THE LABOUR PARTY

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 74, 25 September 1917, Page 4

THE LABOUR PARTY

BRANCH FORMED AT NEWTOWN

Under the auspices of the Labour Representation Committee a, public meeting was held in St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown, last night, the object being the formation, of a 'local branch of the New Zealand Labour Party Mt. W. Maddison occupied the chair. He stressed the necessity for unity amongst the workers. There were, he said, some disgruntled individuals who were not in favour of all the party's platform, but they could do no good by remaining outside and criticising at the street corners. Let them get right inside and help to mend matters. Labour, he said, had to fight for its privileges, and this could only be done by a strong, united body, working in the same interest. If a branch, of the party were formed it would be affiliated with the Labour Representation Committee, and have the same representation in the party as the various unions. Mr. E. Kennedy, secretary of the Labour Representation Committee, explained the steps to be taken in the formation of a branch of the Labour Party. He deplored the idea that in the past the Labour movement had been confined to too small a class. They wanted one and all of the sympathisers of Labour to come in and do their share. Let them prove their sympathy by their actions. There had been lots of mistakes-in the past, and there might j be mistakes in the future, but the mis- ' takes of the future could never be the mistakes of the past if they built up a sufficiently strong organisation. The meeting, Mr. Kennedy explained, was the first effort of the Labour Representation Committee to form a branch of the Labour Party under the new constitution. Mrs. Snow strongly advocated the formation of a branch, and emphasised the importance of women joining in the j movement. Mr. P. C. Webb, who arrived late, was wall received. He said it ought not to be necessary, in this ago, for any appeal to he made to working people to organise themselves into unions arid parties. He instanced what was being done by the working people of other lands. Sjnce the war broke out there bad been almost a revolution of feeling, and men and women were., looking to Labour to pull them out of the mire. Aill other parties had failed. The time had arrived when they, as working men' and women should form their brandies of tho Labour Party all over the Dominion. , "There can," fee said, "be no compromise between us and the powers that be.. Labour and Labour alone is capable • f governing this country-" Mr. Webb went on to criticise tho Government in regard to the increased prices given to wool growers, the fixing of food prices, etc., and on the question of taxation paid that all taxes were paid' by the workers —the producers of wealth. He concluded by saying that the hour had struck for Labour to rise pp and demand justice, and to say with no uncertain voice that this country was the heritage cf tho whole people. They must not shirk in the great fight; let them organise for what they were entitled to, and insist that Labour and Labour alone ■ should govern the country. Mr. H. E. Holland emphasised the need for working class political action. No one, he said, could deny the need, and the work that they had met that night to do should have been commenced twenty years ago. Unity would result in the control of the political side of the machine, which had been just as nrach neglected as the industrial side. They had followed Sir Joseph Ward for a long time; up to last election, and there he had left them. What was the result of it all? To-day they had some laws on the Statute Book which would be a, disgrace to even Russia. Mr. Holland proceeded to bitterly criticise Sir Joseph Ward, who, he said, had been ready to stand by Mr. Massey to prevent Labour horn getting its rights, but so soon, as his friends Uie brewers were faced with the loss of a few pence, a change came. Labour, in the future, was not going to bo beguiled by such men as Sir Joseph Wa-vd. Labour was going to-stand: on its own; nothing else would do. The speaker, continuing, referred to the possibility of a General Election within six months, and the need of Labour being prepared for it. . ■". ' At the conclusion of > the speeches, the following motion was carried ly."That this meeting of Newtown residents endorses the principles and policy of the New Zealand Labour Party and approves, the formation of a branch of the Party."