THE LABOUR PARTY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16810, 7 August 1920, Page 11

THE LABOUR PARTY.

WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT? (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.) In 1911 there was in the Dominion a political organisation named the New Zealand Labour Party, winch was entirely different iu character, policy and purpose to the present organisation that lias assumed tuo name. 'The Labour Party of 1911 had branches all over Now Zealand. Between 1908 and 1011 its- voting strength had increased 300 per cent. It was a national party seeking progressive reforms on constitutional hues for the good of the whole of the people. By the agitation of the Red federation and the trickery of one named Professor Hills, the old party was destroyed. The present organisation is a combination of trades unionism, syndicalism', socialism and aspirations towards communism. . Were it honest it would take the name of “The Syndicalist and Socialist Party of New Zealand,” but for the purpose of roping in those who are neither syndicalists, socialists nor communists it takes the name of “The New Zealand Labour Party” in order to try and camouflage its real intentions. Erom the report recently published in its own paper wo learn that the conference of the party opened in Wellington on July 8. There were 55 delegates present; of those Wellington supplied 18, Auckland 7, and Christchurch 5. The following is tho record of where delegates came from :—Nelson 1, Lovin 1, Podding I, Hawke’s Bay 2, Masterton 2, Danucvirke 1, New Plymouth 2, Timaru 1, Hastings 2, Palmerston North 4, Bullor 1, Grey .2, Westland 2, Wellington IS, Otago 1, Kaiapoi 1, Riccarton 1, Christchurch 5, Auckland 7. Total, 55. The financial statement published shows that the year commenced with a credit balance of £233 11s 7d and closed with £I3G 15s, but against the latter were liabilities amounting to £94 Is 6d, leaving a not credit balance of £42 13s 6d. Tho party claims to havo 25,000 paying members, but we find in the statement mentioned those words—- “ Capitation (indefinite).” What that means is difficult to understand without further explanation. At tho last general election the party had 4(i candidates in the field, of whom eight were elected. It claims to have polled 128,000 votes (and that being 150 per .cent, over the previous general election), also that 52,000 votes were cast for its candidates in tho country districts. > It is recognised that thisr party polled a very large number of votes at tho last general election, though it has not very materially increased its strength in Parliament. Tt has lost Alessrs. J. T. Paul, A. Walker and R. Scrapie, and gained Messrs. Howard, Bertram, Savage, Sullivan and Parry. The big vote which the party secured cannot be taken as endorsing the policy of either its leaders or its conference decisions. Thousands voted for its candidates because they presented their cases as moderate Labour men and kept tho semi-Bolshevist propaganda of their party out of sight. It is questionable whether all the members returned endorsed the extreme attitude of revolutionism pronounced by Messrs.. Holland and Fraser, but there can ho no question that tho party’s official- decisions are of the Red Revolutionary cast. This applies even more to tho recent conference than to any previous one. It is very evident that the wildly revolutionary elements in AVellington and Auckland practically control and direct tho party. Its past strength 'lias come from the assumption that tho party is representative of the workers of Now Zealand. That is far from being correct ns it docs not hold in membership one half of the members of the Labour unions, and its main doctrines are not upheld by the great majority of the workers within tho Dominion.