LABOUR POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 91, 19 April 1927, Page 11

LABOUR POLICY.

REVIEW AT CONFERENCE. ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT. "IMPLACABLE FOES" OF WORKERS. TWpjrraph.—Press Association.) NAPIER, Monday. The annual conference of the Xew Zealand Labour party opened this morning. Following a civic reception to the delegates, Mr. R. Semple, in his presidential addiess. said that apart from the geneial routine work of the conference thev had two very important questions to consider. There was the financial report, liich naturally involved the future activities of the organisation, and the Land Committee's report. These two questions were all important. There was a great responsibility upon the shoulders of those entrusted with the work of the convention. "We are called "upon by the thousands of men and women we represent to consider ways and means of perfecting our political organisation." he said, "so that within the next two years you will have gathered sufficient strength, knowledge, and courage to gain political control on behalt of the useful people of this fair land of ours. We offer only a constructive programme which would if put into operation, solve many of the complex problems. both economic and social, which face us to-day. " Incompetency and Bungling."

"""We have an all-powerful Government in charge of the political destinies of this country who have proved, beyond all doubt, that they are implacable foes of the working class .that they are as unscrupulous as they are all-powerful. They have set back the clock of progress, they have given an exhibition of incompetency and bungling unprecedented in the history of this country, and their policy lias brought chaos to industry and financial stagnation. Cause of Unemployment. This, along with their immigration policy, has created an army of unemployed, and to-day we have the sordid and degrading spectacle of strong, ablebodied men begging for the right to work, which carries with it the right to live. To add insult to injury they are paying wages lower even than the minimum wage Less than 9/ and 12/ a day is paid to those whom they have deliberately thrown into the unemployed ranks through their reactionary poiicv which, if persisted in, will bring ruin to the country. " The Fullness of Life." 'We believe in this enlightened age that international differences can be adjusted without resorting to warfare. In •short, we stand for a policy of live and let live. We demand the fullness of life for our own people and extend that right to all. Our object, when reached, means the economic emancipation of mail, woman and child. To exchange these principles for expediency would bring disaster to our movement. Our great task is to get these principles understood by our people, to remedy false impressions, to create an atmosphere of trust, goodwill and fraternalism."

The day sessions were occupied with the presentation of the national executives report, which was discussed and accepted unanimously. The report covered the activities of the organisation during the year.