LABOUR DELEGATES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 19, 23 January 1913, Page 7

LABOUR DELEGATES

THE FEDERATION CONFERENCE i TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS Delegates attending the conference converted by the Federation of Labour continued their deliberations this morn' ing under the presidency of the Hon. J. Rigg. The following is the official reports— < Correspondence was received Intimating that Messrs. H. £. Holland and T. Eagle Were appointed to represent the Socialist Party Executive on Congress. A cable was received from the Amalgamated Workers' Association, Rockhampton, Queensland, conveying fraternal greetings, and expressing the hope that the conference would result in the speedy adhtevem'efit of ohe big union. On Mr. Semple's motion, seconded by Mr, Stove, it was unanimously resolved i "That a cable be sent to the A.W.A. Conference, Queensland, conveying fraternal greetings, and reciprocating sentiments re industrial solidarity." Mr. Tregear announced that Professor Mills and himself had been appointed to represent the labour Party Executive. Mr, Burgoyne said the report crediting him with having said he would object to the Socialist Party being* represented ftt the conference was incorrect. ■ He had declared in favour of the Socialist Party being there, but had drawn distinctions between that party and the Labour Party. A telegram was read from the Canterbury General Labourers' Union, statIng that under the Defence Act boys had been fined and their civil rights taken away, and that the union nad decided to do anything and everything td bring about a repeal of the compulsory clauses in the Act. Consideration of remits was then proceeded with. Mr. P. C. Webb moved— "That con.ference affirms the necessity of one organisation in the industrial Held fof the advancement and protection of organised labour." >He said every evidence' was in the' direction of organisation by industry ihstead of by craft. All over Australia there was a mighty move ia the direction of one great in« dustrial organisation, The employe^ were one and indivisible where theif class interests were involved. The reason that the capitalist press was so very. wroth with tfie present conference waa because it feared tke result would be one big union, that would be followed by one great revolutionary political party Of the working class. When the workers were organised in evefy country, no" Hague Conference would be necessary, for the day War was proclaimed' the workers would be in a position to stop the wheels of production and thus stop war. Mr. Campbell seconded the motion, He said in Australia the Labour parties had failed because 5f industrial divisions, based on look of economic knowledge. In New Zealand they were divided up into ever so tti&ntf factions, with Varying wage rates and varying agreements', and all operating against one another. He held an equal wage fate would make for industrial solidarity. He held It was more important to organise industrially than it was to organise politically*=for the industrial would reflect itself politically. Mr. HutchiflSOn was appointed teller in place of Mr. Kiitg, who had had to leave for home. * Mr. Young said the move? and seconder had hardly touched the sUbstance of the motion". He held they slioiild affirm on both industrial and political lines. He moved as an amendment s "That this conference Is of opinion that delegates should at< once < proceed to draft a provisional constitution for the creation of a Federation of Workers for political and industrial action, such constitution to be submitted to a plebiscite vote of all the members of each and every union in New Zealand, Including those unions now forming units of the existing federation of Labour, for approval or otherwise, the majority vote of the members of each union to rule atnd bind all members of such union." When such a constitution was drafted, it could be submitted to a referendum of all the unions^ for acceptance or otherwise. Various points of order were raised as to whether the two questions could be taken together, and on the chairman taking a- vote of conference, it was decided, by 60 to 39, that the two questions should be discussed separately. Mr. Silverstone supported the resolution proved by Mr, Webb. He was against dividing into two organisations, and suggested that sub-committees of control should be appointed when a decision was reached. Industrial matters would be dealt with by the industrial committee, and political matters icould be dealt with by' a political committee. Mr. O'Brien supported the original motion. He hoped they would accomplish something k>y the carrying of the resolution. Mr. Boss suggested that as they seemed to favour the motion they should affirm the principle and let the matter of details stand for later discussion. Mr. Tregear said there was nothing concerning the industrial movement that did not touch the political. He was a Socialist and in touch with the Socialist Party, but did not belong to the Socialist Society, and was friendly to the trades unionists, for years efforts had been made to get unity, and in all bodies there were men of divergent views. He couldn't imagine a conservative trades or craft unionist suiting his views to meet on the same footing with a federationist. Therefore, he did not see that they could succeed in merging into an organisation that was impossible by reason of those divergences.^ He advocated the form of a council to work together on matters they could agree upon, and agree to differ on other things, Mr. Eraser said Mr. Silverstone's suggestion re two committee was worth considering. And while Mr. Tregear's homily Was also good, they were there to devise ways for industrial unity and for political unity. He looked forward to the day when the industrial union would take political action^ but while, in politics he was a Socialist, there were men in every industrial organisation, including the Federation of Labour, who did not vote with him politically. Because this was so, it was easier to advance industrially while the industrial organisation remained free- from politics. As members of the working class, their interests were one. and as such he wanted an industrial organisation that Would be far more powerful than all the members of Parliament, At the same time he was not anti-political j he fully recognised how effective could have been the action of a number of conscientious working-class members in Parliament during the Waihi strike. Mr. Dogulas disagreed with Mr. Tregear when he said it was impossible to leave politics out of unionism. The waterside men were divided in their politics and in their religion, but in their unionism < they were undivided. Mi 1 . Reid said the unions were formed to obtain increases in wages, shortening of hours and conditions, and improving the status of the workers. This being so, it seemed to him that there was no strength in the contention that these things were industrial and not political. If they took industrial action they would have to take political action. He opposed the motion. Mr. Boreham supported the u ni2ti£m.

If they had been propertly organised in the shearers' trouble they never could have got "scabs" to take the places of the unionists. They found the Trades and Labour Councils opposing each other. It was lack of solid industrial organisation that impelled one Labour Council to advise Australia against supporting the Waihi strikers. If they had acted in connection with Waihi and Reefton as they had done in the Wellington tram strike, a different result might have been achieved. It was agreed that Mr. Mackay be heard at 2 p.m. for thirty minutes. Mr. Hunter supported the motion. He said there could be no argument against the principle of the motion. At this stage the conference adiourned for lunch.