SUBDUED RED FEDS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 135, 14 July 1914, Page 6

SUBDUED RED FEDS.

SIDELIGHTS ON THE LABOUR "CONFERENCE." A NEW CONSTITUTION. From a Special Correspondent. WELLINGTON, July 13. Some years ago a back-blocks farmer, down for the show, purchased the sun dial in the Sydney gardens-from an enterprising Australian who was at the moment leani»g up against it picking his teeth. Strange to say, that episode came back to memory while reading the "supplied" reports of the Unity Conference now sitting. At the beginning of the year two Auckland secretaries notified the unions that the Federation of Labour had been asked to call a conference of all unions to "decide upon a common line of action politically and to discuss affiliation with Australia." The definite purposes of this proposed conference .were again stated in exactly similar terms by Mr V. H. Hicltey in a later circular to the unions. No one was permitted to suggest auy new business. Nevertheless, the constitution of the Federation suddenly loomed up out of the mist. The conference opened on Tuesday of last week without any of the red streamers of twelve months ago hanging from the buttonholes. By the first division the delegates decided by 51 votes to 10 to exclude the "Capitalist '' Press. Then for a >vhole day and a-half they discussed. ? wljat they would discuss. THE SUN' has shown how the trend of the official order paper was. veering aw r ay from the original purpose of the conference. But the delegates would have ndne of that. Not they. By somewhere about 45 votes to .'SO the conference resolved to proceed with the business as originally proposed. Thus would the world see that the Red Feds, were not the controlling factors in this affair. Thus would . THE SUN be confounded of its prophesy. At this mage some very astute gentlemen became .meek and lowly. They were willing to feed from the hands like tame canaries. By all means, the wishes of the delegates shall be respected! Let us set up a committee to draft proposals. Then the others may x'est for the day. The committee was set up. But oh, by the way, the committee might report on the industrial aspect of the question, to begin with. Well, yes, the work had to be. done, and it might as well report on that first as lafet. And so the conference adjourned until Thursday morning. The committee reported and the constitution of the Federation of Labour put into the melting pot. A brand new constitution borrowed from Australia is now hung out in place of the wondrous thing that w r as adopted With such triumph and noise twelve .short months ago. . . Then the conference came back to its original purpose: — Resolved:—"That the Social-Demo-cratic Party is the political expression of the United Federation of Labour, and therefore the conference endorses the whole constitution of that party. , ,The

Conference strongly recommends to workers to render all possible assistance to political candidates nominated by the Social-Democratic Party at the forthcoming elections." Resolved: —"That the question of linking up with the Australian Federation of Labour be the first order of business at the next conference." It \s enough to make a eat laugh. .lOHN PLOWMAN.