LABOURITES ACTIVE

Waikato Independent, Volume XXIV, Issue 3223, 24 May 1924, Page 5

LABOURITES ACTIVE

A BIG FIGHTING FUND £25,000 TO BE RAISED. According to the official report of the Labour Conference held in Dunedin at Easter, under the auspices of" the New Zealand Labour Party, a determined effort is to be made by tho party to raise a fighting fund ,of £25,000 within the next, twelve months. Towards that amount, Mr Robert Semple, who since the completion of his Orongorongo tunnelling contract, has returned to his old occupation of Labour organiser and agitator, has promised to raise £IOOO, and has sealed his promise by handing in to the Labour Executive his promissory note for that amount, redeemable within twelve months. It is proposed to raise the remaining £24,000 by what is termed "a voluntary levy" on the members of all Trade Unions affiliated to the Alliance of Labour, which is the left wing of the New Zealand Labour Party, and works in co-operation with it. The levy to be asked for is 10/ per member, and it is expected that all Unionists will subscribe at least that amount, while those who can afford it are to be asked to give larger sums of £l, £"). £lO, £25 and so on (which seems to indicate the existence, of a few capitalists in the party), according to the ability of the contributors to help finance the party machine.

It was stated at the Labour Conference that if the Party obtained the £25,000 it would be in a position to allot the sum of £2OOO for office work, and to Use the balance for press propaganda and in contesting every electorate in the Dominion in the interests of Labour. Friends of the Reform, or Government Party, would do well to note the opinion .further expressed at the Conference, that with such a. fighting fund the Party would be able to win the majority of the seats in the next Parliament, and to thus obtain, possession of the Treasury benches. As the "Reds" are still in eontrol of the Party and dominate its counsels, the prospect thus opened up is not particularly pleasing from tho anti-Socialist point, of view.