LABOUR CONFERENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 April 1938, Page 7

LABOUR CONFERENCE

MR- SAVAGE’S ADDRESS PUBLIC CREDIT AVAILABLE [PER press association.] WELLINGTON, April 18. More than 500 delegates from all parts of the Dominion were welcomed to the twenty-second annual conference of the New Zealand Labour I Party by the national president, Mr J. Roberts, in th© Town Hall. Mr J. O. Johnson, president of the Wellington Labour Representation Commitifee, also extended a welcome to the delegates. A special wlcome was accorded to Mr Fred Walsh, a member of the Federal Council of the Australian Labour Party, and Mrs Eleanor Barton, J.P., who'is in New Zealand as a. representative of the British co- | operative movement and the British labour movement. Both these visitors addressed the conference. In addition to the visiting delegates, members of the Parliamentary Labour Party and Cabinet Ministers' attended .in force.

I When the report of the Parliamen:tary Labour' Party on the activities ,of the Government during the last .year was made to the conference by I the Primo Minister, 20 important acts I were referred to, and several other legislative matters at present under considration were briefly discussed. The achievement of the Government was one of which the Labour Party could bo proud, Mr Savage said, and the Government had shown that Parliamentary democracy could l do big things. Democracy could only work if the Government and the people 'wanted 1 it to work, he added, and reminded his hearers that democratic principles called for certain duties from the individual.

Stating that it was its task to build a new prosperity on more stable foundations than the old, Mr Savage said the Government had' made more than £11,500,000 of the public credit available for national purposes, and more would be available as the need arose. Tho Government aimed at eliminating the succession of booms and slumps, he said. The Labour Government had raised the standard of living, and wages to-day were higher than in the boom year, 1929. He forecast an- expansion of social services to assure poorer people of a fair share of the decencies and comforts of existence.

“In reviewing conditions within the Dominion, no one, not'even our bitterest opponents, can deny that New Zealand has reached record levels of prosperity during the period: that Labour has held office,” Mr Savage said. “While freely admitting that overseas price levels made their contribution to this end, the Government nevertheless maintains that its policy of increasing purchasing power, of expansion, and of redistributing the national income has contributed still mere to economic progress. That is manifest to-day. I will refer to these matters on another occasion: but I would like to take this opportunity of stating that good times to-day must not lull the party and the public generally into believing that social and economic reform are any the less vital matters. It is our task to build a new prosperity upon more stable foundations than the old. It is our aim to eliminate the succession of booms and slumps to which our economy has continually been subject in the past, and to produce and maintain conditions which will give the people, a. steadily rising level of security, plenty, and happiness.” Mr Savage then reviewed in considerable detail the administrative record of the Labour Government. He said, “The Government has made more than £11,500,000 of the public credit available for national purposes —mainly to finance guaranteed prices at the peak of the season, and to provide homes, and more will be made available as the need' arises.”

CAMPAIGN FUNDS. WELLINGTON, April 19. The following resolution was passed at the annual conference of the Labour Party:—“That this conference extend the most cordial welcome to the Prime Minister, thanks him for his report, and express our appreciation of the great service given to the people of the Dominiion by himself and his colleagues in the Cabinet and the Government generally since they assumed office. We whole-heartedly endorse the Government’s most beneficial social, industrial, economic, financial and monetary policy, and particularly its capable, trustworthy administration of the country’s credit in the interests of the people as a whole. This conference reiterates our complete confidence in the Government ,and unanimously declares our determination to work whole-hearted-ly for another decisive Labour victory at the General Election.” “There has been received for the national campaign fund £7564, which is still a long way short of the million pounds which the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Hamilton) stated we are to receive,” stated the report of the National Executive of the Labour Party, which was presented to the annual conference.

The report stated that for 1937-38 there were 63G unions and 442 branches affiliated to the Labour Party, with a. membership of 162,157The total membership increased during the year by over 75,000.

PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED. WELLINGTON, April' 19. Mr James Roberts, to-day, was reelected as President of the New Zealand Labour Party. BRITISH CONFERENCE. (Recd. April 19, 11 a.m.) LONDON, April 18. The Independent Labour Party Conference at Manchester passed a, resolution in favour of approaching the Executive of the Labour Party, with a view to securing maximum common action against the Government and capitalist parties, including an electoral understanding to avert rival candidatures.

The Independent Labour Party left the Official Labour Party six years ago, and has since followed an independent line throughout the country and in the Commons.