Welsh Journals

CORRESPONDENCE. Evolution or Revolution. To the Editor of The Welsh Outlook.' Sir. I shall be glad if you will give me a little space in your valuable paper to comment on the article Evolution or Revolu- tion in No. I. 1 do this for two reasons. (1) Because I believe that a Revolution is inevitable (not necessarily a bloody one.) (2) Because I am a Student of the W.E.A. and reference is made to the Association. Reform (evolutionary or moderate) as we know it to-day is worse than useless, as it takes into consideration all involved interests. especially those appertaining to property and capital. The propertied class has no urgent desire for reforms in the same sense as a socially inferior one--i.e. to make life tolerable at all. so they themselves or their agents, in bringing about reforms supposed to benefit the working class, always take care to arrange them in such a way that the propertied class can shift the extra cost on to the working class by increasing the price of commodities. Evolutionary reform means (to use an old phrase) Feeding a dog with his own tail and then wondering why the animal shows no improvement in its condition." What the working men expect from reform is more real wages for the wealth they produce, not a collective spending of their wages for them by the government, for instance, The Insurance Act. There can be no real improvement in the working class conditions unless it shows a corresponding or proportionate decline in the rent paid to Landlords and the Interest and Profits paid to the Capitalists. We notice that corresponding to the increase in the Evolutionary Reform, which is made so much of in this article, the rich become richer and the poor wage earners are becoming on the whole poorer. The character of Anthony in Galsworthy's Strife is a more honest expression of Capitalism than those who say they sympathise with the working class for improvement, who never let their sympathies decrease their shekels. Generally the rich will do anything for the worker except get off his back. knowing if he does he would have to work himself. To talk of trying to teach the employers their moral obligations to their workpeople to give them a better share of the proceeds of the business is as useless as expecting a leopard to change his spots. I notice the objection to the term Class War. We workers who believe that the Class War exists, do not make it but only note that it is so. and point it out to others. The fact that the workers have got to form Trade Unions, to protect themselves from the Employers Associations demonstrates that there is a clashing of interests. The only way of abolishing the Class War is to do away with the cause of it. The cause is that the ownership of the means of life, is in the hands of the rich or propertied Class, who make all other people their beasts of burden. To abolish the Class War we must establish a Co-operative Common- wealth which I believe will be the result of organisation and education of the working people. I am yours respectfully, Penrhiwceiber. One of the Propertyless. COMPETITIONS. THE Editor will offer prizes monthly for the best work done by readers of the Welsh Outlook in competition. For this number- (1) A special prize of three guineas will be offered for the best essay on the following subject The Working and Effects in Wales of the Miners' Minimum Wage Act of 1 91 2." In awarding the prize special attention will be given to evidence of original observation and to ability to present its results in a precise and accurate form, with the aid, when practicable, of statistics. Candidates will not be ex- pected to give an account of the events leading to the passage of the Act, and should confine their essay to giving a full description of its operation, touching specially on the following points 1. Machinery of the Act dates and terms of various awards in Wales, points as to their interpretation the procedure by which a man recovers the minimum wage due to him; the part played by the Union; the adminis- tration of the Act effective or ineffective; evasion, if any. 2. The Effect of the Act on Wages: the number and proportion of men in any colliery or collieries earning less than the minimum wage during the eight weeks preceding the composition of the essay the amounts by which they fall short of it. grouped in shillings the amount and percentage by which the average weekly wage bill in any colliery or collieries has been increased in order to make up the required minimum; whether the minimum has tended to become the maximum wage. 3. The Indirect Results of the Act: the amount and percentage of the average cost of producing a ton of coal in any colliery or collieries in order to make up the re- quired minimum the effect of the extra cost, if any, in raising prices; the effect of the extra cost, if any, in causing the introduction of machinery, speeding up, a more careful selection of workers and the dismissal of old or slow workers; the effect of the Act if any, in causing an increase or decrease in the output per worker; the effect of the Act, if any, in causing fewer or more workers to be employed; its effect, if any, in either strengthening or weakening Trade Unionism. Candidates should particularly notice the desirability of supporting their statements with direct evidence, and of a kind which, if necessary, could be verified. (2) A prize of half a guinea is offered for the best essay in Welsh or English, of not more than 1000 words, by a boy or girl under 17 years of age, on How I spent St. David's Day." Competitors must observe the following con- ditions 1. The first competition is open the second is limited to boys and girls under 17, who must mention their age and state that they have received no outside help. 2. All envelopes should be addressed Competition 1 (or 2)" The Welsh Outlook, CARDIFF. and must reach the Editor by-March 15th. 3 The name and address of the competitor must be written on the MSS. itself. 4. The Editor reserves the right of printing in The Welsh Outlook any matter sent in. 5. Unsuccessful MSS. cannot be returned, unless a stamped envelope is enclosed. 6. The Editor's decision is final in all cases.