Daily Worker. September 18 1946
O ne P e n n y WEATHER Fine at first, s h o w e r s and bright intervals later; cool. Light up at 8.15 p.m.
D a ily W o rk e r No. 4678
Bevan Circular ' Degrading '
each nostril. “NOSTROLINE” acts quicKly. Soothes irritated membranes, dears head. Relieves in 30 seconds. Doctors recom mend it. In tubes . l/9d. inc tax. All Chemists.
LATE EDITION
NOSTROLINE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1946
LEAVING HYDE PARK
MONSTER LONDON MARCH Withdraw BACKS SQUATTERS Writs and Warrants!
TJustHInsert IC K CATARRH ft little " NOSTROLINE n .up
ALL
R E Q U I S IT I O N
EMPTYMANSIONSAND LUXURY
Ex-Servicemen Lead 12,000 Through West-End
flats!
From SAM RUSSELL The following statement on EADED BY HUNDREDS OF HOMELESS EX-SERVICE MEN AND the housing crisis was issued yesterday by Mr Harry PolTH EIR W IV ES, MORE THAN 12,000 LONDONERS MARCHED litt on behalf of the Execu tive Committee of the Com FROM HYDE PARK TO LEICESTER SQUARE YESTERDAY. munist Party When the demonstration— in support of the squatters and the arrested .
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T h e E Communist Party wel
comes the action of the workers all over Britain who have been forced by their appalling housing conditions and Government negligence to take over empty camps, houses, hotels and luxury flats so that t h e i r immediate necessities might be relieved while the new houses are being built. Already, as a result of these actions, local authorities are now speeding up their own plans for housing their citizens. The Communist Party enters its emphatic protest against the soulless and degrading circu lar issued by the Minister of Health to local authorities ex pressly requesting them to re fuse essential services to the families in occupied premises; to cut them off where they are available; and to take steps to secure immediate eviction. It urges the workers in industry, trade unions, and all local Labour and progressive organi sations to make their full power felt in demanding The Immediate supply of light, heat, gas and power to all occupied premises.
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Local authorities to take over immediately all premises in their areas suitable for reliev ing the housing shortage, and for the Government to over ride local authorities who may refuse to take such measures. No evictions of any families 3 at present in occupied premises. The Government to stale the number of empty hotels, flats, houses, camps, and public buildings suitable for temporary accommodation and what they propose to do with them. 5 Withdrawal of all writs and warrants against those in occupied premises, and those people who have fulfilled their civic duties by assisting the workers to obtain this accom modation. The health and welfare of the people must come before the interests of the rent racketeers, gamblers in property, and the rich who want only luxury accommodation. The Communist Party calls on the Government to take emergency measures for the speeding-up of its housing programme, it demands the setting up of a Ministry of Housing, the largescale factory production of housing parts and fittings, vigorous measures against the menacing black market and the concentration of building trade labour on essential work. It also urges all members of the Communist Party in every sec tion of the building industry to set the example in carrying through and speeding the overall housing programme of the Government.
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Communist leaders— was on the march it stretched along the whole length of Oxford Street, while thousands joined in as it proceeded, behind its ex-Service men's band.
