Mr John Jones: Trade unionism started because of exploitation.
Mr John Jones: A better life.
Mr John Jones: In many respects, the speeches we have so far heard today have been very different from those we have heard in the past on this very vexed problem. First, as an individual, I would wish the right hon. Gentleman the best of luck on his trip. I hope that nobody at home looks for a reprieve while he is abroad, because that would be an additional burden on him. This problem and that of the...
Mr John Jones: What about I.C.I.?
Mr John Jones: A short haul.
Mr John Jones: I rise to support the plea made by the hon. Member for Maidstone (Mr. J. Wells) in his effort to get the Minister to postpone the action contemplated by this Bill. I know that the Minister will tell us that he is not closing the canals but handing them over to the responsibility of the new Authority. I hope that by the time the new Authority gets to work the canals will be in no worse a...
Mr John Jones: Parallel lines.
Mr John Jones: On the point of the letter from his constituent which my right hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Bellenger) read about the child who might be absent for an hour, I would point out that in Warrington, an industrial town, there are 8,000 boy members of the angling association. The association has never heard of any parents complaining. Child delinquency there is less than in any city....
Mr John Jones: The hon. Member himself, when Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, was chairman of the Committee which dealt with apprenticeships in industry. He is now talking about an adequate source of supply of competent young apprentices. Would he care to tell us his opinion of the Government in view of their actions towards education authorities, school teachers and headmasters, who are...
Mr John Jones: So far the debate has been primarily conducted by men of legal ability, with the usual arguments about the validity of the Bill and its legal effects. I want to consider it from the humanitarian point of view, speaking as a Socialist and trade unionist and wanting for the African exactly the same privileges as those which I have aspired to obtain for myself. The question is how soon the...
Mr John Jones: Yes.
Mr John Jones: I agree that this stats of affairs is not peculiar to Africans. Since the last Budget, and during the last fortnight, we have had evidence of the effects of exploitation and of the adroit, skilful way in which people use power. I do not need my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (Mr. C. Pannell) to tell me about that. I have been watching the position since I left school, and that was a...
Mr John Jones: That is the issue before us. Does anybody out there want the Government to take away the power they have to see that the right thing is done eventually? A great onus is placed on the people out there. I can only look at the problem as I see it. Some people take the view that it should be a case of one man, one vote, and that everybody is entitled to a vote. Others may argue that some people,...
Mr John Jones: We want to be absolutely certain that increasing numbers of Africans will, as soon as possible, obtain the right to govern their own country in their own way, which will, I hope, be as satisfactory as the way in which this country will be governed if we had a Socialist Government.
Mr John Jones: The hon. Member is always used to stating the facts. Can he tell us what trade union bars its leaders from coming here? There are leaders and general secretaries of trade unions who sit on these benches. Beyond that, the trade union leaders of today have a big job in hand. If they came here they would have to leave the work they are doing in the industrial field. That would act tremendously...
Mr John Jones: Why does the hon. Gentleman believe that too much money has been spent on the nationalised industries? Does not he agree that it would not have been necessary to spend such a large amount of money if the private owners of these industries had left them in decent condition?
Mr John Jones: We have listened yesterday and today to a variety of speeches, and I do not propose to follow the hon. and gallant Member for Down, South (Captain Orr) into the troubles and trials which his part of Ireland is now experiencing. I assure him that we on this side of the House have a proud record of work done to help distressed areas. I assure him also that if there is anything in which it will...
Mr John Jones: I was coming to that point. The best workers were those who did some saving, and but for the saving groups in industry, of which there are many thousands, the Chancellor would have been in much poorer shape than he is. This belittling and denigrating of those who enjoy a pint or cigarettes—as I do not—will not get the Chancellor very far in his aim to bring about increased production....
Mr John Jones: Bring back the birch.
Mr John Jones: Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that when we are purchasing vital raw materials from abroad, by agreement we must take some of the surplus production from the countries from which we make those purchases; otherwise we shall not get the raw materials which are vital to us?
