LABOUR CONGRESS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1924, Page 7

LABOUR CONGRESS

CRITICS OF DAWES PLAN

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY

DEFENDED

DISCIPLINE AMONG "UNIONS, '

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPXRIGBT.)

(REUTHR'S TELEGRAM.)

(Received 2nd September; 10.30 a.m.) ' LONDON, Ist September.

The Trade "Union Congress opened in the City Hall at Hull, with 700 delegates, representing four and a half million .members. ' Mr. A. Commoner Purcell, M.P. for Coventry, presided. Inter-union disputes were discussed. It was reported in some cases that decisions of disputes committees '. were defied by one of the parties. - The president announced that the General Council intended to ask for power: to expel any union which refused to obey the' findings of a dispute committee.' Mr. Cathery, representing, the sailors'.; arid firemen's union, , complained. that' the. National Union, of Eailwaymen. was "poaching" from his union by enrolling seamen to.-work on railway boats"..: The president closed the discussion, amid an uproar. , •..':■'- ," ... . • Mr. Cook,- secretary of the Miners' Federation, has ' received a telegram from French miners, strongly protesting against the Dawes "scheme on ac-. count of its effect upon German workers. Mr. Marchbank, a railwayman, said he hoped an opportunity would be given to discuss the Dawes Report,, whjch^lie said was designed; to benefit international capitalism and ruin the working-class movement, ' :"' : ".'.'■';.

Mr. Pollitt, a boilermakers'. delegate, impassionedly demanded that the tirade union movement should control-the policy of the Labour Government. / The congress, he said, should emphatically repudiate the threat to ". introduce :the Emergency Powers Act regarding trade union disputes, and should denounce the Dawes Report, < which made war inevitable. .-;■ .->■■■ .-.-.■....

Mr. Robert-Smillie, on behalf of the executive, while not denying ; the. right of the congress to criticise the Government's policy; defended the policy. He said the Dawes agreement was-in the best interest of the workers of both Britain and Germany. . -That portion of the council's report declaring that it was not the function of the, congress to -enlarge upon1: the Labour Government legislation was carried by a large majority; despite an at- ££ y the Communist section: ". . ,-. The- congress lias adjourned: :