Soviet spacecraft returns with moon rocks

cision from the excess rates committee of the service's national joint council.

recommended Weighting ne extended outside London.

'It's absurd that anyone could swallow the idea they could pay us the allowance here, but not pay others— and get away with it.

'We're constantly in contact with men in the other stations; working with them one way or another. every day. It's completely impracticable.

'If a leading fireman was transferred from one station to another-from one which wasn't getting it to one which was, say-he could be earning 12s less for than the men under him!' particular point of grievance with the Essex men is that they claim have been given assurances some years ago that paydifferentials with London— at that time 9s 2d-would not be allowed to rise.

'Now it's £4 10s,' says Barry Grey.

Dissociated

Tempers have also been frayed by the action of group of Essex brigade officers in writing of the viremen a 'appeasement' calling for la very firm line in dealing with the present dispute, and . . . steps to retrieve some of the ground lost the question of discipline'.

Some London members of the National Association of Fire Officers have already completely dissociated themselves from this letter.

Whether or not the Essex fire authority has taken note of the letter, several groups of firemen in the county-and whole shifts at Hadleigh and Basildon stations-have pended without pay as a result of their bans on 'spit and polish', 'whole-time "retained" ' and 'out' duties They are at present supported financially by levies other union members organized the FBU's area committee.

• Donations and messages of support can be sent to Terry Segars, the union's Essex area secretary, at 4 Stagdon Cross, Basildon, Essex. spacecraft Luna 16.

Despite the tremendous publicity given to the American manned landings on the moon, the latest feat of the Soviet Union is justly admitted as putting the Russians years Europe to 'collaborate' on ahead in their planned their space shuttle project. programme of lunar and Following Luna's rockinterplanetary exploration. monauts-the US government Luna 16 landed in the will be viewing with some hitherto unexplored Sea of anxiety their Apollo-14 Fertility on Sunday and track- manned mission, which is due ing stations at Jodrell Bank in February next year-after and Bochum in W Germany nearly a year's interval. detected its departure from the lunar surface on • Monday.

The Soviet description of the apparatus used in the sample-collection indicates that it is of very advanced design.

The samples were automatically cut by an electric • 1: - - 11. - 1 drill and placed in special containers.

TECHNIQUE

Soviet sources indicate that the 'techniques used in leaving the moon were similar to those employed by the Apollo shots, with separate rocket units for descent and ascent.

However, any similarity with the US programmé ends If the near-tragedy of the Apollo 13 mission finally showed the extravagance and danger of sending men to the moon at this stage, the completion of the Luna 16 flight emphasizes this a thousand The Soviet spaçe programme has consistentlu worked towards the construction of permanently orbiting space stations as the necessary prerequisite for interplanetary exploration, while the Americans poured $24,000m into their programme for 'getting an American on the moon first'.

REALITY

The reality behind the ballyhoo is now clearly seen in what appears to be an astonishing reversal of positions over the past year.

While Apollo-11 was being given the maximum publicity boost, there were many sneers and sighs of relief from the capitalist press at the failure of Luna 15 to match this technological feat.

Now the complete success of the latest Luna flight is on the cards (at a cost far less than a manned flight), while the remainder of the Apollo programmes lies in ruins and the Americans plead with Lecture opposition to those revisionists who maintained that the Soviet Union was a "state capitalist country.

It is these same revisionists —who abandon the defence of the Soviet Union by maintaining it is no longer a workers' state, and say the bureaucracy is a capitalist class—that now abandon the defence of the trades unions and the gains of the working class in Britain, by refusing to oppose as a principle all aspects of productivity dealing,' he said.

Comrade Healy outlined the SLL's campaign to defeat the Tory government's threats against the working class, underlining that the publication of the six-day Workers Press, to start on October 12, would be a decisive factor in this fight.

The collection at the meeting raised the fine sum of £130 10s 4d. collection - without cospact signed THE RICH prospects opened up for the big monopolies, and especially for W German capitalism, German treaty are by the recent being further enlarged with the first long-term trade agreementary and fied between Initialled recently in Bonn, it provides for large increases in trade between the two countries in the five years Karl Schiller, chief German economics minister, is expected to sign the agreement, after discussion with the other Common Market powers now arrives in Budapest on October 25.

His visit will reciprocate the trip made to W Germany last March by Hungarian Foreign Trade Minister Josef Biro.

ALL TRADES UNIONS ALLIANCE MEETINGS WE 28, 9.50 P.M. YMCA. SeptemWrekin Buildings, Walker St. •Speed-ur and unemployment - The GKNSankey and Pilkington disputes':

September 24, 8 p.m. George III, "No to ington workers! Force the Tories to resign!' Speaker: Bernard Franks.

SWINDON: Sunday, September 27. 7.30 p.m. Oxford Hotel, Drove Rd. 'Unemployment and the Tories' Speaker: Alan Thornett, leading Oxford carworkers' steward.

READING: Thursday, September 24, 8 p.m. Palmer Hall, West St. •No productivity! Full support for Pilkington workers! Force the Tories to resign!' Speaker: Tony Richardson, ATUA National Committee member.