A LABOR SPEECH.

Evening Star, Issue 12874, 25 July 1906, Page 4

A LABOR SPEECH.

Mr J. Gilchrist, fairly well known in this town as an exponent of “ advanced ” Labor and Socialistic ideas, addressed a small open-air meeting at 12.30 p.m. today in one of the foundry yards in Cumberland street. There was ;m attendance of perhaps thirty, and proceedings lasted ten minutes. Mr Gilchrist began by saying that he was a member of the Independent Political Labor League. He said that this was' the only bona lido Labor League in existence in New Zealand, and as such it should receive their support. After tracing the origin of the League, tho speaker said it possessed a fighting programme which, if carried into effect, would undoubtedly benefit the worker. There was, ho said, no permanent solution of the labor problem possible unless it was contained in a programme more or less Socialistic, and the programme of tho Independent Political Labor League was Socialistic. Their chief planks were a State bank, with tile sole light of note issue, such notes to be legal tender; land reform, including the abortion of the sale of Crown lauds, and the periodical revaluation of all Grown leaseholds, this not to apply to existing leases until the death of the holder or the transfer of the lease; an increase of the ordinary Land Tax by Id in tho £>, as well as the imposition of a Graduated Land Tax, the extra revenue to he devoted to the purchase of additional estates for settlement ; the abolition of protective duties on food; with several otj'ior planks. After commenting on this as a fighting platform as Compared with tho professed policies of the Ministerial and Opposition parties, Mr Gilchrist quoted ilr Tnegear on tho cco*

He stated that the League advocated the building of workers’ dwellings in the centres of population, the prohibition of Asiatic immigration, tie removal of restrictions in the matter of public speech from Civil servants, equal pay to male and female workers for equal work, the printing of uniform school books and their sale by the Government at cost price, and the application of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act to State employees. In conclusion he invited his audience to join the League through their trades unions.At the close of the address the meeting dispersed without further formality.