FEDERATION CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8611, 23 December 1913, Page 6

FEDERATION CONFERENCE

WHAT TRANSPIRED P AN ALLEGATION AND A DENIAL. Mr H. W. Richards, a member of the Seamen's Union executive, has published a statement in defence of the action of Mr W. T. Young in connection with the strike and also gave details of alleged happenings at the conference of delegates to the United Federation of Labour. He stated that at a meeting of the federation hold some seven or eight nights ago, it was decided by 14 votes to 5 to call the strike off for the reason that there wore no finances to carry on with, and that resolution was moved by Mr Hiokoy, and carried prior to thc.seamen coming to an agreement with the shipowners. Mr Hickey contradicted the account of the adoption of this resolution, and informed a “Times” reporter yesterday that Mr Richards’s statement was incorrect.

“During the course of discussion as to the basis of settlement,” said Mr Hickey, “and it has to bo remembered that Richards was not a delegate, a resolution was carried demanding tho unconditional release of the men imprisoned for activities during the strike by making such a condition of settlement. I happened to bo out at tho time that the resolution was moved, and on my return tho resolution had just been carried and wasi again being discussed. But whilst, every delegate expressed himself as being in entire accord with the spirit of the resolution, nevertheless many of us believed that it wotfld bo impossible to carry it out, and that insistence on this course would only prove a bar to settlement. I then moved, and Mr Voyce, of Lyttelton, seconded, that tho resolution demanding tho unconditional surrender of the imprisoned men be rescinded, in so far as tho resolution made it a condition of settlement. This was carried by 13 votes to 5. I give this statement merely to show that the alleged report of the proceedings at that conference was given by a man who was not there. Tho report is absolutely incorrect.”-