COLM'S COLUMN
THE first thing I must do is to reply to Colm Brogan's letter, which was published last week. I must say that I never denied the Pope's call for the exposition of Communism. What I said, and I still say, is that there are too many Catholics ready to denounce the Communists without applying a Christian remedy themselves.
I have always suspected that Mr. Brogan looked at this column, but since his letter I am convinced he never reads it. If he interprets the Gospels and Papal teachings in the same manner as he interprets this " Notebook " small wonder why he should write a letter. I say again that my advice to him is even more urgent.
When it comes to reading the Gospels, the Pope can be relied on to take good care of his own and every Catholic soul. I fear I cannot congratulate Mr. Brogan on such impartial council and wisdom.
UP GUARDS !
PRAISING this paper for " its
readiness to give room to all shades of opinion," Mr. David Noel, writing from The Guards Club, suggests that such impartiality can be carried to excess.
" I suggest, for instance," he says, "that the title of Gerry Sherry's weekly column should be altered. A good alternative would he Catholic Socialist Notebook.' The present title is misleading because it tends to indicate that Catholics endorse the erroneous, but common view that to he a ' worker ' is necessarily to be a Socialist also."
I am grateful for Mr. Noel's interest---a trifle puzzled by his suggestion. Would he not secretly prefer a 100 per cent. True-Blue "Catholic Conservative Notebook"?
I humbly regret if my column offends his eye because it appears to resemble the forget-me-not less than the pink carnation—adding the hasty assurance that all such resemblances are purely coincidental.
WAGE PEGGING THE Government's White Paper on wages has brought a storm of abuse from the Daily Worker, and all the Communist-controlled unions. The argument against wage pegging is bound to have an effect on the ordinary worker, and much support from outside the Communist Party will be given to those who oppose the White Paper.
However, Catholics should think before they take sides. The desperate economic position of this country calls for a halt to wage increase scrambles. It also calls for a halt
ptoriceths. .e ever-increasing profits and
If the Government can work out a plan to keep wages at the same level, with a corresponding reduction in prices and less profiteering by Big Business, then the While Paper should be accepted in the .
'In course, those industries which have still workers underpaid should be brought in line with the others. The danger I see is that unions with irresponsible leaders, whose concern is not the worker or the country, might wreck any plan put forward and create an even worse situation than at present.
The sins of apathy are now showing results. Union branch menthe'', should flock to meetings and make sure that decisions now reached arc based on Christian social principles, not pagan political hysterics.
AUSTRIAN TRADE UNIONISTS FOUR representatives of the West
minster A.C.T.U. were invited to a reception given recently by the Austrian Minister in London to an Austrian T.U.C. delegation visiting Britain.
The Austrians have now invited a delegation of the A.C.T.U. to visit Austria in the summer, at their expense. This invitation, of course, is open to representatives from all over the country.