Early Articles by Cheddi Jagan
Letter to Editor of Daily Chronicle
August 15, 1946
Editor, 69 Main Street
Daily Chronicle Georgetown
Georgetown August 15, 1946
Dear Sir,
In your article “Guianese Love Statism you are indeed to be praised on the stand you took on the question of trained personnel from abroad. I agree that our economy cannot stand the strain of the high salaries which many of these people are receiving. These salaries are derived from the Taxpayer’s money, and as such should bear some relationship to the average wages or salaries of the ordinary working class people in this country. As long as we are forced to continue buying at high prices whether imported trained personnel or imported goods manufactured by labour working for 4 to 5 times local wage rates, and to sell at cheap prices local agricultural products, so long will the standard of living of the inhabitants of this country remain low.
That these high salaried trained personnel are imported into British Guiana is not the fault of the working class of Guiana. That there is continued importation of overseers who have little or no experience in the sugar industry when these same positions can be filled locally at less cost and by more experienced men is not the fault of the inhabitants of B.G. It is not that “Guianese Love Statism” but that statism is foisted upon them. In any discussion of Statism it is important to know who are in control of the State, and for whose interest is the state governed. We are all too familiar with the Hitler Gang ruling Germany for the interests of the Steel and Chemical trusts and the I.G. Farben Industries. Our country is not governed by working class people; high property qualification still debar the majority of the working people from holding responsible positions in the Village, Municipal and Legislative councils. For this very reason the TUC is to be congratulated for their stand to remove these high property qualification, and to introduce the system of recalling members who in positions of responsibility may act contrary to the wishes of the people.
How can we expect any decent housing schemes to be carried out by the State dominated by land-owners and property-owners and real estate businessmen when any such scheme will tend to lessen the demand for housing thereby introducing the risk of reduction in the value for land and property?
The state control of importation and distribution failed because it was controlled for the interests of a small minority of businessmen. This permitted a small group not only to get wholesale and retail profits, but also lucrative profits in the black market. The price control is not effective because the regulations against black marketers are not stringent enough. When an ordinary men steals, he is sent to jail, but when the black marketers are caught stealing from thousands of consumers, they are fined a few dollars.
© Nadira Jagan-Brancier 2000
Capitalistic Power And Post-War Labour Rehabilitation
(By Cheddi B. Jagan B.sc., D.D.S)
Printed in New Outlook August 18, 1946
The United States of America is today experiencing another civil war - an almost bloodless clash between the exploited working class and the exploiting capitalist class. The end of the war has seen more than two million workers on strike. They have struck and are striking because there is looming a very grave threat to the high standard of living to which the American worker has become accustomed.
Reconversion of industry from wartime to peace-time economy has caused a severe drop in the contents of the weekly pay envelope. This has been brought about chiefly by loss of overtime pay and unemployment. The worker was no longer receiving an average wage of about $46.00 per week as he did in 1944. Even this figure did not measure up to the $54.00 weekly wage which the Heller Committee found necessary for a man, his wife and two children to live a decent life.
The tremendous capital resources of the N.A.M. (National Association of Manufacturers) are arrayed against the working class. Working capital of U.S. corporations increased from 54 ½ billion dollars in 1939 to 99 billion in 1945. Profits were more than doubled during the war years. After paying taxes, including excess profits tax, Big Business made profits of 9.3 billion dollars in the one year, 1945, as compared to 4.2 billion dollars in the same one year period in 1939. It is not willing to share with workers who really produced these huge profits. Instead, part of these huge profits is spent to bombard America with propaganda, falsehoods and deceits to fool the American people as to the real issues at stake. The N.A.M. is now planning to spend nearly a billion dollars within the next five years to spread free enterprise propaganda through the medium of the press, radio and movies. Another part has been used to elect reactionary Senators and Congressmen who helped anti-labour legislation and pro-N.A.M. tax laws.
