THE LABOUR PARTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 233, 2 October 1925, Page 7

THE LABOUR PARTY.

CONFERENCE Ml LIVERPOOL

"WAR ON COMMUNISM.

GAUNTLET DOWN TO REDS.

(By Cable—rress Association.—Copyright.)

LONDON, October 1. The conference of the Labour party was resumed at Liverpool.

Mr. K. Bevin, secretary of the Transport t'nion, moved that." in view of the. experience of the recent Labour Government, it was inadvisable that the Labour party should accept office without a majority in tiie House of Commons. Mr. J. IT. Thomas, in opposing the motion, said he was convinced the present Government would lie brought down on its industrial policy on the challenge of the Labour Opposition. The motion was rejected.

At a subsequent' stage in the sitting of the conference, Mr. Mac Donald referred to the Communists. He said: "We knew that yesterday's decision to exclude the Communists from the party would remove the attack from the floor of this conference to the street corners. We do not want the support of men who. when they are defeated, malisrn the whole Labour movement in order to servo their own purpose. Let us go on unmoved by their attacks."

Mr. Gallagher interjected: "What about our support?"

Mr. Mac Donald: We do not care a straw for your support. The kind of support we want is from men who are honest in their statements; men who will stand by us. You will excuse this; but they have asked for it. I have referred to it only because I think it is time we faced these slanders.

Mr. Mac Donald admitted that the late Labour Government had made colossal mistakes. Some ruinous steps had been taken by it, but it was the party which, within 10 months, had increased its vote by over 10,000.000.

Continuing, Mr. Mac Donald said be trusted there would now be no doubt as to where the Labour party stood, and what would be undertaken by it as soon as the nation gave the majority necessary to create a Labour Government.

Followincr the short shrift which was given to the attack on Mr. Mac Donald concerning the Zinovieff letter his sudden change from mild-mannered, placatory phrases, to a rugged, hard-hitting onslaught created a great impression.

Mr. dynes' motion contained the elements of a scheme which Mr. Philip Snowden is credited with having originated -when be was Chancellor of the Exchequer, as Labour's alternative to preference. Mr. Mac Donald, in defending: Labour's svmpnthotic attitude toward the Empire, said it might be consistent with Communism to talk about smashing the Empire, but it was very foolish. Tn many wars the Empire was a real Commonwealth. Queensland had more socialistic legislation than ever Russia had thought about. He did not want a "boss-controlled" Empire. but a Labour-controlled Commonwealth. This was possible if Labour chose to work.-

The Labour party conference adopted the executive's resolution on foreign policy, urging the principles of the Geneva protocol as the only practicable basis of a permanent secure peace, and general disarmament, also condemning the offer to accept the Iraq mandate for another 25 years.

Mr. Herbert Smith, president of the Miners' Federation, in the course of the discussion, attacked the Dawes scheme. He said it was killing the Labour movement. If the Labour party did not inquire into its operations and its results the Miners' International Federation would do so.

Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald associated himself with Mr. Smith's remarks. He defended the Labour Government's action regarding the reparations. He claimed they took the reparations problem out of the hands of the Political Committee and put it in the hands of the Economic Committee, a more or less impartial committee. Had that step been properly and energetically followed tin, it would have been a step forward in the emancipation of the European working classes. — (A. and N.Z. Cable.)

MR. MACDONALDS DOMINANCY

(Received 11..10 a.m.) LONDON, October 1. The "Daily News," commenting on the Labour Conference, says the general feeling is that Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald has completely reasserted his dominant influence over the party.— ("Sun.")