Clay Cross welcome' for Tory auditor

HAIR A pauper's life on the THE BATTLE at Clay Cross over the Labour council's refusal to implement the Tories' 'fair rents' Act resumes tomorrow with the return visit of the district auditor.

When he first came in early December to investigate the council's housing accounts, angry tenants and trade unionists besieged the town hall and filled the meeting place to overflowing.

Auditor Charles Lacey, inMEMBERS OF SAI MEETING Equity members on a 1972 lobby of pay talks on the West End claim. THE VAST majority of actors and actresses are constantly facing the dole queue and pauperism, said their union Equity yesterday.

And Equity members are earning less and working for shorter periods than they were seven years ago.

A survey of 5,000 actors and actresses shows that for every ten Equity members, six earn less than t1,000 a year, tour go on to the dole each year and seven are out of work at any one time.

Many actors in fact say thạt the figure for unemployment is an under-estimation of the true position and that over 90 per cent are out of work at any time.

The poorest-paid were extras and walk-ons who somehow were expected to survive on just £212 a year. Then came chorus dancers on £611, actors £785, stage management £930, and chorus singers on £980.

But even the highest-paid groups earned far less than the average wage in Britain. For example ballet dancers earned, on average, just £1,143 a year and structed by the Tories to conduct a special examination at Clay Cross, agreed to a second meeting tomorrow.

His job will be to find out if any of the Il Labour councillors are personally responsible for the 7,000 he has calculated to be nissing in revenue as a result of the failure to implement the Housing Finance Act.

It is expected that several hundred Clay Cross tenants and workers will turn out to greet ON FULL CLAI boards variety artists £1,040. Opera singers managed to earn an average of just £1,406.

It is estimated that only about 700 of Equity's 20,000 members earn £5,000 or more a year, while at the peak of their careers, between 41 and 50, most actors were still having to make do with a pitiful £1,140 a year.

Equity's assistant general secretary Peter Plouviez said position would deteriorate the British entry into The only thing the Equity leadership seemed to be worried about, however, and that from a chauvinistic viewpoint, was the flooding of British stages with Continental actors and actresses, most of whom could speak English.

Other actors yesterday pointed out that much more was at stake and the solution did not reside in keeping; foreign actors out of Britain.

Value-Added Tax on theatre MOTELY Leon Trotsky 17-5 (1838-93 L33-341 TROTS 500 IRD. the auditor when the morning.

Councillors are also getting ready for the confrontation. Said Cllr David Skinner yesterday: 'I'm not just going to sit there and be dictated to by the auditor.' • Tenants' associations throughout South Wales are planning a demonstration and meeting at Merthyr Tydfil on January 13 in protest against the installation of a Housing Commissioner in the town by the Tory government.

ment toward participation in elections, with their implied recognition of the partition parliaments Eire and Ulster, which led to the split in the Republican movement at Dublin's Intercontinental Hotel in December 1969.

ference) at the Mansion House, Dublin, in 1971 the Officials passed a resolution for the first time formally committing themselves to electoral policy WaS not discussed, although there were number of resolutions trom •ranches mn une Six countes calling for an election boycott.

Party, warener Street sought for two years to achieve the status of a legal political DarLy operating freely north seats will have a drastic effect on promote its policies among audience numbers and any slump electors. that followed would be bound to lead to more unemployment. at the Provisional IRA cou Attacks on the film industry carry the day by armed force, would also come from EEC La wholehearted commitment to entry. The arrangement by which a number of films made in this Dadamentary Was impossible. country had to be British was to be phased .out.

And the same would apply to IR A's shoote ane bomoine the agreement whereby a per- war has failed, members both wings of the Republican centage of the takings from British films was returned to a ovement to varying degre vour the 'parliamentary roa central fund for future develop- to revolution'.

Taken together with the carve-up of the Shepperton studios, Provisionals led by Rorv prospects for employment in the (" Krany and David O'Connell film industry look bleak.

Actors are also claiming that the BBC has been allowed to climb-down after the arrest introduce a productivity and net or stat sean Mestintain.

they sponsored the setting up speed-up deal which enables the corporation to tailor programmes to the requirements of European movement back to demparays in the 26 counties television companies. The effect has already been to reduce work and cut wages. politics O'Brady told une Finally, a further threat to Special. 4nmina Court actors comes from the plans for property redevelopment in the was doing nothing illegal and Piccadilly and Covent Garden was engaged merelv in preparaareas which could close up to tions councill elecseven West End theatres. ions with the possibility of :

¡eneral Election Whether the two wings the Republican movement will eventually collaborate again appear to point in that direcTON TROTSKY OF the Officials was couched in (1939-40)

the possibilty of taking partin Writings of