* THE AFRICA BUREAU ‘TATe G allery 0701 65 Denison House, Vauxhall Bridge Road, S. 17.1, Secretary: Miss mary benson EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LORD HEMINGFORD. LADY PAKENHAM, RT. HON. A. CREECH JONES, M.P.. Rev. T. Huddleston, C.R., mr. philip fothergill. rev. michael s c o t t , Mr. peter Lake. A Hew Publication THE AFRICAN WORKER IN SOUTH AFRICA A Study of Trade Unionism By Alex Hepple, M.P. Have You Ever Thought What It Is Like To Be An African Worker In An Apartheid State?_____ This publication reviews the position of African workers in the Union of South Africa and their struggle for elementary rights against overwhelming obstacles. The Author, Mr. Alex Hepple M.P., leader of the Labour Party in the South African Parliament, has become known as Father Hepplestone for his courageous stand on behalf of non-Europeans in the South African Parliament. In his Foreword he says: "The Nationalist Government of the country, which looks like being in power for a long time to come, treats African trade unions as a threat to White civilisation; it is there­ fore determined to prevent African workers from organising. The official Parliamentary Opposition, the United Party, is also opposed to statutory recognition of African trade unions. "In the circumstances, there is little likelihood of any South African government encouraging or approving the development of trade unionism among African workers. This is a disturbing thought in these days, when we hear so much about the virtues of 'White* civilisation. Trade unionism has become an essential part of civilised society; if the doors to trade unionism are closed to African workers, the consequences w ill be dangerous. In opposing African trade unionism, the so-called defenders of 'White' civilisation are in fact preparing for their own destruction... "I believe the question of organising African workers to be of major importance. It would be a tragedy if the Africans could find no support amongst the Whites in their efforts to build their unions." Mr. James Crawford, General Secretary of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives in the U.X., has said that "the record of Alex Hepple in South Africa is one which should cause every thinking person to digest carefully what he w rites." 31st July, 1956. P rice 2s. (Postage 2d.) 1 C F T U INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS C 1 S L CONFEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DES SYNDICATS LIBRES 1 B F G INTERNATIONALER BUND FREIER GEWERKSCHAFTEN C 1 0 S L CONFEDERACION INTERNACIONAL DE ORGANIZACIONES SINDICALES LIBRES 3 7 - 47, rue Montague aux Herbes Potageres, Bruxelles 1 — Belgique President - President OD/pv - 2392 Brussels, 2 April President - Presidente 1965 Arne GEIJER Mis, Alex Hepple General Secretary - Secretaire general lib, St, Margaret*s Square Generalsekretar - Secretario General CAMBRIDGE Omer BECU England Dear Mr, Hepple, I regret that I have not replied to your letter of 25 February before now. This is partly due to the pressure of work at the office, but also because I have been hoping to come over to London to meet you for some time but did not know precisely when I would be there. I shall now be in London on 13 and 14 April, I shall probably not be free until the evening of the 1 3 th and I also have an appointment on the morning of the 14th, May I therefore propose that we meet for lunch on 14th April at any place that would be convenient for you. Tel.: 17.80.85 Telegr. : INTERCONFED. BRUXELLES lib, St. Margaret's Square, CAMBRIDGE, England. 5th. April 1965. Mr. P. H. de Jonge, o/o International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 37-47, rue Hontagne aux Herbes Potag&res, BRUSSELS, 1 Belgium. Dear Mr. de Jonge, Thank you for your letter of the 2nd. April. As I will be going up to London specially to meet you, we can meet anywhere you like. I suggest that when making your arrangements for Wednesday, the 14th. April , you reserve a table for us at a restaurant to suit your convenience and I can meet you there. If you are not able to let me know where it will be before you get to London, then write and let me have an address where I can contact you at about 11 or 12 o'clock on the morning of the 14th. I am very much looking forward to meeting you again. Yours sincerely, ALEX. HEPPLE The Race War: The World-wide Conflict of Races, Ronald Segal Pelican 7s 6d. & The editor ofthe Penguin African Library makes a new appraisal ot the tensions which are inevitable in a world in which there is a grim equation between colour and poverty. Reviewing this book, Conor Cruise O’Brien particularly noted Ronald Segal’s