CONFERENCE AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 21 April 1911, Page 5

CONFERENCE AT CHRISTCHURCH.

TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCILS. CHRISTCHURC'H, Thurs. At thie Trades and Labour'CdJiTorence to-day tih.e following telegram was. read from Mr. Glover, iihe ■secretary of the Miners' Federation: "Useless having a conference at present; our representatives .not having the power to act. 1 would suggest you appoint representatives to meet our conference in July, when in session."

Mr. Glover's suggestion was acted upon, and Messrs' Reardon, Farrant, Paul, Young, Reader, Horning and Jackson were appointed to meet the Miners' Federation in July. It was decided to recommend to the Labour party to make the "Weekly Herald'' their official organ. After a long discussion the following remit from Wellington was agreed to: That this Conference .protest* S'trongly against the .spending of public money by the Government in introducing labour from a.n outside country initio an industry wh.idh. is not adequately protected under -the industrial laws of tlhe country.

Speaking of the introduction of Mr. Sedgwick's English, boys for farms a.n(l speaker said, "They knew that some farmers were prepared to caveat their own children-, and did sweat them, on dairy farms. If they were not humaue enough not 'to sweat .their own child--rc.n wdiat would they dio to boys who were assisted liere." Another speaker said : "Those farmers .who wanted Mr. Sedgwick's boy* were too mean to pay decent wages to farm labourers."

A third speaker said that the question was one- of votes. "There was a strong com pet ;iti on by both political parties for the farmers 1 ' vote, and that, was t!he reason for the expenditure of public money to get the. farmers cheap labour, and also tlie desire to exempt fa.rmic.rs from- the operations of the Arbitration Co urt' s a wards.''

After a lengthy discussion the following remit from. Wellington was negatived by 13 votes to 4 : —That tlie .Conference consider the question of ensuring loyalty o ftrades councils-, trades unions and individual delegates and m.'eim.'bers to the decision of the annual conference by the adoption Oif the principle of a pledge for councils, trade unions,, and individual delegates a.nd members . The delegates appointed, to meet the Miners' Federation were insta'uctedi to urge that the basis of amalgamation be the decisions of the Trades and Labour Conferences and the constitution of the Federation. Further, that in the event of amalgamation not being agreed bo in the terms of the reetolution passed, the delegation confer further with the Miners' Fed'eration for the purpose of drawing up a provisional constitaition for an- amalgamated federation, and that such constitution be euhimiitited to a plebiscite vote of the affiliated unions, and on a majority declaring for the same that such constitution shall be adopted and a complete amalgamation declared to have effect.

The Committee set up in. regard to the Labour paper reoeniimended that the "Weekly Herald" should be the official organ of the Federation of Laboiur, and that the New Zealand labour party make it their official organ. The report waa adopted after an explanation by Mr. W. T. Young. He said that the paper would assist the innioii in combating maliciious lies directed against them by the capitalistic press.