LABOUR CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2200, 13 July 1914, Page 10

LABOUR CONGRESS

THE NEW CONSTITUTION. ■ • The Labour Conference, convened by the: Federation; of Labour, in considering the new constitution for the United Federation of Labour, adopted the following clauses dealing with strikes:— ,;, ,Trade, or industrial unions shall'have complote local self-government,' but glider no .circumstances shall they have thevpo\vor;;jto take any such'.step ■ involving any, other organisation in the Federation.. '.. , \ : ' .. jNo union shall; strike - without first placing the matter unreservedly in the hands ■ of 'the .district No council shall , involve' the, national organisation in .any strike "without first placing the imatter unreservedly in the hands of the national .executive. Any union- or' district council violating ,the' provisions herein, contained shall, hot receive the support; of .the United Federation, and' shall be immediately suspended.- Any district council- or" union- so ■ suspended shall have the right' of appeal to the annual conference, which body shall decide the penalty. to bo inflicted. The 'decision of the conference to be final. l Notwithstanding anything contained in this 'clause, any union will have the right, in the event of human life being endangered, to. take such action as its members may deem necessary. After the.dispute; .has been dealt ,with by the national; executive, and no' settlement arrived at, any union called upon, to ceaso work in, support of a strike- shall, it it so . have the right >to first tako a ballot ou th© question... , The .nominations for provisionalfofficeiis. .resulted as follows President,'• D. G. Sullivan (Canterbury), 58 votes; elected; T. Long (Auckland), 20' votes; vice-president, A: Rosser (Auckland) 38 votes, J. Dowgray (West Coast) 23, votes, H. -T. Armstrong. (West- Coast) 19 votes;; secretary-treasurer, Mark Fagan (Inangahua Miners), 59 votes'(elected), Itoid (Wellington), .20 votes.- A second ballot was necessary for the vice-presidency, the result being: Rosser 43 votes (elected), Dowgray-33 votes. Committee: Wesley Richards (Auckland), W. E; Pary (Palmerston North), M.. Laracy. (Wellington), J. Alsweilter (Southland), 1 W. M'Allen (Ot-ago), F. Ellis.(Canterbury), J. Townsend (Marlborough). D. Golder (Hawko's Bar and Poverty Bay), 1 H. Coppersmith (West Coast). 1 Mr. R..' Semple has been-elected organiser, there'being no other nomination. The political, programme adopted sets foVth .that, the Social .Democratic Party is the political expression of the United Federation of Labour, and there? fore the conference endorsed the whole constitution'of that The conference strongly recommended to workers to render,all possible assistance to political candidates noniinated by tho Social >Democratic Party at the forthcoming election. It, was decided that tlic.-question' of linking np with the Australian Federation of Labour be the first order of business at the next conference. ' '.