LABOUR CONFERENCE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12482, 19 April 1906, Page 3

LABOUR CONFERENCE.

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS. The conference of delegates from the Trades and Labour Councils of New Zealand resumed, yesterday in the Municipal Chambers, Mr W. Hood (chairman) presiding. Tlie following members were pre.svnt: —Messrs A. H. Cooper, D. McLaren, W. H. Hampton, W. West brook, A. Collins, A. Rosier, W. Wallace, T. G. Love, J. H. Moore, R. Breen, J. T. Paul. F. Patz, W. Canniiigton, 15. Gohns, J. Barr, aud J. Thorn (secretary). AN OFFICIAL ORGAN. Mr J. T. Paul (Otago) introduced, by permission of the Conference, matters relating to the "Otago Liberal," which was owned by the Otago Trades and Labour Council. The paper was the official organ «t the Trades and Labour Councils of the colony, but unf art unsafely was not very widely supported outside Dunedin. It was desired, however, to alter the name, and to bee if it could not be made more successful. The Board of Management suggested tlie following names, "The Advocate," "The Beacon," "The Courier," and "The Reformer.'' So lar an he knew, general feeling seemed in favour of "The Beacon." "The Reformer" was too hackneyed, and "The Advocate" sounded a little religious. While the labour movement was practically a religion, they did not want a name with a religious significance on the cover of tlio paper. The Chairman lvcoiuitod some of tho difficulties the Hoard of Management had. experienced in carrying on the paper, and said tha.t some of tho workers who called it a "rag'" wanted a paper iike the "Sydney Bulletin" for a pinny a week. The Otago Trades and Labour Council had sunk some £500 in tho paper, and he thought it was tho duty of every worker to support it. The paper was the brightest labour paper ever published in the colony. Mr 1). McLaren (Wellington) moved —"That the Conference accept the suggestion of tho Board of Management to call the paper -The Beacon,' and that each Council be asked to «?t up a committee to forward the intellects of tho paper." Mi- J. Thorn seconded the motion. Mr W. West brook gloomily remarked that it w;>s not much use in trying to interest the workers in a Labour paper. He knew of in.-tances where papers lay on the table, and unionists would not take them away. They needed a good Labour pajvr. but tire workers dimply would not bo with one. The only way to make a success of tho paper was to run it purely on commercial lines. .... Mr Hover (Auckland) was willing to assist in .supporting the paper, and ijcenlled the unfortunate lr.ntory ot 'lne Pilot " for whi<-!i many of the worker paid up a year's subscription, and only ' T ot three copies. ' Mr J Ilarr (Canterbury) did not see nnv hope for the paper, or any prospect nf'success along the linre they _ had hitherto s nno. Hp thought each individual Council ought to Ik. a partner in xh\< venture, and then it would be to their interest to make it a Pticcf-s. He moved as an amendment that the paper bo called "The New Zealand Labour Lender." . . Mr E. (Johns (Canterbury) seconded the amendment. Mr Paul desired to remove any mi- capprehonsion that the paper was lniimiUliins: >t v in a ] * n ™'. P° y, - tion now than ever it was. and it wa« only d«-sirrd 1o improve it. The Otago Council wa* merely a-king for tl;e support of tho otiu-r Councils. They did not want it to be a provincial paper, and ho admithd that the name "Otago Libeial" might have retarded tho pro--ro>,s of the paper in the past. Tho objection to trie present name, and that propositi in tlie amendment, was they Miggested that tbe i>aper was being published in the invercst-s-of a certain clajs. Mr A. Collins (Wellington) recallexl how "The Worker" had iwn support<-d in Au>trali:i for a long time by shearers at a co>t of four or five shillings a week rach, and yot th<« workers in New Zealand soeniod to obj«y;t to paying a penny a week. Tho amendment was thon put nnd lost, and the motion carried by 13 to 3. THE UNIVERSAL HALF-HOLIDAY. Mr F. Patz (Nrlsnn) movnl — "T'.iat the Government u;n.-d to in::-'Hl:;tv legislation to provide tor a unlv.r-.il compulsory bait-holiday." Siraking in =npi>ort* of the motion, he tvt'.Tie-l t.-> the unhealthy conditions under which workers generally ha/1 to work, and sul>mitunl tiyit a> they were to bo the progenitors of a future generation, the law "should soo that they had a regular

