TRADES COUNCIL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143763, 11 April 1912, Page 3

TRADES COUNCIL.

A WORDY PROGRAMME. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 11. The New Zealand Labour Party, at its conference. to-day, considered proposals which had been brought down in connection with the unity conference. It was agreed that the name of the organisation he the 'United Labour Party of New Zealand, and that its objects shall be to promote the organisation of all the workers of New Zealand in all forms of necessary service to protect their interests in the matter of regular, rational and remunerative employment, to promote their good citizenship and to increase their efficiency, to consolidate their political power in their own behalf, and to use their whole power, both political and economic, in negotiations with the. employers before the courts, in municipal, county and Dominion governments, in international relations, and if need bo in industrial revolt, to use tho fruits of every partial victory to strengthen and continue this work until the power to oppress and exploit any of the workers. either by private monopolies controlling government, or through private monopoly of ownership and control of industry, shall utterly disappear, and there shall be .secured for the people power to purchase with their income the total products of their labour, until, in short, the means of production, distribution and exchange, in so far as they constitute in private hands instruments of oppression and exploitation, shall he socially owned and operated, without profit and for tho common good of all. A number of other general clauses were also adopted. COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS. WELLINGTON, April 11. Amendments to the Workers’ Compensation for Accidents Act were discussed at the Trades and Labour Councils’ Conference to-day. It was resolved that tho Act be amended in the direction of nullifying any agreement that may be entered into with any insurance company and any person entitled to compensation. Several speakers stated that frequently workers were induced by representatives of insurance companies to sign away part of their rights. It was also agreed that the Act should he amended to take away the power frou the .Judge which allows him to withhold compensation unless a patient submits to an anaesthetic for an operation. A further motion was passed as follows; “That in tho opinion of this conference the whole of the insurance business in connection with the Workers’ Compensation Act should be taken over by the State.”