The General Strike as a Weapon Not Yet Forsaken: Mr. A.
Pugh's Claim of Increased Support for Labour:
The Duty of other Countries London, Sept. 3.
'The General Council of the Trades 'Union Congress privately discussed to-day the refusal of the Hom Office to grant visas to the Russian' delegates to the Congress at Bournemouth next week.
The Council is drafting a resolution "protesting against the Home Secretary's interference in the legitimate international activities Of the)
On the score of economy the delegation from the Miners' Federation was smaller than usual, A discussion on the general strike and the coal stoppage was deferred in view of the pending negotiations.
The report of the Council showed that the total membership was 4,365,414, an increase of 14,432, compared with last year. trade union movement.
'The Secretary of the Council stated that while the Council wa: in no wise satisfied with recent developments of the Anglo-Russian Committee in regard to certain criticisms reflecting on the Council' action, at the same time that had no influence on their international relations in respect of receiving, fraternal delegates from a foreign Sept. 5.
Addressing the annual conference of the Trade Union Congress Bournemouth, Mr, Arthur Pugh, the President, dwelt largely on the general strike, and declared that that weapon should not be left unused when it was sought to enforce upon any section of the workers terms which had not been made the sub-' ject of negotiation and collective, Agreement.
The Congress had not met in a penitential mood, nor with any consciousness of defeat. He claimed that the bye-elections, especially at Hammersmith and Wallsend, had] shown that Labour commanded erensing support, and that it wa not the Trade Unions but the Government that had lost the confidence of the people.
Referring to Labour's interna a} policy, Mr. Pugh suid thal grent emerging in the change of direction of the man accom of emigration from Eurone vnleveloped countries oversea.
"We must bear in mind tha our international organization is mainly European in its structure and range, and it is imperative that we should extend it to the workers in these] new countries whither the outflow of population from the older lands must inevitably tend in the future.'
Continuing, he said practical con sideration should be given to the question of obtaining international trade union agreements and understandings, whereby, combined with the prevention of the importation of products of sweated labour,—trado unionism in countries where low] economic standards prevailed would; be assisted by stronger countries to build up an effective organization of M-paid and exploited workers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.