The Truman administration has now shown its total inability to solve vital American problems. In the U.S. Steel strike, it showed its weakness by increasing wages at the same time raising the price of steel. This increased price allowed the Morgan Steel Trust not only to pay an increase of 18 ½ c. per hour to workers, but to make a profit of over four million dollars on the deal. This is the reason why the United Automobile Workers at first demanded a 30% increase in wages without increase in prices. In the railroad strike, President Truman showed his firmness - but against labour. He asked for fascistic powers to draft strikers into the army.
On the side of the working class are nearly 12 million trade union members and their families. That a new day has dawned in the American trade movement can be seen from the strike at Yale and Towne Manufacturing Co, in Stanford, The C.I.O and the A.F.L., traditional arch enemies were formed into a united front for strike organization. Evidenced also on the picket line was the new harmony between Negro and White strikers battling for the same cause.
For the first time small businessmen and merchants have allied themselves on the side of the workers. They have come to realize that the well-being of their business depends on the wages the workers receive. The Church also now realises that they cannot have souls of men, women and children with empty stomachs. The working classes should greatly applaud the Catholic priests who took part in the packing house (meat) workers strike in Chicago.
Allied to the side of the workers are various liberal organisations. These have been instrumental in giving not only publicity as to the real business at stake, but also material help in the form of food, warmth and clothing to the strikers and their families.
In this battle the capitalist class in fully armed and the balance of power is definitely in its favour. By the very nature of its system, however, it increases year by year the strength of its opposition, the working class. One can only look forward to the time when this strength will permit the working class to become the only true masters in the production and distribution of all wealth.
© Nadira Jagan-Brancier 2000
The Recall
Printed in The Indian Opinion September 7, 1946
The government of most countries have their legislators and public official elected by the majority will of the people. As a general rule, most of these officials are recruited from the middle and upper classes. As soon as they are elected, quite a few of them begin to represent their own class interests, with the result that the working classes soon loose faith in them. The working classes are therefore insisting upon their rights to oust elected persons at will or to pass judgment upon their continuance in authority at any time during their terms of service. This device is known as the Recall. The principle upon which it is based is that elected officials are merely the agents of the majority will of the people and that the voters should have at all times an opportunity to pass upon their conduct of their representatives. The British Guiana Trade Union Council is to be congratulated for sponsoring the Recall to be used if necessary against elected members of the Legislative Council.
It is being said that this provision does not apply in Great Britain, U.S.A. and Russia. This is not wholly true. In applying any yard-sick in British Guiana, we must be careful in taking into consideration the constitutional developments and background of various countries as compared to British Guiana.
The Soviet Constitution has provision for recall. In Great Britain, the Cabinet system of government fixes responsibility on the party in power. There is more or less strict party discipline. Under these conditions, there is no actual need for recall. The vote of no confidence in the Governments is to the cabinet party system what the recall is to the no party system of independent members.
In the U.S.A. there is no cabinet party system in the strict sense of the English type. Responsibility is more diffuse. It goes beyond party lines, and is shared by the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. Party discipline is not very strict. In fact one finds that on many important measures members of Congress will vote outside of parties. In these cases, voting usually takes place along lines of interests - liberals of both parties together in one camp the reactionaries in another. In such an American governmental background, recall should be an absolutely necessary provision. It should be incorporated into the federal constitution. The reality of present day American politics, however, will not admit of any such reform. Legislators of the type Bilbo and Rankin who will filibuster in congress even against the abolition of the poll-tax, will prefer to start another civil war than see the introduction of the popular democratic Initiative, Referendum and recall. Despite the fact that recall is not a federal provision, American reformers have made its introduction possible in over a thousand municipalities and in twelve of the progressive state legislatures.
The situation in British Guiana is different from any of the three countries mentioned. There is an income qualification of $100 per month or property qualification of $1000 of immovable property for candidates seeking election to the Legislative Council. At such, many working class candidates will be debarred. Middle class and upper class prospective candidates will appear with glittering promises before the electorate, the majority of whom will be working class people. There being no system of party politics, there can be no strict party discipline. Those elected will be free to carry out individual lines of action for a too long period of five years. Being governed under such a set-up the working classes of B.G. have every right to insist that the provision of Recall of legislative members be incorporated into the constitutions of British Guiana.
© Nadira Jagan-Brancier 2000
