LABOUR AND THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 16, 18 July 1918, Page 6

LABOUR AND THE WAR

HON. J. T. PAUL'S ATTITUDE.

At this time, when the Hon. ■ J. T. Paul, the new president of the New Zealand Labour Party, ie preparing for a big organising campaign, his attitude on the war has some interest for the general public. The Worker's report of the recent conference (which was not open to the daily press) has these passages: — The Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L.C., declared that the logic of a military victory in circumstances as they existed to-day was a fight to the last man. The last stage in the present war must be a conference —in reality a negotiated peace. Some men spoke of the war as something which could be carried on without danger to our national existence so long as we had the last man alive. We would have won the war, but such a national calamity would overwhelm us. International Labour had declared for a negotiated peace. The masses of the world wanted peace, ami the duty of organised Labour was to endea.vour to pave the way for peace. The fathers and mothers of men and man-. kind'had suffered more than enough because of the war, and organised Labour throughout the world should do its utmost to open up negotiations for peace. Mr. A. H. Hindmareh, 51.P., saia that the difficulty was as to when negotiations were to commence and the conditions and stipulations governing the negotiations These academic discussions led nowhere. A large number of the supporters of the Labour Party were m extreme doubt upon this question, and it was unwise to take up a definite position upon a matter of so much doubt. Every one of them was in favour of peace. The question of all questions is. how is a lasting peace to be obtained that will bring justice to France, Belgium, Buesia, and Servia? /