p.

8

country should be concentrated in London? Let London
remain the centre, by all means - but art should
flourish all over the country. And surely it is our
Capitalist, industrialist system, which prevents it doing
so. Consider all the millions in Lancashire &
Yorkshire - what time have they for art or
music or beauty at all. They are too busy making
money, or else labouring to support themselves.
They live ugly lives in ugly houses in ugly
places, & all they have time to think of is
whether they will get in 5 days or 3 days this
week, & how will they pay the rent & the
instalment on the radio. They have no security &
it is one long struggle. From the age of 14
until they die, or go on the old age pension,
it is one long struggle - & for bloody little at
the end of it. Think of my 200 people at North
- if they work a full week, a man earned 47/-
- & if not, he had to sign on & draw dole. He
could not even rely soly on the miserable 47/-.
What a bloody life & what a bloody prospect.
And what did we do? We dyed cotton in a
works - there is a surplus of cotton in
the world - & of dyestuffs - & of iron & steel &
bricks to keep up the works. But all the
goods we sell have to be sold at a price
in order to make profits - & the people who