NEW ZEALAND LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 81, 5 April 1923, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND LABOUR

CONFERENCE'S ATTITUDE

AN INTERNATIONAL SITUATION.

(BX TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

CHRISTCHURCH, 4th April. , During to-day'e sitting' of the conference of tho New Zealand Labour Party, Mr. H. B. Holland, M.P., presented a report on the international situation. On his motion the report was adopted. It was decided to send a summary, by cable as a week-end message to the Joint National Council of the British Labour Party, the Belgian Labour P^arty, the 'French Socialist Party, and the German Social Democratic Party. The report was as follows:—

"This conference whole-heartedly joins with the Labour and Socialist movements of the world in protesting against the policy now being pursued by the French Government towards Germany. We join with the Joint National Council of the British Trades Union Executive, the British Labour Party, and the Parliamentary Labour Party in regarding that policy as an invasion of a neighbouring State in time of peace, without any justification either under the Treaty of Versailles or any principle of international law, and consequently as an act of war. "That invasion constitutes an attack on the rights of the working-class, the members of which are treated as mere pawns or chattels, and is also an attack on the self-determination of the German people. We agree with our British colleagues that this policy threatens all Europe not only with further economic disintegration, but with widespread anarchy and a renewal of actual ■war; that it is calculated to cripple Germany, destroy her credit, and automatically diminish her capacity even, to make the reparation payment demanded by France; that it is also destined to have a most disastrous economic effect upon Britain, involving unemployment and misery for British workers. "We join in applauding the vigorous opposition which has been offered by the French and Belgian Socialists and trades unions to thia policy of aggression. We also join with the National Joint Council 1 of the British Labour movement in demanding of the British Government that it shall—(a) Refrain from all measures of support of or co-operation with the French troops in their present action ; (b) dissociate itself by a formal declaration from all complicity in the present policy of. the French Government; (c) refuse to take' advantage in any way of the French Government's action, by sharing in cash payments, coal, or deliveries in kind, which may be obtained as a result of such action; (d) take all possible steps to secure the withdrawal of all armies of occupation; (c) support the "United States Government in securing submission of the present disoute to an impartial body; (f) make Jormal propositions for the reference of the whole reparation problem, including the present action of the French Government to the League of Nations, to which Germany, Russia, and all other countries should be admitted on an equal footing. .

"Finally, in our opinion, under no circumstance should war be reverted . to, and to this end the New Zealand Labour Party will support the British, French, Belgian', German, and Italian Socialist Parties in their endeavour to overcome the difficulties created by the Treaty of Versailles. 9 "We also urge the convention of a world conference for the achievement of international solidarity of the working classes and a guarantee of the world's peace." .