NEW ZEALAND LABOURITES

Northern Advocate, 18 April 1933, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND LABOURITES

j ANNUAL ASSEMBLY. I EXECUTIVE »S REVIEW. {Special to “Northern Advocate."} AUCKLAND, Monday. With an attendance of nearly 100 delegates, the seventeenth annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party opened in the Trades Hall this morning, and continued throughout the day. In the absence of the retiring president, Mr W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Mauukau, Mr P. Fraser, M.P. for Wellington Central, was elected to the chair for the gathering.

Welcoming the delegates, Mr A. Rosser, secretary of the Trades Hall board of trustees, said the trustees would do all in their power to make the stay of the visitors pleasant. Among them he noticed new as well as old faces, and while there were newcomers, they all know that the movement would continue as of old, since it w T as based on the most solid of foundations.

According to the report of the national executive the organising activities thoughout the year exceeded all previous efforts, and the splendid work of the party's members in Parliament placed Labour well to the fore as the only possible alternative to the Coalition Government, which had become totally discredited in the eyes of tho electors, it being admitted on all sides that the legislation it had forced through Parliament had made a bad situation infinitely worse. Admiration of the services of the Parliamentary representatives was placed on record, together with appreciation of the 'work of the national secretary.

Following a decision of the last conference, the national office, with the ready assistance of Labour members of Parliament, organised demonstrations in all the large centres, and in practically every town and village within reach of the railway line in both islands of the Dominion. Over ICO meetings were arranged.

In conjunction witli the Parliamentary Labour Party and the executive endeavoured to have the Electoral Act amended to ensure that the acceptance of relief work should not disquality the recipient from being a member of the local governing body through which he -was receiving relief work. A joint deputation to the Minister of Internal Affairs received a sympathetic reply and a promise to bring the matter before Cabinet, but the Government had not yet taken any steps in the direction indicated. The executive would continue its efforts to have the Act amended.

Branches And Publications. In addition to a large number o£ branches which had been reorganised, new branches of the party have been formed at Ashburton, Opoutama (Maori), Upper Hutt, Oruaiwi, Havelock North, Carterton, Inglewood, Hunterville, Norsewood, Reefton, Richmond, Martinborough, Coromandel, Stratford, Haleombe, Arapuni, Whitianga, Bartletts, Glen Massey, Waimiha, Puketitiri, Karamea, Masterton, Avondale, Waihi, Ashhurst, Green Island and Lyttelton. The following unions affiliated: Canterbury Dairymen's, Christchurch Fire Brigades’, and Christchurch Typographers.

The names of the following members were added to the list of approved candidates:' Messrs D. G, McMillan, medical practitioner, Kurow; P. G. Webb, coal merchant, Christchurch; W. H, Oliver, freezing worker, Feilding; W. Wakefield, farmer, Maugere; J. Mathison, tramway motorman, Christchurch; W. Grey, bootmaker, Otahuhu; E, 0. Bond, fanner, Palmerston North; D. A. Hill, surveyor’s linesman, Kerepeehi.

During the year the executive endeavoured to give every possible assistance to the ‘‘New Zealand Worker” board, and representatives of the executive met the board of directors on throe occasions for that purpose. In spite of strict attention to economy the party’s book room showed a loss on the year’s workings, although not quite so large as last year, but as a result of the removal sale which was hold, quite a considerable amount of old stock was turned into cash, and the book room was able to reduce the amount owing to the party by over £OC. Further economics had been effected, and it was confidently expected that the amount owing would be again materially reduced during the coming year.