UNITED LABOUR PARTY

Southland Times, Issue 17025, 25 April 1912, Page 7

UNITED LABOUR PARTY

FLAN OP CAMPAIGN, A new rational machine to control the Industrial and political activities of organised labour in New Zealand has been designed, with the title of the United Labour Party of New Zealand. A plan of organisation was framed by the recent conference in Wellington, and the Hon. J. T. Paul, of Dunedin, president of the new party, has spent a week In Auckland in organisation work among the Labour groups in the city. Prior to his departure Mr Paul described some leading features of the new organisation. He stated that the conference which gave birth to the new party consisted of over 70 delegates, representing organisations in all parts of New Zealand. The proceedings were marked by unanimity and a determination to find a remedy for the dissensions which had caused so much division among organised workers. They framed a constitution which was afterwards adopted by the conference of the Trades and Labour Councils and the conference of the New Zealand Labour Party. Previously the former body controlled the industrial activities of trade unionism, and the latter the political activities. The new organisation was intended to operate in both spheres of action, and was, in fact, the first united labour party constituted in New Zealand. Mr Paul said he believed that the new organisation, whose membership was open to all, would give.to Labour an influence commensurate with its numbers. The members of the Dominion Executive Council comprise men who have been most active in the past in the interests of the workers, among them being Messrs E, Tregear, J. A. McCullough. G. R. Whiting. W. A. Veitch, M.P., J. Robertson, M.P., and D. McLaren. The members of the council have undertaken to organise their respective groups of workers without delay, and the result will be a party composed of industrial groups instead of Individual unions. Upon the question of disputes, Mr Paul said that the platform of the party included a plan for “The settlement of industrial .cjlsputes on the lines of legallyestablished agreements and awards by methods of conciliation and ( arbitration.” There was also a provision that no action affecting either an industrial group or the workers as a whole was to be taken until the position to be adopted had been endorsed by a referendum. The effect of that was that although the whole strength of the organisation could be used in any industrial troubles, no union or federation was required to contribute specially to or to join In any strike without first securing by ballot the consent of a majority of the workers.