BRITAIN'S PART.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15499, 28 January 1916, Page 8

BRITAIN'S PART.

ATTITUDE OF LABOUR. ASSIST THE GOVERNMENT. CONFERENCE AT BRISTOL. INTERESTING SPEECHES. (By Cible.—Press Association.— Copyright.) LONDON, January 20. Mr W. C. Anderson, member for Atterclifie, presided at tue Labour Conference at Bristol, representing 2.0'J3.iJ60 unionists. .Militarism and democracy* ho said, could not live together in Germany or anvwheie else. there were signs oi reaction in Britain. Mr Lloyd George would like to see the rules of the Array applied to the workshop, but he had been very successful in 3iis attempt to do so through the Munitions Act. Ihe Military Service Bill had not redeemed Mr Asquith s pledge. No form of words offered immunity from the risk of forced industrial service. Any attempt to use this weapon to coerce trades unionists would lead to great bitterness, and would end in failure. Mr Anderson emphasised that it was possible that th e country would be a great navai, a great military, and a great industrial Power after the war. it would be a different world —a hard, bad world unless Labour took a hand in shaping it. Mr Sexton, on behalf of the Liverpool dockers, moved a resolution expressing horror at the German atrocities. and pledging the Conference to assist the Government as far as possible in the successful prosecution of the war. He remarked that if Germany won, nothing else on God's earth mattered. Mr Millikan, of Liverpool, seconded the motion. Mr Ramsay Mac Donald, M.P. (Independent Labour Party), annealed for foresight and toleration. They were too early and too late to pronounce upon the origin of the war. Ho asked the Conference not to divide on this question lest it should interfere with their unity in fighting the common enemy. Mr G. H. Roberts, Labour member for Norwich, said that the situation demanded a clear statement of the attitude of Conference toward the war. Their whole-hearted support of the resolution would be an encouragement to the boys in the trenches, those in the hospitals, and also to their Allies. Mr Gilmour, of the Scottish Miners, and Mr-Wardle, of the If ail way men's Union, supported the resolution, •which T%as carried amidst applause, a card vote showing 1,502,000 for it, and 602,000 against it. A resolution was carried by an overwhelming majority approving of the action of the Parliamentary Labour "j Party in co-operating in the recruiting One delegate declared that if some of 4he leaders of the Independent Labour Party had cooperated in the \move- , ment, compulsion would not have been necessary. \ Mr A. G. Waliden (railway clerks) protested against compulsion. He said that if the Government could not get men, the only alternative was to com- • mence to consider peace. - (Loud cries of dissent and some of approval.)