[If half those who have shed tears at…]

Scan page 5

If half those who have shed tears at the absence of the Times read the paper when it appeared, it would háve a mass circulation, instead of the scanty readership it so richly deserves.

The loss of the Times as a source of news and comment is no loss to anyone except the capitalists and even they have plenty of other avenues for their propaganda.

Orgy

But this did not stop the Times and the rest of Fleet Street indulging in an orgy of whimsical farewells as the management lockout began.

The Times leader-"There will be an interval"-was suitably dewy eyed about its readers for whom the paper "is an important part of daily life"

To the almost audible strains of 'Land of Hope and Glory' the mouthpiece of bourgeois reaction linked together its favourite cliches in a few paragraphs:

''It is not for us at the Times to assess our significance to British society or to British national life ... British liberty ... free newspapers... serve the causes of liberty and objective reporting"' = • •otc ...etc.

Despite the lockout, the ultimatum and the pistol held to the head of Times workers, the leader calmly claimed:

"There is in this no intention to engage in some total conflict with the trade unions. The Times... is seeking a responsible and productive new relationship with the trade unions, one which will secure regular production, will create productivity and enable us to improve pay."

Nothing here about the 400 jobs they are trying to axe and the straightjacket clauses which will seek to prevent chapels taking action over any grievances.

hand The rest of the leader is given over to assuring trade union leaders that they will gain by having their members bound hand and foot.

"We shall have done a service to the trade union movement by showing that good trade unionism backed by good negotiating can produce real benefits, bene. fits which are not available to the trade unionism of the mass rally and the sudden walk out."

In the letter columns Major (who else?) Hugh Walter quoted from the first Times leader of November 29, 1814, which sung the praises of the Koenig and Bauer steam press in lyrical terms.

"The reader of this paragraph now holds in his hands one of the many thousand impressions of the Times newspaper, which were taken off last night by mechanical apparatus. A system of machinery almost organic has been devised and arranged, which, while it relieves the human frame of its most laborious efforts in printing, far exceeds all human powers in rapidity and despatch."

Later the leader went on to voice "the various disappointments and deep anxiety to which we have for a long course of time been subjected," including "fear of an antimachinery combination within Printing House Square"' and "a demonstration of compositors, who saw their labour at less demand as a result of the abolition of the hitherto necessary practice of composing duplication pages."

Which shows that it is not the technology itself which is at stake but the owners.

Or asi .: J. Freedman, NATSOPA: Night:• Machine' Chapel FoC at the Times put it, in the only letter not backing the management:

"My Chapel will receive under the New Agreements Project ,less, wagas for longer hours with a. greatly reduced staff, no longer holidays" •. • etc.