OPPOSITION FROM NATIONAL COUNCIL

Chronicle (Levin), 20 February 1948, Page 5

OPPOSITION FROM NATIONAL COUNCIL

WELLINGTON, Feb, 19. Suggestions made hy. the eommi'ttee set up at the last annual kederatioh of Labour conference in' June, that the national council of the federation should be representative of delegates oi':, trade union groups based on ■ industry' lnstead of the existing repfeseaiav, tion from trades eouncils througKout tlie Dominion;/ were /OppQSed, - by the majPrytj' of dqfegtftei^'at^« rrt&e',Hi%v6fi the national council today. It was de eided by 18»votes to 4 to recommend to the annual conference of the federation. the rejeetion of elause 7 of the proposed new rules as pnt forward by the joint committee set up at the 1947 conference. Thj secretary, Mr. IC. Baxter, said the pi'oposal ruerely suggested that tlu conference debate the matter thougb the council should be able to make veeommeudations. It would , be more effecti ve from the trade union point oi view, if there were direct representa tion as proposed by the amendment tc the eonstitution. Mr. H. Kay (Hawke 's- Bay) , opposing the amendment, said if industriai unionism were to be brought about. this should come from the rank and fflc and not from the top of the Labour movement. Mr. H. Thompson and Mr. P. AHansen (Wellington) also supported the rejeetion of the amendment. Mr. Hansen Considered* the committee had ex : eeeded its jurisdiction by making the Mr. F. Langley moved that the national . council cireularise affillated anions and trades eourieils, urgently requesting their attendance at the cbnference in Dunedin and recommending ; that delegat'es oppose the proposed new eonstitution. Mr. Hansen moved an amendment that the national council instruet the ! national executive to cireularise trades eouncils and affiliations of the decision ' reached and the reason underlying the reeommendation. • The amendment ' was defeated sjjnd. the motion carried; W. R. Fleming, Newtown, wort the Wellington Bowling Centres's open single^ tournameiit which coiichtded: yester)day afterhoon on the Kelburn green. • He beat A. C. McIntyre (tlpper Hutt) ,in tho s#mifinal 29-15 after an exciting struggle up to the 16th. end. . In the HnaL opponenft, J. M. Oil'es (Kelburn) , was completely' ooit of touch and Fleming secured an easy victory.