POLITICAL LABOUR LEAGUE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8096, 27 September 1904, Page 4

POLITICAL LABOUR LEAGUE

ITS PLEDGE.

PLATI'OItM AND CONSTITUTION 01THE NEW PARTY.

The last Easter conlerenee of delegates oi the Trades and Labor Councils of New Zealand decided upon the formation of an Independent Labor parly, and lell i.m drafting of the details to a special committee. That committee sat for three days during last week in Wellington, and its labors resulted in the drafting of a constitution and fighting platform for a new party to be known as the l'olnual Labor League of New Zealand. The; proposals of the committee were hilly discussed at a recent meeting of the Wellington Trades Council, and finally the whole of the pledge, platforms, and cont st it ut ion were adopted. It was recommended that the h'rst conference of the League should he held in Wellington during nuxt Eastertide. The following is the national fighting platform of the League : — 1. State Bank — (a) Establishment of a State Bank with sole right of note issue, which shall be legal tender. 2. Land Reform — (a) Abolition of the sale of Crown lands; (l>) periodical revaluation of all Crown lands held on lease; ({•) resumption of land for closer settlement to be at owner's valuation for taxation purposes, plus ten per cent ; (d) tenants' absolute right to their improvements. i 3. Local Government Reform — (a) Parliamentary franchise to apply to the elections of all local bodies; (b) every elector to have the right lo vote on all questions | submitted to a poll. 4. Economic Government — (a) Referendum with the initiative in the hands of the people; (b) abolition of the Upper House; (c) Elective Executive. 5. Statutory preference of employment to unionists. I 6. Cessation of borrowing except for— (a) Redemption; (b) completing works already authorised by Parliament. 7. Nationalisation— (a) Establishment of State ironworks; (b) nationalisation of all mineral wealth; (c) establishment of State woollen and Hour mills and clothing and boot factories. (Note. — Labor candidates shall have a free hand on the liquor and fiscal questions). The League has also a municipal platform, which contains the following planks : (1) Uuc vote only for each adult resident. (2) Polls to be open to 8 p.m. (3) Mayors and Councillors to be paid if approved by a plebiscite vote of the electors. (4) The umfiication of municipalities around large centres of population. (5) Municipalities, jointly or severally, to be empowered to own aud directly conducted for use any industry or service deemed desirable by plebiscite vote of electors. All works undertaken by the municipalities to be executed by the Council without the intervention of the contractor, and trade union wages to bo paid. (6) All ' rates to be struck on the unimproved value of lands within each district. (7) Powit to acquire the title to aud power to lease but not to sell any lands on which rates are overdue and unpaid for a period of five years; provided the owner may recover ; possession on payment of all rates and accrued interest thereon. (8) Quinquennial valuation by owner, and in case of the municipality being dissatisfied with such valuation to be empowered to resume at such valuation, plus 10 per cent. (9) Compulsory power to acquire gas or electric lighting works. (10) Power by initiative to demand vote on any policy proposal of a local governing" body. The League will ask its candidates to sign the following pladges:— "l hereby pledge myself not to oppose the selected candidate in this or any other branch of the Political Labor League. I also pledge myself, if returned to Parliament, on all occasions to do my utmost to ensum the carrying out of the principles embodied in the Labor platform, and on all such questions, and especially on questions affecting the fate of a Government, to vote as a majority of the Labor party may decide at a duly constituted caucus meeting. 1 further pledge myself not to retire from the contest without the consent of the Executive of the. Political Labor League of New Zealand, and if elected shall, as far as possible, place my serviies at the disposal of the League for organising purposes." Branches or Councils having 25 members may select their own candidate, and where two candidates have been elected an exhaustive ballot is to be taken. Any member or ex-member of the League opposing a League candidate, at a Parliamentary election, is to be disqualified from being solected for the four years next following. All nominations of candidates to contest Parliamentary or municipal elections must be submitted to the Executive for endorsement before going to ballot, and any candidate personally canvassing for votes will be disqualified for selection. No Labor candidate can sign the pledge of any other party. Candidates are to be selected three months prior to a Parliamentary election. Members elected under the auspices of the League are to form a distinct party, and no member of the Labor party can join any Ministry not mainly composed of members of their own body. The committee which drafted the constitution, etc., give* advice.. on how to organise a League, and concludes with this note:— "LaDor-in-Politic's does not seek the advantage of * class or section of the community, but ' the general good by combined Parliamentary and municipal action. The well-being of each is the concorn of all. Educate! Organise! Agitate!" • *

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