INDEPENDENT LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 397, 5 January 1909, Page 6

INDEPENDENT LABOUR.

POST-ELECTION APPEAL. i - to; concentrate on .socialism, ' ■' tBX IBUSQEArir—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) , ; .....■'" Chrlstchuroh, January 4. : The Colonial Executive,of the Political Lab--our League has. issued the following: manifesto to all branches in New-Zealand:— . •

■ "Fellow, Workers,— "' " •■' ; '' ■ . "Three years ago, at the conclusion of the 1905 general election, it:was found that the attempt to secure direct and independent representation of Labour, in the'New,iZealahd ■Parliament bad .met with such'ill-success;that' , out of .the eleven ■cahdidatbs putifonvard- by our organisation; nine'of. Jiiem'-'had forfeited their deposit, , and neither of.the ; remaining two had been-.successful in;winning.' seats. The result, was'greeted- by the Liberal, and. /Tory .press and .politicians: throughouj; . the country .with ah associated' howl -of derisiPn, and was eagerly proclaimed as", the final answer of 'the working 'classes of .the country. to the.attempt,'to,'form a.'sblid'Eabour party;.' , ■ -."It"'seemed, indeed, as though'our opponents werb-'permeated.with a'desire"to drown the movement at,the very hour of its-birth in a' sea, of , but "nothing', is more; clear than that they .misunderstood the.- calibre, of the men 'within the , movement. [ That,.the, re' : suits of ; that election wore not at all , encouraging-, was.-fully; admitted. 'We .were, metaphorically speaking,, tossed like, a' rag on the;horn's;of,;a bull, but,.;so, strong:'was.'the; cpnvictipn, in' the' 'minds' of our. members , of .the utter , ! inadequacy of Liberal measures to pormanently..remedy 'the;,social and .economic evils' ;arjsirig 'put .of 'the system' 'of individualist production,"' so" strong the. conviction^. , of ■ the- vital ' necessity of an -independent Labour.'party to advance the case of - Labour ;within : ,tho.!walJs ; of . Parliament, and their belief; in Ultimate success, that the only result of- our'-'ihitial" failure' was the formihK.6f: : a.truer'conception' of- tho magnitude., or,;the,task >e hive'undertaken.. ' -■, :

'■"During the past three years some'-strenu-ous, propaganda' work had been done in all the chief centres arid provincial' tomis,' and , that it has , been effective is, : demonstra'ted :by the l riiore than;four-fold iricreaso'in the Independorit.Labour.:party vote for 1908,' as compared, with' the ; figures for-1906; ,-Ori'tFiat-bc-casion- -the ■■. eleven candidates put forward polled a'^otal'yote'o'f■47Qo,.'with'an average of"about■; 427 . .The* figiires'-'for '1908: make. more ■plcasantvreading; -At''the':.recent elec- , ..tiori .twelyo", carididates ( :.took the; field, polling 15,500 •.votes;'.with -an' average'.6f." 1292;'.' so that'.were'.;'there :ari:.(e'c[uitaßle.,"systein;,pf''pr.q--portidriar re'presbiitatiori , ' , ' iiv v'oguo • the ,; sup-' porters'of, : the. Political Labour League would rio'w.' have three., representatives- .in : Parliamerit.--..' /..:;:', :'■■(. .;•• ;'' •":'■■•: •■.■■' •."■■:.. ' ,'." . .■'-As it is;the 1908.election.will. memorable one in the history of the movement; as-'havirig-'Tesultecl■'■ in ■ the:■'.return'•',of the:- ; first. , - .member, of- the-' .Independent Labour y'Party-. to ■ PaHiament: ; :Wo^'ex-: tenfl-/hearty • cpngratulatibris' 'to : MrT ;'D. M.'Eareti', M.P.' •fo'r..WellihEton' ; East,'ori?his signal:-Victory, 'arid' trust that'lie -will;.'.be able -to accomplish' useful work 5 in. the inter-' ests of his .throughout': rthe. , pbminiori.'-.iThe Vote-'-for: independent' working: :'ol as s;' political * ; act ion 'is' 'further' swelled by 3063.. .vote's:' polled'.' by '; five;.' revolutionary Socialists, -making' a '.grand total of-.}21;555, which number' includes..£he 'secflnd ballpt'in- ' to' : th'e Labour j.yote.-'TJhe results ap-coriiplished'.'cbnstitute'-'an effective-; illus'tratibn :6f .the- -value of. we : ll-directed'-,-; educatibnal work":'We^tru'st,therefore, -jthatroiirbran'ch'es, throu6hout ; / , the , Dqmjnibri':tfill' i profifr':;by :the lessons;' of- the, elcctipii} , and' '"adopt' every means that, commend' .themselves-. to : tli'e.ir judgment, : ( as;;.tending;.to : :.thqspread.'of.'dur organisation; so that, at the" 1911'-Velec'tiori's we.'may .have still •more reason , to 'be gratified at ; the .results.-of-'our efforts: '~ ; : :, ■. .'.,.,' 'Toryism., arid . : have: ; alike i de n mbnstrated; their; i.impotency.; to. solve: the sppial ;■; arid.-lecbnbmic';-problems'.'of lour age'. Seventeen years ..of , ,'Liberal palliative;legislation haVe .not. resulted: in.increasWg-xthe purchasing.'; power 'of.-'.the. workers V. by i one ; penny .piece. : . Such 'legislation,: avoiding all; fundamental eeonoiriic reforms, is ' simply, impotent' : to .permanently; improve. the. econoinic.position of the>'workers. ■• Justice jxj.,labour;can;Oniy. I be securediby'the social, ownership, of • land, and capital,., and,-.to; the;'ultimate':'realis'atibiL' pf,that ideali'all'bur energies must be,bent.v'.'.EobnOmic-measure's" that'.do riot , tend'to'a materialisation-'of. this objective, are':'uselesß' , .'to'..:tlie"-'-\» : p agerettrners. ; InAconclusiorij.we.urge/tihevaribris branches! to make a ; strenuous;V : endeavour at, the forthcoming,.municipal.'.'election '■■:-. td "■ securo adeiiuate -representatibri' , of Labour:upon the various .'municipal" councils. These' bodies have been .used A by' pur fellow-workers 'in Great Britain"',;as.i!powerful 'agents, -in the work:of 'social, recpristructiori,:'ari.d : we f«el' ,that'they .can bemade to serve a similar purpose. in-New Zealand". , -: ,'. , ; ■.: ~: ;■■'■■■■ : ','On behalf,'of ;the colonial executive of the ! New'lZealand-'Political' Labour 'League D. J. Snllivari (presidbnt), James Thorn l (secretary).!,.,;.;..-'. •■■;.. : :'; ,'• '"■',-■:■ ■• •'■ ■ ■•*-.• "