The Henson Journals

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Tuesday, December 5th, 1916.

855th Day

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I wrote to the Bishop of Manchester before breakfast. Rashdall went off to Oxford afterwards, and I went to Mattins. I made a start on the Lecture. Mr Smith, the Vicar of Muggleswick, lunched here. He gives a depressing account of the 'National Missioner' who was sent to his queer little parish. Then I went to S. Margaret's, and attended the funeral of the workman, Coats, who died suddenly last week. There was a considerable number of people following the coffin. Then Jim motored Clara and me to Sacriston, where we called on Mrs Blackett, and had tea. Colonel Blackett came in, and, in the course of conversation, promised to take me down his mine. He lent me a pamphlet now circulating among the South Welsh miners. It expounds a crudely selfish scheme of what is called 'Syndicalism'. The 'Policy' is set forth in XIV articles, of which the 1st runs thus: "The old policy of identity of interest between employers and ourselves is abolished, & a policy of open hostility installed". Article X expounds 'the more scientific weapon of the irritation strike by simply remaining at work, reducing output, & so contrive by their general conduct to make colliery unremunerative'. Art. XIII is simplicity itself: "That a continual agitation be carried on in favour of increasing the minimum wage, & shortening the hours of work, until we have extracted the whole of the employer's profits. Finally, Art. XIV states the goal: "That our objective be, to build up an organisation, that will ultimately take over the mining industry, & carry it on in the interests of the workers." The syndicalist opposes 'nationalisation', & directly opposes the interest of the specific industry to that of the whole community. The conception of the Nation is not however quite excluded.

[184]

"Our objective begins to take shape before your eyes. Every industry thoroughly organised, in the first place, to fight, to gain control of, and then to administer, that industry. The co–ordination of all industries on a Central Production Board, who, with a statistical department to ascertain the needs of the people, will issue its demands on the different departments of industry, leaving the men themselves to determine under what conditions and how, the work shall be done. This would mean real democracy in real life, making for real manhood and womanhood. Any other form of democracy is a delusion and a snare."

This is extraordinarily crude; but not the less morally debilitating. If this theory has been largely accepted among the miners, one need not wonder at the persistence & bitterness of labour troubles among them. Payne, the clever little man who was clerk of the works for the Cathedral work, came to me in much distress. He had been accused of trying to shirk his service, whereas in fact he had made prodigious efforts to satisfy the changing requirements of the military authorities! I gave him a note to Captain Rogerson and also wrote privately to Rogerson. Payne has been doing work with the Belgians at Birtley. He gives a dreadful account of the behaviour of the munition workers. The foulness of language used by the Belgians, & being quickly adopted by the boys, of whom many are working with them, especially horrified him. Of course, he is religiously minded, and has lived mostly in ecclesiastical circles & all of these abominations are new to his experience of life.

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