TRADE UNIONS’ CONFERENCE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25088, 21 January 1947, Page 6

TRADE UNIONS’ CONFERENCE

BIG CHRISTCHURCH DELEGATION IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO MEETING Almost every trade union secretary m Christchurch will attend the special conference of the Federation of Laoour in Wellington to-day and tomorrow. Most of them travelled north on the steamer express last evening, but some were already in Wellington and the president of the Canterbury Trades Council (Mr J. Roberts) will fly to Wellington to-day. The Christchurch delegation will number more than a dozen and will include, as well as Mr Roberts, the secretary of the Trades Council (Mr the vice-president (Mr H. G. Kilpatrick, who is also president of the New Zealand Freezing Workers’ Federation), Mr F. L. Langley, a member of the national council of the Federation of Labour, and Mr A. G, Williams, secretary of the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee, who will attend the conference as the secretary of the Canterbury Printing Trades Union. Cabinet Ministers and other representatives of the Government are expected to be present at the conference. The agenda for the conference, as originally circulated, contained five items, three of them referring te the waterfront dispute. . Because the watersiders have now agreed to work normal hours, these three items have lost much of their force, but the large delegation going from Christchurch shows that the industrial movement attaches great importance to the meeting, which is designed to bring the industrial and political wings of the Labour Party closer together. Federation’s Place in Labour Movement The fourth item on the agenda had as its object the making of provision to ensure that decisions of federation conferences were observed. The final item was: “To examine the future national economy of New Zealand and to determine the place of the Federation of Labour in connexion with industrial activities, with a view to ensuring progressive development of the Labour movement and the Dominion.” Under this heading the conference will be able to discuss interpretations of voting in the recent election; whether Labour lost support through being too bold or through not being bold enough. Stabilisation is another subject on which there are differences of opinion. As a result of the conference Labour leaders hope that they will be able to present a united front for the next three years on major questions. •