TRADES COUNCILS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 78, 1 April 1924, Page 8

TRADES COUNCILS

A DOMINION FEDERATION

CONSTITUTION TO BE DRAWN UP,

The formation of a Dominion federation of trade councils, states the annual report of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council, has been delayed to allow ifivestigation of another alternative. This was for the amendment of the constitution of the Alliance of Labour in such a way as to permit of all workers organised becoming affiliated, and of the present trades and labour councils becoming district councils of the Alliance of Labour. A grtafc deal of time has been spent on the question states the report, but the result has been a failure to agree. The only alternative the Alliance of Labour was prepared to. agree to necessitated two things which the proposal set out to avoid. In the first place, the alliance considered it necessary for the federation to be formed, tho councils then to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour through their federation into'a miscellaneous department. The. trades councis proposal was to cut away the necessity for the federation. In the second place, the alliance did not provide for the trades and labour councils fuctioning as the district councils, and this meant extra capitation to be paid by organisations, which were least able to meet the expense. It had, therefore been decided to go ahead with the formation of the federation and leave the matter of linking up with the alliance to the individual unions'. A conference of trades councils is to be held at Easter when it is hoped that the constitution will be drawn up and the officials appointed. The conference will probably take place in Dunedin.