half-holiday in each week for recreation. Mr A. Collins seconded the motion, and said ho did not think it' was ever intended that the fixing cf the b.ili'holiday should bo left to local bodies and r-hopkeepons. The motion was carried unanimously. LAND NATIONALISATION. Mr -J. Thorn moved: "'That the principle of land nationalisation be re-affirm-ed, jind that the Government lie urged to at once nationally '-he mineral wealth of the colony.'' Mr I). McLaren seconded the motion, which was put and carried. LAND AND INCOME TAX. Mr .1. T. Paul moved: '"That the Government he urged to make an increase in the land an:! income tax, with a reduction of the exemption from income tax now allowed; ato a progressive income and absentee tax wind abolition of the duties on all the necessaries of life that cinnot bo produced in the colony." Mr Paul pave a numImt of fi_mv.-. fhowinji the amounts receiver! from various revenue Miurces. and. anionpst others, said that the taxation at pnwnt from Customs amounted l o £3 Os lid per head, lrom land 7s lid. and income tax .">■*■ Sd. ~'.r T>. 11. Hampton forondod the motion, which was carried, after a <dio:t discussion. C'HKAP LAW FOR LITIGANTS. Mr A. H. Cooper (Wellington) moved: "That- the Conference urge the of Sate legal bureaux and the appointment of public defence is." Mr Collins rvronderl tho motion, which was carried on the voices. IMPORTED UNIFORMS. Mr W. Canninston (Nelson) moved: "That the Conference urge upon the Government the necessity of taking immediate steps to prevent 'the impor" at ion of volunteer and oilier uniforms into New Zealand, with a view to providing employment for our expert workers who are now unemployed, and sniniorring our loral industrior>." Mr ft. Gohns seconded ihe motion. The Clmirinan pointed nut that the motion asked for a prohihit-on that was purely in the interests of the manufacturers, and he thought they should rather advocate the establishment of a .State clothing factory. The motion was carried. THE CIVIL .SERVICE. Mr J. Thorn moved—"That fie Government bo urged to remove all civil and political disabilities from Civil servants." Mr J. Brirr seconded the motion, which was carried after a brief disciifcirvn. STATE-OWNED INDUSTRIES. Mr W. Wostbrook (Hawke's Bay) moved: '"That the Government be urged to establish State clothing and boot factories, flour and woollen mills, bakeries, iron works, and shipbuilding yards." Mr E. Gohns seconded the motion, ■which he termed an "old identity" amongst tho subjects on the order paper. Mr F. Pat z moved an amendment to confine the motion to iron works and shipbuilding, contending that tho establishment of State iron works was a matter of primary importance, and that all tho other things would follow as a matter of course. Mr W. Cannington seconded the amendment. Mr Collins opposed the amendment, and said that if they were going to "naturalise"' iron works and shipbuilding yards, why not "naturalise" boot factories, woollen milta, and so forth. (Laughter.) The debate was interrupted by the midday adjournment. Tho Conference resumed at 1.30 p.m. Mr A. H. Cooper submitted that tho position tho Labour party took up was that the requirements of State should bo provided and manufactured in Slate workshops. They believed in the day labour system as against tho contract system, and this was only an extension of that principle to certain industries. Mr D. McLaren thought industries such as that carried on in the bakeries should be controlled by local authorities At present the Government had a great deal of patronage at its disposal, and what . the country wanted was a great deal of decentralisation. Mr Paul sympathised with the Nelson delegates in their effort to get iron works established, but pointed but that the Conference could not very well go back on what it hitherto affirmed. The amendment was rejected, and the motion carried. The report of tho debates on the n.ationali.-ation of the colony's mercantile marine and the Arbitration Act appears elsewhere. t The Conference will resume again this morning. A printer's error occurred in. the report of the land tenure debate yesterday in connection with Mr Paul's amendment in favour of compensation to holders of Crown lands under loase-in-poi'petuity, where leases might be varied" at any time by the Government. The amendment should have read:— "That fair compensation should be paid for any variation made in the lease.'' The amendment, as stated yesterday, was thrown out by the Conference.