THE LABOR MOVEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 18020, 14 July 1922, Page 1

THE LABOR MOVEMENT

[By Veteeak.]

Brief contributions on matters with reference to the Labor Movement are invited. LABOR TARTY AND COMING ELECTION. The Labor Party’s annual conference lias been held in Wellington in tho month of July for a good many yearn, tho reasons for Wellington being chosen being its central position, and also tho chance of the delegates coming into contact with politicians while Parliament is sitting. This year (for some reason not published) the conference is being held in Auckland. Over eighty delegates are present from all over tho dominion. Tho conference opened on Wednesday, July 5, and I understand there was a. very large order paper to bo dealt with; but so far wo liavo not seen much about its deliberations in the Press. Mr F. Cook (tho president), in his address to the conference, said tho national work of tho party had been difficult on account of_ the money crisis prevailing in the dominion; but, in spite of all difficulties, a substantial sum had been collected for the starving Russians. A by-election had been won, bringing the parliamentary party’s strength to nine members. Although the win was made in a three-cornered fight, and their candidate did' not secure an absolute majority vote, still, so long as nn obsolete system prevailed, -they would enjoy the spoils as much as tneir opponents. Ho also referred to tho fact that an effort was being made by some of our members to bring about on understanding, or an alliance with the Liberal Party for tho purpose of petting a Proportional Representation Bill through the House, and_ then having another election. In his opinion, an alliance with tho Liberal Party was unthinkable. There was euch an understanding in 1914, when Labor votes wont to Liberal candidates, with an understanding that several reforms,' Proportional Representation being one of them, should bo placed on tho Statute Book. The 1914 election resulted in the Reform Party being returned with a majority of one vote, but Mid tho Liberal Party been in earnest, and had they been true to their promise to Labor, several measures could have been put on tho Statute Book. Proportion Representation would have been law now but for tho betrayal of Labor by the Liberals, who coquetted with the Reform Party, and then became part of them, tho bargain being the spoils of office, not the progress that Labor is trying to win. Tho following remit was forwarded by the Wellington Railway Workers’ Association:—‘''fl'ail iA vii-w Lf ajtcTfacT it is an immediate necessity in tho interests of the workers of this country that the Massey Government should bo hurled from office, tho Dominion Executive of tho New Zealand Labor Party bo instructed to at once enter into negotiations with the Opposition Party, with tho view of coming to some arrangement whereby some seats for which in each instance tho Labor candidate was ahead of the Liberal candidate in the matter of votes at the last General Election, or in the case of any by-election since then, shall be loft to the Labor Party to contest without official Liberal opposition, and vice versa, tho Labor Party to refrain from nominating candidates in electorates where Opposition candidates were ahead of the Labor candidates; and if impossible to make arrangements in all such instances, as many electorates as possible bo subject to these suggested negotiations. The basis of agreement with Oppoition to be that if they are returned to power they agree to put through ail stages a Proportional Representation Bill.” A somewhat similar remit was sent in from Wanganui, as follows;—“That it is desirable that the Labor Party link up with any other party pledged to Proportional Representation, simply as an election measure, to prevent vote-splitting at the poll between Liberal end Labor, •then appeal to the country on the basis of Proportional Representation.” On Thursday these remits came up for discussion, and occupied the greater part of tho day, Messrs Holland, Fraser, and Savage, M.P.s, attended the conference to show their interest in the proposal, and at times the debate was very animated. I At 2.30 tho vote was taken, and the proposal was defeated by a 3 'to 1 ’majority, or 60 votes to 20, so that the triangular contests will still obtain at the December elections so far as official Labor is concerned. Some day wo shall learn sense, but until that day arrives It would seem that the Labor Party has forgotten what was accomplished by an alliance of the Liberal and Labor Parties in the nineties-—an alliance that was responsible for most of tho Labor legislation now on the Statute Books, and which is still of immense benefit to the working classes in tire dominion.

» * * # LABOiI BANKS. Tho first co-operative bank in California has been formed by 'the railroad employees and other organised workers of San Bernardino, who have just taken over tho stock of itho San Bernardino VaUoy Bank, and converted it into a co-operativo institution, to be known as the Brotherhood Trust and Savings Bank. The workers of San Bernardino, who already have a thriving co-operativo store, laundry, and newspaper, have been planning for tiro past year to mobilise their funds in their own co-operativo bank. They secured an option on the stock of a well-known State bank organised in 1889, having the oldest savings bank charter in the country.

Following tlio purchase bf the stock of the existing State bank by the organised workers, a new board of directors was elected to take over the bank, limit the earnings of the shareholders, and provide for the co-operative distribution of profits with depositors. The Brotherhood Trust and Savings Bank, starts with a paid-in capital of £17,000, assets of over £164,000, and deposit® of £120,000. The workers of San Bernardino predict that the new cooperative bank will have deposits exceeding a million dollars within a year 1 . As an ailtoxrnath to the organisation of the Brotherhood Trust and Savings Company, the California State Building Trades Council adopted a relation directing its executive board; to investigate the feasibility of establishing a chain of Labor banks throughout the State.—‘ Seattle Union Record.’ » * # » THAT LIVING WAGE. The whole argument for the reduction of wages, now that there has been an alleged fail in the cost of the necessities of life, is founded on the theory that the money paid to workers during the time of high prices was sufficient. Everybody knows—or ought to know—that this was not tho

case, lake the laborer with a basic wa.ee. How did his annual income compare with his theoretical income? On full time ail the year round he could just lia.ro fed and clothed Ins family properly, without a cent over for sickness, recreation, or mental improvement. Is it in any way fair to reduce his earnings without a searching inquiry as to whether it really does cost him less to live now than two years ago? Living is supposed to be cheaper, hut does anybody find it costing less?— 11 Australian Worker. ’ * «■ » « MYSTERY HONEY. “Confronting the Labor movement there is a now danger—it is the danger of mystery money.’’ This is the beginning of an article signed “H.M." in the London 'Labor Chronicle ’ for May, under the Heading ‘Mystery Money.’ The London ‘Labor Chronicle’ is the property of the Lonoon _abor Party. “Until recently the Communist party, with a miserable membership, appeared to have far more money to play with than many sections of the" Labor and Socialist movements, possessing even larger memberships. One suddenly- saw a considerable number of new organisers appointed, large offices taken, and a considerable clerical staff employed. “It has generally been assumed that much of tho money in question is distributed by tho Russian Government. This may bo true; hut wo possess no proof on the matter. In any case, we cannot ren that the Russian Government has secured value for its money. Whether it is so or not, and whatever the source of the money, organised Labor ought to set its face against bodies which it has reason to believe must bo financed by secret subsidies." » * ff » ARTIFICIAL EMPLOYMENT. “Clubman," in tho ‘Liverpool Weekly Post,’ says: An interesting sidelight on Germany was given me in regard to the constant insistence, especially by tu?. French, on her prosperity as evidenced by the lack of unemployment there. My in', formant—who was not a German—assured me that employment waa being deliberately and artificially created. The railway system is being multiplied and the telegraph system transferred from overhead'to underground. This was being -lone purely 1 * with the idea of preventing Bolshevik propaganda from falling on “ good soil." In answer to the contention that the money should bo devoted to reparations, the German might with some reason argue that it is tetter for tho Allies and Eurorw that it should bo spent as at present than that Germany should “go Bolshevik."