The latest issue of Young Guard gives, of course, a good deal of space to tho question. of democracy in the Young Socialist movement. Indoed the main load is on tho quostion of the proscription of Keep Left, standing unconditionally in defsnee of the paper against the right wing attack. Other articlos cover the Young Socialist Annual Conference, the nurses wage claim, fascism, approntices, aldormaston, ote. Regional reports from Scotland, North Region and South Rogion Give some interesting information. Thore is a page of letters, including one from a comrade in Scotland who was rocently sentenced to 30 days for taking part in a sit down. This comrade was givon his notice from Rolls Royco (Hillington) but this rosulted in a sorios of lightoning strikes and it looks as though he will be ro-ongaged. The comrade who wrote the article in fascism, reported that ho had beon 'sontenced to death' by one of the most extrome fascist groups — the British National Party. No doubt with the rocent publicity that Young Guard has recoived there will be a ready market, indeod, reports so far indicate that the paper is selling more readily than over before.
FIVE AND A HALF PER CENT INCREASE IN COST OF LIVING INDEX IN ONE YEAR
In the last twelve months, that is from April 1961 to April 1962, the cost of living index has risen as much as it did -in the previous 35 years. At | a time when the Government is trying to impose a 'guiding light' of a 24% increase in wages per year, and what is more actually imposing this upon thoso weakly organised sections of the workors who have the misfortune to be Government employeos, this amounts to an attempt to impose a sharp decrease in the standard of living, Details are to hand of the incrcase in the figures for April. They show that the increase was almost entirely in food and housing which means that the actual increase for a working class houschold would bo greator because these two items account for more expenditure in the working class budget than other sections.
Food, which in March stood at 101, (all figures January 1962 equals 100) went up ‘104.1. The main factor was the increase in the averago prices of potatoes, tomatoes, and other fresh vegatables, and smaller increases in tho average prices of mtton, lamb and fish. In addition, flour,bread, cereals, biscuits and cakes wont up 2 points as compared with January. In the case of housing which went up from 100 to 103.3, the principal reason was the increase in rates. In addition there wore also rises in tho average levels of rents of privately owned and local authority dwellings let unfurnished. Some idea of how the index very ofton masks real increases in the cost of living is shown by the fact that the index for transport and vehicles romained at 100 despite increases in fares. This was because thore was a decrease in the average cost of socond—hand cars,
It will be noted that none of the factors making for the increases | during April wore directly due wage increase - the increase in food prices boing due to 'scarcity' and the rato incrcoases being largely as the result of the cost of borrowing. Nor can the blame be put on import costs as the following figures shows Index figure Food, Bevorages Basic Fucls Manufactures All
and Tobacco Matorials itons April, 1961 96 95 97 108 98 April, 1962 96 92 96 105 96
all figures 1954 equals 100,