UNITY CONGRESS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 2, 2 July 1913, Page 3

UNITY CONGRESS

YESTERDAY'S SESSION QUESTIONS OF CONSTITUTION. Following is the official report of the proceedings at yesterday afternoon's session of the Labour Unity Congress. It was reported that the Unity Committee had refused to accept Mr. J. A. Hanan, M.P., as a delegate from the Invercargill bootmaker's Union, on the grounds that he was not a member of any labour body. Considerable discussion arose out of a resolution that Mr. Hanan be admitted as a member of the Congress. Those in favour of the resolution contended that the representation was purely a matter for the body that chose such representative. The opponents of the resolution argued that as Mr. Hanan was a member of the Liberal Party he could not loyally represent the party that the delegates present wanted to bring into existence. Eventually the resolution, "That Mr. Hanan's credentials be accepted as representative of the Bootmaker's Union of Southland" was put to the meeting. On a division being taken the voting was : — For the resolution, 206 ; against the resolution, 126. The Congress also decided to allow the secretary of the Wellington Tinsmiths' Union to represent the Auckland Tinsmiths' Union, whose delegate had been taken seriously ill. Mr. Young moved that the first business of the conference be the consideration of the platform of the Social Democratic Party. Mr. Ralfe seconded the resolution. Mr. Carey moved as an amendment, "That there be no separation by way of a district organisation "of the political and industrial activities of the movement." He considered that tliis question should be settled before proceeding to discuss the various clauses of the platform and constitution. The Chairman ruled Mr. Carey's amendment out of order, as it really constituted a separate motion which affirmed a principle foreign to the motion. , Mr. Carey then moved as an amendment, "That we take the two sets of programmes so that we can first decide whether there shall bo separate industrial and political organisations or whether only one organisation representing the industrial and political sections." Mr. Reardon seconded the amendment. The method of the consideration of the platform and constitution evoked considera/bJe discussion. At this stage the Chairman stated he had been asked to allow the matter of whether there should be one organisation >or two to be decided. He said that he could not put that question without the consent of the meeting, but he would now ask them to decide whether they would agree to proceed to discuss the Question of whether there should be one or two organisations. Mr. Young pointed out that the January conference had decided that there should be two distinct organisations. The decisions of that conference were submitted to all the component organisations, and up to that moment the Unity Committee had not received one objection to the proposal^ He contended that the delegates at this conference who did not believe in the two separate organisations had really no right to be present. Several delegates asked for the chairman's ruling as to their standing. The Chairman said that all he wanted to have the conference decide now was whether the question of a single organisation should be discussed now in preference to the previous business. On putting the question to the conference, th« voting was — E'or the discussion of one organisation 149, against 179. The original motion — "That the platform .and tbe constitution of the SociaJ Democratic Party be the first order of business " — waa then considered. ■ Mr. 1 Carey, with the consent of the conference, withdrew his amendment. Mr. Campbell moved as an amendment — "That the constitution of the United Federation of Labour be first considered." He said he thought that the industrial side of the question should be considered first. The industrial in hie opinion was of more importance, and a number of delegates might not be able to remain till the completion of the conference. Mr. F. Curtis seconded the amendment. The question being put to the meeting, the voting was— For consideration of political platform first 105, for consideration of industrial platform first 213. Thsamendment was, therefore, declared earned. Mr. M'Lennan then moved — "That only delegates representing industrial unions bo allowed to vote on the consideration of the constitution of the United Federation of Labour." Mr. Hunter seconded the resolution. At this stage the conference adjourned till 9.30 a.m. to-day.