Women and children from among the squatters, accompanied by men folk, on compassionate leave and still in uniform, marched behind banners from the various blocks of flats. Duchess of Bedford House, Fountain Court, Abbey Lodge and the Ivanhoe Hotel squatters were all represented. And as the demonstration swept out of the park past Marble Arch into Oxford Street, holding up all traffic, a huge banner came into view. “ Ex-Service men,” it said, “ demand the requisitioning of empty houses everywhere.” Behind were banners which read: “ Human needs before private profits ”; “ Stand by the squatters “ Stop black market repairs.” The “ Duchess Squatters ” as they now call themselves, had turned out in force bringing children in push carts. They drowned even the band and the noise of the traffic as thousands shouted in chorus: Daily Worker Reporters “ We demand justice for the squatters.” T W O more families moved Opening the meeting in Hyde A into Egerton Gardens, Park, Mr. Denis Goodwin, of the Kensington, at the week-end, London Communist Party, said that the main issue was whether in spite of police guards. the people of London were going There are now 50 adults and to be housed and whether the eight children there, and they say needs of Labour voters were to there is still room for more. At Abbey Lodge, Marylebone, be put before the needs of the millionaires and black market police have refused to let a doctor take in extra medical racketeers. supplies and food, and have stopped a one o’clock lunch, Wanted a Roof allowing hot meals to be taken Addressing a public meeting for in only at 10.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. the first time in her life, Mrs. SUNDAY SERVICE Rita Baird, a small but deter The Rev. Hugh Matthews, mined “ Duchess squatter ” and rector of the parish church, held the mother of two baby boys, told how she had had to walk the a service yesterday in these flats. He said he would do some streets after being evicted from thing about getting blankets a furnished room for which she and mattresses for them. had been paying £2 a week. Squatters also moved into big “ I want to tell you.” she said. “ why I squatted. It was not houses in Willesden, Islington and because I wanted a luxury flat, other London boroughs. Today in Manchester a depu nor because I wanted to break the law or wanted anarchy—I tation of leading trade unionists just wanted a roof over my and Communist Party members is going to interview the Housing head. to demand the im ” Speaking for the Duchess of Committee requisitioning of all Bedford squatters,” she declared mediate empty houses and flats in the city. amid tremendous cheers, “ I want It is estimated that 10,000 to tell you that we are there, and families could be housed in pro there we intend to stay.” perty previously occupied by Mr. Phil Piratin, Communist Government departments. M.P. for Stepney, said that rumours were already going Backing From around to the effect that the Gov ernment might summon Parlia Technicians ment at short notice in order to pass an emergency law to enable A resolution urging the Gov it to deal with the squatters. ernment to legalise the position of the squatters and not to Owners Champion penalise their organisation, was yesterday by the General “ It has taken a Labour Gov passed of the Association of ernment,” he declared, “ to Council Technicians. attempt to straighten out the Building It also demanded that if neces laws on behalf of the property sary, direction should be used to owners. make empty luxury properties ‘‘The Labour Law Officers of available for housing at low rents the Crown are now racking their through the local authorities.
The head of the column of 12,000 marchers with the main banner, leaving Hyde Park for the march through Oxford Street to Leicester Square. Another banner read: “ Seven hundred and ten empty houses in Westminster. Help the Squatters.”
COMMUNIST PARTY LEADERS IN COURT TODAY
Five Communist leaders w ill appear at Bow Street magistrates’ court today charged with conspiring with others to incite persons to trespass on property and aiding and abetting in directing such trespass. Here they are
More Families Move in Despite Police
(CONT’D ON P. 4, COL. 4)
(Squatters* Rights: p. 4.)
Ted Bramley, 40, “ Tubby ” Rosen, secretary of the Communist mem L o n d o n District ber of the Stepney of the Communist Borough Council, Party and member known to thou of the L.C.C.. is is also oh the Party's sands in the East national executive End, as organiser committee. H e of th e Stepney played a leading Tenants' Defence part in the fight League before the against Mosley's war. He is 34 Fascists in Lon y e a r s of age, don, in the de and served as a mand for a second sergeant in the front, and in the R o y a l Artillery w a r - t i m e cam during the war paign for speedier and was demoassistance for the bilised about six months ago. bombed-out.
M ORE T R A IN S AF TE R OCTOBER 7 More trains, better through services and more restaurant ___ cars are promised on ___ L.N.E.R. and Southern Railway Lines when their winter timetables come into operation on October 7. Pre-war through services to be restored include restaurant car expresses between Marylebone, Leicester. Nottingham, Sheffield. Huddersfield and Bradford and between Newcastle, York, Shef field. Nottingham, Leicester and Swansea. Additional trains include a new night express with first- and third-class sleeping-cars, leaving King’s Cross at 1 a.m. for Edin burgh, a new restaurant car ex press from Marylebone to Shef field at 8.45 a.m. and an additional Sunday express with first- and third-class sleeping-cars from Edinburgh at 9.30 p.m. to King’s Cross.
