THE TRADES CONFERENCE’

Evening Star, Issue 12167, 11 April 1904, Page 8

THE TRADES CONFERENCE’

Th° following resolutions were carried at Thursday afternoon’s sittings of the Trades and Labor Conference at Christchurch That clause 27 of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act be amended by the addition of ‘ and on every employer and worker engaged in the industry to which the agreement applies in the industrial district in which (he agreement is filed, provided that any employer or worker other than the members of the industrial unions or individual parties to the agreement, may, within six weeks of the date of filing, lodge any objection thereto with the clerk of the industrial district, and such objections shnll be heard by the Arbitration Court at its next sittings.’” “That the Government should bs urged to increase the Land and Income Tax and abolbh the duties on the necessaries of life.” The latter motion was carried against an amendment proposed bv Mr W. Hood (Otago) to the effect that the ordinary and graduated land taxes should he increased, that the exemptions tinder Land Tax should be reduced to £3OO, and that the on the necessaries of lily which could not be produced in the colony should be abol’shed. . It was also resolved that the Minister of Railways should be urg"d to raise the wages for casual labor so that it should not'be •less than the district rate of wages paid in other employments for casual labor. The Conference at Chrrtth”wh on Saturday decided to recommend Mr Robert Slater to the unions for reappointment a* the workers’ representative on the Arbitration Court Mr W. Hood (Otago) was recommended as depnfcv representative. A resolution was carried—“ That the Government be urged to amend the Municipal Corporations Act to provide for the payment of councillors for their services.” The next conference is to be held at Wellington. It was resolved to recommend the following as the fighting platform of the Conference;— Legal tender of State notes; aboli-

tion of the sale of Crown lands, and a periodical revaluation of all lands held on lease ; local government reform to provide that the parliamentary franchise shall extend to the elections of all local bodies, and that every elector shall have the right to vote on all financial questions submitted to a poll; Referendum Bill, with the initiative m the hands of the people; compulsory preference to unionists; abolition of the Upper House. On the motion of Mr W. Hood (Otago), seconded by Mr J. Barr (Canterbury), it was unanimously resolved—“ That the Conference make an urgent appeal to Parliament for a sum of £SOO for each Trades Council to assist in securing a trades hall for each centre.”