capacity for seeing things in a perspective other than habitual to the Western European and American middle classes’. Verwoerd, Alexander Hepple, Pelican 6s. A new addition to the series, ‘Political Leaders of the Twentieth Century’, in which Alexander Werth’s De Gaulle (6s) and Stuart Schram’s Mao Tse-tung (7s 6d) have had outstanding success Now a former leader of the South African Labour Party exam­ ines the man who, prior to his assassination in 1966, rigorously stamped the policy of separate racial development on to South Africa. OVERSEAS DEPARTMENT Secretary: David Ennals Overseas Sub-committee (1963-64): Mr. W. E. Padley, M.P. (Chairman), Miss A. Bacon, M.P., Mr. A. W. Benn, M.P., Mr. G. Brown, M.P., Mr. L. J. Callaghan, M.P., Mrs. B. Castle, M.P., Mr. R. H. S. Crossman, M.P., Mr. D. H. Davies, Mr. T . Driberg, M.P., Mr. J. Gormley, Mr. Anthony Greenwood, M.P., Mr. R. J. Gunter, M.P., Miss M. Herbison, M.P., Mr. A. V. Hilton, M.P., Miss J. Lee, M.P., Mr. D. McGarvey, Mr. I. Mikardo, Mr. F. W. Mulley, M.P., Mr. H. R. Nicholas, Mr. W. H. Rathbone, Mr. A. M. Skeffington, M.P., Mrs. E. White, M.P., Mr. H. Wilson, M.P., and Mr. R. Willis (representing the Trades Union Congress). SUB-COMMITTEES AND REPRESENTATIVES Joint Committee on Disarmament: The Joint Committee on Disarmament, established by the National Executive Committee and the Parliamentary Committee to follow the Disarmament negotiations at the Geneva Conference, has met from time to time. In January the committee prepared a statement making a series of proposals to break the deadlock in the disarmament negotiations, and this was presented to the Foreign Office by the chairman, Mr. P. Gordon Walker, M.P. The members of the committee are as follows: Mr. P. Gordon Walker, M.P. (Chairman), Professor P. M. S. Blackett, Mr. G. Brown, M.P., Mrs. B. Castle, M.P., Mr. T. Driberg, M.P., Mr. D. Healey, M.P., Mr. A. Henderson, M.P., Mr. F. W. Mulley, M.P., Mr. R. Nield, Mr. P. Noel Baker, M.P., Mr. R. Prentice, M.P., Mr. Wayland Young and Mr. D. Ennals (Secretary). Socialist International: The National Executive Committee’s representatives on the Bureau of the Socialist International during the year have been: Mr. Harold Wilson, M.P., Mr. George Brown, M.P., Mr. W. E. Padley, M.P., and Mr. D. Ennals. International Council of Social Democratic Women: The member of the Working Committee of the International Council of Social Democratic Women has been Mrs. C. Kay. British Overseas Socialist Fellowship: Miss J. Lee, M.P., and Mr. A. M. Skeffington, M.P . have served as representatives on the Council of the British Overseas Socialist Fellowship. DELEGATIONS In the past 12 months representatives of the National Executive Committee were appointed to attend international conferences and other gatherings as follows: 1. Socialist International— Council Congress: Brussels, 2-4 September, 1964; Mr. T. Driberg, M.P., Mr. Anthony Greenwood, M.P., Mr. W. E. Padley, M.P., Mr. F. W. Mulley, M.P., Miss J. Lee, M.P. 2. Socialist International— Centenary Congress: Brussels, 5-6 September, 1964; Lord Attlee, Mr. S. Watson, Mr. Anthony Greenwood, M.P., Mr. W. E. Padley, M.P., Mr. T. Driberg, M.P., Miss J. Lee, M.P., Mrs. M. Miller, Mr. F. Mulley, M.P., Miss M. Sutherland and Mr. A. L. Williams. 3. Italian Socialist Party—Congress: 25-29 October, 1963; Mr. L. J. Callaghan, M.P., accompanied by Mr. J. Clark. 4. Delegation to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia: 2-14 January, 1964; Mrs. B. Castle, M.P., Miss J. Lee, M.P., Mr. W. H. Rathbone, accompanied by Mr. J. Clark. 5. Austrian Socialist Party—75th Anniversary Rally: Vienna, 12 February, 1964; Mr. Anthony Greenwood, M.P. 6. Scandinavia: 8-12 June, 1964; Mr. Anthony Greenwood, M.P., attended the 22nd Con­ gress of the Swedish Social Democratic Party in Stockholm and also visited Norway and Denmark. Other overseas delegations have been as follows: 7. Council of Europe: Strasbourg, September, 1963, January, April, and June, 1964; Mr. J. Clark accompanied the Parliamentary Labour Party delegation. 8. Western European Union: Paris, December, 1963, and Rome, June, 1964; Mr. J. Clark accompanied the Parliamentary Labour Party delegations. 9. N.A.T.O. Parliamentarians' Conference: Paris, November, 1963; Mr. J. Clark accom­ panied the Parliamentary Labour Party delegation. 10. Mr. D. Ennals accompanied Mr. Harold Wilson, M.P., on his visit to Canada and the U.S.A., 27 February to 6 March, 1964. [ 32 ] Mr. Brown also addressed a Rally on the Friday evening. Conference received reports of two weekend schools organised for Young Socialists during the year, and of three delegate conferences and four demonstrations.