N.Z. LABOUR PARTY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 April 1926, Page 5

N.Z. LABOUR PARTY.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The annual conference of the New Zealand Laibour Parity was opened at Wanganui yesterday. Below are given interesting extracts from the annual report: —• •' During the year the following federations have, affiliated with the party through the head office : —Canterbury Freezing Workers and Belated Trades Union, Waterside Workers’ Federation, Wellington Freezing Workers and Blelated Trades’ Union, Amalgamited Society of Carpenters and Joiners, Hawke’si Bay branch. A plebiscite of members of the New Zealand 1 Workers’ Union decided by 11'59 to 432 to- affiliate with the Party, and the executive were instructed] to complete the affiliation as soon as the necesslary finance was available. Mr. Cook, the secretary, wrote under date of March 18 to say that the matter would be finally decided at the conference of the. union, which would be held in June of this year. Membership.

The membership of the Party, as ■shown by the membership returns and capitation accounts as at February 28, 1928, is as follows: L.R.O.’s operating.—(2d) ; number of organisations, 274) total membership, 35,676. ' Branches operating not affiliated to L.R.O.’s. —Number of organisations, 39; total membership, 631. Federations affiliated through head office.—Number 'of organisations, 4; total membership, 9370. Gaud total of organisations, 317; grand total of membership, 45,677. Branch membership returns show 144 branches, with 5278 members, and 105 branches, with a membership of 4647, are affiliated to L.R.Committees. Communist Party.

The question of the eligibility of members of the Communist Party to act' a« delegates to Labour Representation Committees was considered during the year, and in accord with the resolutions passed ait the Wellington Conference, the following decision was sent to all affiliationsi: “That a member of any political party other than the Labour Party cannot act,or remain as a delegate to any Labour Representation Committee, or take part in its business. The Communist Party is regarded by the executive as a. political party, and, according to the decisions of the annual conference, no member of that party is eligible to act as a delegate to a Labour Representative Committee.” The position of members of branches who were members of the Communist Party, and who had joined the New Zeaalnd Labour Party prior to the passing of the resolutions at the Wellington Conference was considered, and it was unanimously decided: —“That members of the Communist Party are ' not eligible to remain as members of any branch of the New Zealand Labour Party.”