SOCIALISTS IN COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 177, 21 April 1908, Page 9

SOCIALISTS IN COUNCIL.

■ - — oDRAWING UP A,CONSTITUTION.* 2' :; ' - 'K'..'* 'fn,'. ■ . ARBITRATION ACT-- CONDEJINED/ 4 : Tho first annual conference-l'of v tho r, Nw' Zealand Socialist Party was'.'coqtinue^'fyester-.. day 'afternoon and evening- at- : the rooms -of tho Wellington branch in' Manners *Street. Nearly thirty delegates, 'inchuling- one' lady,' attended, branches at ~\\ r elliii'gtoh, Auriklahd, Christclmrch, ' Duncdin,w"thc, .'West'!; Coast,. Levin, Palmerston North,.-Wangamii, ford, Inglewoodj Now I'lymoiithiiiDaiuim-irko, Johnsonville, Hutt Valley,.-Nelson, Waihi, and Jlasterton being .represented:;;-' (J?omrado R. Hogg presided. Mr. Tom Mann was not present-. Business was precedetl .by. t-l\p .singa hvmn. : ' .- Tho first- task of tiie' v¥s' to' formulate the rules o'f"*tlio'' party. ■ Tho first two'reSplutions -isettl'dtl th'at : its namo should bo " Tho i New , Zealand Socialist Party,'! and' its- object''! Tho 1 estab-' lishmpnt in New ZeaJand':of Commonwealth' founded r bn. "sofc'ialisatiqn' of . land and capital." • - L :'o- : . A " statement of principles " 'was'-' next" adopted, as follows:—uii;' ..-..m...-: ■ "1,, The present form of .•6ocioty i ,..jests-, qii, ownership of the land and the maejuncirj;, (tools) of production.' , ' . ." . "2. Th-o owners of most'of the land and' tho machinery of production constitufe'" what; aro economically, known,* as:the. ;eapitalist class.' _ Hence '.the use -,:df-; .-'-tne. capitalist form of society^-.;...: -i ■ 3. (a) This ■ form ofV Qwuea'ship; divides; society- in;all countries into-,two .distinot;and; opposing classes—theioapitaiis.brcjojs-andvjitie:. working ola.ss. (b) Then,working class.vpcor, duoo all' t-lio wealth that .••gbstanls . society,'while- they - are: hold in .-.complet-0.-.ccpnqmiq and industrial subjection'-, to tho , capitalist"-, class, -who live on tho wealth-produced by tlio. working class. Tho statistics-of ail: countries show-that tho working class - .receive n con-;, tinuously decreasing sharo of:r-the tljey, produce, .tho/;presentt:prqportioni|beins;-; only one-third ■of _ the total „otja3Jsii.al tlinugh, the workers constitute .approximately cent, of tho population^-15- gerjcqntj 110 useful wqrk. confiscate tho remaining Twothirds.' This inevitably' pilable conflict between, the .interest of..tl)e. capitalist .class' .'and tho''-ydrkiris;_cla'ss.',[ '.(c)'; The interest of tho is^to.'sccure.. an ever-increasing proportion .of ; th'e;:wpal{li ' produced hy the', working cJass.'. The -mtWest! of tho wprldng.class.is of. the prcxluct of their is a , struggle, :,r.which , struggle,, between these economic - : freodom the; .lion^vnuig. I 'forking., i class; must-.organise on the li ,-p? ithfv trial Workers, of. the World, l ..and."they i 'musii_ force .the struggle :into t-lio political. fiwd,'j'and', uso their.' political., power, :J the /hallojty,', '.to" abolish capitalist class,ownership,..seK.'.up t|ie. Socialist Republic, • • anif^jij. in the . interest .of t-lio - eiitiro structure of r . 1 "4. Political power'is jijspfuT-,?© the workers only for the purpose of overthrowing capitalism, Parliaments, b'e&g V'efesontially icaptalist,machines that class i to i»erpßtuat^''Gla6s" " 5: (a): Tho workers oFNew Zealand must without delay take up their.,.position .along with the -'organised of . all,- other .countries.' | from/the baneful of its', comploto dverthrowi n a^;|tjjis'6an.orijjr bo iachievetl by. tho class" and politiciil effort of Tho New Zealand - Socialist calls upon all workers fo'.'foHh'with .wentify 1 ■ themselves; with the nisations in .their, respectivje 'Sties', work increasingly for.the,completß. of the: capitalist; system,'jai}d ; for'tho pation pf-^'.class/'froml^^SVslafQ^^'!;';.'^.'' Conditions 'of.; including'.- ii'.: stinulation iiQt.^to. join : 'o'r; f -ljo. 'directly, . or indirectly political or' ' hut l tho: Now Zealand. ( ' pa! not t-p render.any. other;)}art.y' when : ' there is a/ nomin^rpr/th©''Socialist dn -the field,,' J; : ,Tho conferonoe adjourned 'from"'s'p.ni^iq 7 p.m. , Comrade Torn ijaun. wag present 1 at tho ovening .sitting. • , : It was resolved, on thb- motion .of .Gomrado,' Eagle:; " ; That -it be. an /instruction--to-Wthb' Executive to': draw up, ai manifesto Cstatingtha attitudo 'of tlio party, loii'jprdsciit-^a-y.. political: questions,' and moterparticularly :m: regard to the - forthcoming generjil election-."", It was also ' resolved: . .-"Tiiat - .the New... Zealand Socialist party do-not .take..-.political; -. action;'at the-present junctura.'-'-.-• ;

It was ' resolved' to affiliate! cialist Federation of .Australasia. vri; b-vt

Comrade Bailoy moved,:Comrado:Jßeadasej. collided, and it was resolvadjnwith.rbne-disvi sentient; ■ s Thit this. Conference'. affirmsoifs-1 pronounced and mature conyiction .tEat coni-.J pulsgry arbitration has . not- proved .adv'sulk: tage'ous to. tho wprkiiig: olasgj and 'iijter nlia has weakened trades unionism 'in. Bpiritviind. achievement; • thoreforen; this;. ,Conference! warns tho\workers.: of oihor .countries .tlmfc . tho acceptance 1 " and -of .such->aT-' bitration under present couditionßiwill i provedotrimontal to their industrial,.welfare and class emancipation; l ' : H.-vr<V> >. ->■ > '■ It 'was resolved .to take -steps to establish clasws for educating tho youth of New. Zealand in Socialistic principles.. ; y.,;.v Militarism , was strongly .condemned in >.&■ discussion on. a, motion< by. Cpmrqdo-lmroeft (secondedi;by Comrade Morton) to -issue-a-manifesto- on tho subject aiSfniingithe ■priri-' ciplo ~ 0f... .internationali Y , u arbitration.Atf amendment in ; favour- a,rmy a referendum on actual., questions, of .'war- 'or,peace was/defeated by; imaiontyi'.iand' finally a resolution affirming.'that of the world had no quarrel v witli each,.other, and, that universal peaco'..was :in tHe best interests of mankind was carried unanimouslyt. : The principle of the o -initiativo and, refer--: endum. was .affirnwd• by resolution..:..;,Mi;

After singing "The Red Flag" and "Auld Lang Syne," passing a vote "of thauks. to tho chairman, and giving cheers , fort-Comrade Mann, tho Conference adjourned \>v.r;'