LABOUR IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15003, 27 May 1912, Page 8

LABOUR IN NEW ZEALAND.

THE TWO MAIN FACTIONS.

AMALGAMATION UEGED.

DEPUTATION TO" FEDERATION. [by telegraph.—press association.] Wellington, Sunday. At the Conference of the New Zealand Federation of Labour yesterday, the Ho«. J. T. Paul, M.L.C., and Mr. Robertson M.P., were received as a deputation from the United Labour party. Mr. Paul said they came to try to link up Labour, into one organisation, and if they could not do so to arrive at an understanding on certain points. Nearly two years ago amalgamation had been discussed without, agreement. Since then the machinery of the Labour party had been considerably altered, and it now had a constitution admirably suited to the workers' requirements. The constitution provided for industrial and political organisation along the lines of industry. He had no doubt, but that the most extreme men could come into the party and preach what they believed. It was proposed to set up centres of activity, and amalgamate as many small unions as possible. He urged the delegates to come right in and make one great movement. He could not see why ministers of religion and lawyers should not have the right to subscribe to the principles of the United Labour party.

Mr. Bobertson said ho bad not changed in his adhesion to the principles of Social* ism ancll industrial unionism. He _ deprecated the personal recrimination which had marred their movement. He ventured to predict that the Conference would decide upon political action, and he wished to say that the federation's platform could not essentially differ from that of the United Labour party. There was now developing in New Zealand a peasantry akin to that of other countries, and because the Labour party found a place for this peasantry he hadi thrown in his lot with the party. The speakers wore questioned npon their party's attitude during the Auckland trouble, as to their party's repudiation of the class war upon arbitration, and the strike, whether industrial - amalgamation was possible without endorsement of political platforms, and if it was not dangerous to have a party made up of opposing economic interests. These and other questions -were courteously handled by the deputation. . _^

SOCIALISTS AND FEDERATION.

POLITICAL ACTION. [BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.]' Wellington; Sunday. At the Federation of Labour Conference yesterday afternoon, Messrs. Ross, Howard, and Freeman, representing the New Zealand Socialist party, waited upon the Conference. Mr. Freeman stated that at the last conference of th» Socialist party many remits had been dq&lt with concerning Che Federation of Labour. It had been decided to ask the federation to refrain from taking political action, leaving that to the Socialist party. . Mr. R. S. Ross said it was necessary that every candidate speaking on behalf of the working class must be a Socialist. Tho Federation of Labour and the Socialist party stood for the same thing.. The Socialist party hitherto had been behind the ■ federation right up to the hilt. The Federation of Labour and the Socialist party were at one on questions of arbitration, the right to strike, anti-militarism, and many other matters. Throughout New Zealand the federation had been known as the "red" federation. Let the delegates recognise that they were indiseolubly wrapped up in the Socialist movement, They should boldly and frankly declare their allegiance to that movement.

TRANSPORTERS' STRIKING POWER,

UNITED LABOUR ATTITUDE.

An address was delivered by Mr. W. T. Mills in the Town Hall last night on the subject of " The Transport Workers and the United Labour Party." In the course of his remarks, Mr. Mills said that the transport workers could paralyse the industries of New Zealand, provided that they organised > themselves for, the purpose. He doubted the possibility/ however, of their ever organising them* selves into a single cohesive, body to do so. A paralysis of the various industries would be as serious a matter for the transport workers as for the men employed in those industries. A . large percentage of ? the transport workers, moreover, . were Government employees, and a strike in which theso men participated would be a-strike directly against the whole of the community. But if the people were the employers of these men, all that could be accomplished on behalf of th-i workers would have to be done by the public. That, of course, meant political action. The United Labour party, added Mr. Mills, was the only organisation, which sought to secure the greatest advantages for all the workers, and these by the full use of both their political and economic powers.