Joyce Alergant, 28, Communist mem ber of the West m i n s te r City C o u n c i l , is a graduate of Liver p o o l University. Last month, tenants in Peabody Buildings, Covent Garden. won big concessions after she had taken up their case. She has organised out ings for Westmin ster children to Hampstead Heath and B u r n h a m Beeches.
Stan Henderson, 30-year-old secre t a r y of the Duchess of Bed ford House squat ters, was for four years a prisoner of w a r in a Japanese prison camp where, under the noses of the Japs, he organised M a y D a y demonstra tions and other meetings. In the Chung-kai Camp, May Day, 1943. he addressed 70 sol diers at a meeting.
Kuomintang Attack Reported Strong Nationalist forces were reported yesterday to be attack ing between Yennan, capital of Shensi, North China, and Kalgan. Communist base and arsenal in Chahar province, The Communists were stated to be withdrawing from Harbin toward Kiamudze, about 150 miles north-east of Harbin.
A gunner in the famous “ Dagger ” Division of the 14th Army, Bill Carritt, who is 37, fought in Burma during the war. He is now a Com munist member of the Westminster City Council. A graduate of Christ Church, Oxford, he h a s studied w o r k i n g - class c o n d i t i o n s in America and in N a z i Germany.
A Week to Go next Monday the F ROM Daily Worker will be a
six-pager. There is no limit to the number we can print, but the orders must be firm. Have you got that new reader to place an order with the newsagent ? We are relying on our readers to get us off to a racing start.
n
BALANCED BLENDING
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houses. I have given them all the power they need, but if this isn’t enough all they queue and hindering housing have to do is tell me.” operations. A popular journal took But will Mr. Bevan please that occasion to gush that tell us just how many Ken Mr. Bevan had “ cut through sington workers were in the the tangle of words that have queue for the Duchess of tied up the country’s housing Bedford flats ? This big programme.” With this new circular that building had been left empty because it was being held in tangle of words seems to have reserve for the well-to-do caught up again. who can afford to pay a rent of ten guineas and more a week. The plain fact is that by T h e Minister of Fuel has hit back hard at the fat squatting the workers have got into houses normally boys of the electricity supply kept for the rich—the type industry and their transpar of house on which black- ent attempt to make the market materials are now public’s flesh creep. being lavished by unscrupu When these persons first lous contractors and their raised their scare cry that wealthy clients. electricity would have to be Mr Bevan is the man who rationed this winter because said, in the first flush of of coal shortage, Mr. ShinMinisterial enthusiasm a well said bluntly that this year ago; " You w ill get was “ nonsense” and “ just
BEVAN’S BLUSTER “ PREM ISES s h o u l d be securely locked, and the police summoned. • . . Take firm and prompt action in defence of ordered govern ment. . . . Local authori ties will not allow organised l a w l e s s n e s s to deflect them. . .” These panicky phrases do not come from some redtaped Whitehall blimp; they are the words of the Minister of Health himself in his latest official circular on the squatters. This throw-’em-freeze-’emstarve-’em-out document the Communist Party rightly calls “ soulless and degrad ing.” in justification of this declaration of war on the squatters, Mr. Bevan argues that they are jumping the
FLESH-CREEPING
propaganda.” He has since stuck to his guns; and over the weekend the profit-pack ing electrical emperors were reduced to mumbling that the Minister was “ gambling on the weather.” The plain fact is that these self - s a m e emperors are facing deposition; a pros pect they view with no sort of f a v o u r . From t h e beginning they have been in the front rank of the anti nationalisation campaigners. The latest flesh-creeping stunt is part of the anti nationalisation build-up. It has not taken in the Minister of Fuel; but Mr. Shinwell is not the Cabinet, whose final climb-down over steel has no doubt encouraged the elec tricity i n d u s t r i a l i s t s to develop an attack that they think may turn out well for them. They, indeed, are gambling on the weather far more than the Minister,
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