Red Fridav

Friday), AFTER THE sell-out of 192 miners' conditions declined. average wage per shift worked went down to than half what it hal been in 1920-1921. Indeed, the miners than they had been before the First World War.

There was unemployment and there was victimization.

Then in April, 1923, the coalowners told the miners that the only way to obtain a better wage was to work a longer day.

Ramsay In January 1924, the first MacDonald Labour governmen took office -under Ramsay MacDonald.

But inis government conthe attack on the Worker Campbeekly. сіт le, was arrested). the same lost the election in year, largely as a result of the Zinoviev Letter forgery.

About this time there wa a short-live boom in coal due to the occupation of the Ruhr by French forces and the cessation of production miners voted ines ested to mad he 1921 wages agreement. After a long drawn-out series of negotiations the coal-owners conceded new wages. agreement santial increases to the miners It was also about this time Secretary of the Miners' J. Cook became Federation.

Part member of the Communis Party Cook in die Rhonda Valley sor • Khondda sible for the bitter Cambrian Combine sunke. He had been imprisoned in 1918 for his activities and again in 1921 for his part during the lock-out. lewiParkipublicatioms PREVIOUS APPEARED NOVEMBER Minister, Stanley uttered his famous to the miners:

'All workers in this country have got to take reductions in wages to help put industry on its feet?

The same evening instructions were issued for the embargo on coal movements to be put into force. These instructions were as follows:

ARTICLES IN ON OCTOBER Baldwin, statement Stanley Baldwin Railways:

1. Wagons containing coal must not be attached to any train after midnight on Friday, July 31, and after this time wagons of coal must not be supplied to any industrial or commercial concern, or be put on the tip roads at docks for the coaling of ships.

2. All coal en route at midnight on Friday to be worked forward to the next siding suitable for storing it.

3. Any coal, either in wagons or stock at a depot, may be utilized at that depot for the purpose of coaling engines for . passenger and goods trains, but must not be moved to another depot.

Docks, Wharfs etc:

Coal Exports: All tippers and trimmers will cease work at the end of the second shift on July 31.

Coal Imports: On no account may imported coal be handled from July 34.

General: A general stoppage of men handling coal on other classes of tonnage on Friday midnight.

Waterways and Locks:

All men on canals, waterways etc. engaged in carrying coal will cease Friday midnight, with the exception of men who have coal en route, who will be allowed to take it to destination and tie up. Safety men for pumping etc. will be permitted to work for safety purposes only.

THIS SERIES 12, 26 AND ordinate policy in to same.

This was signed by the leaders of ASLEF, NUR, Railway Clerks Association, T&GWU and the TUC Special Sub-Committee.

The effect was immediate. An emergency Cabinet meeting was called. The government offered a nine months' subsidy in return for which the coalowners would be willing to withdraw their notices.

A full inquiry was to be held, but there was no doubt that the government had yielded to the embargo threat this was Red Friday, July 31, 1925.

But all the anti-labour forces were alarmed and warned.

Not only were the government and the coal-owners concerned—the Labour leaders were, too.

It was Ramsay MacDonald who declared:

"The government has simply handed over the appearance, at any rate, of victory to the very forces that sane, wellconsidered, thoroughly wellexamined Socialism feels to be probably its greatest enemy' Throughout this period the Communist Party fought amongst miners, particularly in the Miners' Reform Movement (later to become the National Miners' Minority Movement with its own paper "The Mineworker').

The Miners' Reform Movement programme was: one union for all miners (instead of the Federated Districts); affiliation to the Red International of Labour Unions; no wage cuts; and a six-hour day.

Reactions

The inaugural conference of the National Minority Movement itself (in August 1924) had been attended by 270 delegates, representing 200,000 The forces of reaction were on the move, however, and recognized the danger represented by the small but influential Communist Party.

In October, 1925 - three months after Red Friday-12 leading Communist Party members were arrested and charged with unlawfully conspiring to utter and publish seditious libels and inciting people to commit breaches of the Incitement to Mutiny Act Five Communists - Inkpin, Gallagher, Pollitt, Hannington and Rust-were sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.

The other seven were told that they would be bound over if they undertook to have nothing more to do with the Communist Party! When this offer was rejected, they were sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

But the Communist Party was already. becoming tainted with Stalinism and lining up against Trotsky.

In the Autumn of 1924 the Executive Committee of the British Communist Party issued a statement condemning Trotsky's book 'Lessons of 10.00 10.10 7.10 7.30 7.40 8.25 10.00 10.45 11.10 11.15