-election until it breaks his back. ondon rally at Hammersmith • want to refer to the trad 'These figures for the month of May show a deficit of £31 offer 'not million, but our total trade, visible and invisible, is in surlus, of course, as it has beer acceptable' for the whole of the year 'Peculiar' LEADERS of the Society of 'We imported two Jumbo Graphical and Allied Trades jets,' said Mr Wilson, adding yesterday rejected £2-athat there were othér 'peculiar week pay offer to their proactors, and, with these, 'tota vincial newspaper and general rade was in surplus to the printing members as "providtune of some £30 million.

Wing no basis for negotiations'.

'Now we shan't, remember, They were the second set be bringing in two Jumbo jets of union negotiators to do so évery month. There is only in two days. one due to come in the rest National Graphical Associaof the year. tion general secretary John Wilson says this when ti Bonfield said after five-and-adoubted trend in the bi half hours of negotiations on ance of payments is down— only one surplus in four Monday that the offer-from the Newspaper Society and months of growing deficit— the British Federation of Masrecord record pen-lar lever ches ter Printers—was 'totally unacceptable'.

The SOGAT claim is for a £6-a-week increase in the present £15 15s 9d-£19 ls 3d shire, yelled one candidate we know how get basic rates of its 100,000 provincial and general printing on the platform, stooging to haved dience before Wilson members.

Negotiators are now going back to the union's executive Complacency to discuss possible action. The NGA, which is claimDo they indeed? After this ing an extra £5 6s 9d for all Hammersmith circus of com- 80,5, of its prite talm mo ring-mastered bers, 'express their dissatisfaction' with the offer, possibly through when they return to power. an overtime ban.

'The Tories decided to conentrate on one issue-on try prove that Britain' So people and he Brush Pilkington inquiry Labour government were nonReport paves xistent. They appear to hav ist this one aim or which they still hope to win the election, Wilson continued. speed-up drive 'This is to denigrate Britain's every country in the world recovery, recognizes praises and GLASSWORKERS at Pil- to force them back into the many of them envy? kington's six St Helens groove they left decisively Heath may watch helplessly plants are again under fire on April 3. as his campaign falls under on two fronts. Findings of the governthe weight of rightist reaction, but Wilson, despite his cavaThree-and-a-half weeks ment-sponsored court of inlier confidence, has the greater after the end of their seven- quiry, published yesterday, week-long strike have come combine a slashing attack problem. new government and joint on the strike's rank-and-file He may beat this crisis past union-management attempts leadership with a series of Thursday's winning post-but At the Labour Party's press conference yesterday, Wilson continued to dismiss any talk of serious economic difficulties, let alone mention the dreaded word 'crisis'.

Referring to Monday's trade figures, which revealed a May trade deficit of £31 million, Wilson told reporters that the prices of British goods were likely to rise less in the next 18 months than those in other western countries.

"This is the judgement of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris,' he said.

Their forecast says that, in their view, inflation is not at present threat to Britain's economic position.

Wilson added that it was right to draw the public's attention to the OECD's judgement because of the 'falsifying and sensationalizing' of the issue by the Tories.

Repeated

As was to be expected, Heath at the Tory press conference repeated his warnings about the British economy. All the economic facts published this week had 'knocked the bottom' out of Labour's election campaign, he said.

*They have only ever claimed one thing and that was the surplus on the balance of payments and the economic facts now published show without any doubt at all that the country's economy Is heading for a very serious position' The balance of payments over the last six months showed conclusively that, if continued, Britain would again be in deficit before the autumn, he predicted.

This was in addition to 'stagnant national income and stagnant living standards', he added.

Jobless

Shadow Chancellor, lain McLeod warned again that the unemployment figures-~ to be published tomorrow— would be the worst for any June since 1940.

While the Tory leadership still refuse to state openly the implications these warnings, this 'attack' remains The platform at Pitt's final election meeting (left to right) Jack Jones, chairman Colin Blau, candidate Pitt, Joan Lestor and Hogg knocks 'em in the aisles MR QUINTIN HOGG was determined to provide his Marylebone constituency with the good, old knock-about style of election meeting which turned out to be strongly reminiscent of the 'Pickwick Papers' hustings.

The Tory spokesman home affairs devoted much of his time to attacking his hecklers, steadily warming to the fray.

'Don't worry about the hooligans, he shouted to cheers.

The 'hooligans' then became in rapid succession 'three escapees from the zoo' 'three communists', to people trying to break up the meetwith their foreign infiltration'.

Beams

Each jibe drew rapturous applause and beams from the Peaformer of this oratorical The fun was later disturbed by numerous questions on Powellism.

Asked when he was going to reject Powell's doctrines Hogg replied that he had never deviated from upholding the equality of human beings.

y for proposals for re-establishing the grip of the company and the General and Municipal Workers' Union.

Exploitation rate

Also in the wind, workers fear, are attempts to push up the rate of exploitation in Pilkington plants-not just in St Helens, but nationally—as part of the BJ singer Cy Grant. ' The Tory audience obviously expected more than this woolly platitude on one of the issues deeply dividing their ranks.

In the stony silence which followed, a Powellite jumped to his feet and challenged the embarrassed meeting 'Why don't you clap?' Not consistent Not that Hogg was very consistent in following up his lofty generalizations.

For his reply. to the question whether he would serve under Powell and whether he was prepared to become party leader was TH tell you when the situation arises'.

Uproar ensued when stewards hauled three hecklers from the hall by dragging them over a grand piano and up through an exit on the side of the stage.

Hogg countered with a wavering rendering of the first verse of 'Land of Hope and Glory' to applause and stamping.

As an encore the aspiring vocalist led the gathering in singing the National Anthem.

Delighted squeals

The 'great man' then rounded off his show by draining the water jug to squeals of delight from the young Tory ladies.

'You were magnificent' cried the faithful as they flocked to the platform to beg the autograph of their mentor.

Outside the hall, however, the Powellite was not impressed and continued to argue heatedly with all-comers. IT'S PROBABLY a good thingas far as the Labour vote is concerned, that is —that Party candidate Dr David Pitt's show didn't get on the road until two weeks ago. As a three-ring circus, it would have flopped inside three.

As a rallying-point for the marginal's working-class voters, his final meeting before the election was an embarrassing If Pitt is elected, it will be no thanks to his performance in the peculiar reformist spectacular laid on by trade union leaders Hugh Scanlon and Jack Jones, Eton and Slough MP Joan Lestor and singer Cy Grant.

'Don't get worried about the deficit in the trade figures,' soothed Pitt. 'The invisibles are Of course the cost of living had gone up. Guardian' the read it out in mounting selfPrices are going up less fast here than anywhere in the world! Anyway, it's the price I'm as critical of the government as a man can be,' Pitt reassured us—on housing, Commonwealth aid, Indo-China, the Common And Hugh Scanlon and Jack Jones were there 'to show how I feel about politics, to Engineers' leader Scanlon's praise for Victor Feather and the Trades Union Congress's record on strikes brought 'Hear, hear'

structure review in which the G&MWU is at present participating with the management.

Sharpest criticism from the court of inquiry, which comprised Sheffield law Professor John Wood, British Steel personnel director M. J. M. Clarke and miners' union officer Joe Gormley, was reserved for the rank-and-file committee's 'lack of mature judgement and sound leadership' in refusing to accept the result of the clergy-supervised May 16 secret ballot.

Judgement blunted "Their judgement of democratic reality had been blunted by their enthusiasm for a particular viewpoint, claims the report.

'We consider that a wellrun ballot has a useful role to play in a dispute of this kind and should have resulted in an immediate return to work.'