LABOUR & WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2685, 3 February 1916, Page 6

LABOUR & WAR

0 CONSCRIPTION QUESTION THE RECENT CONFERENCE The Federation of Labour held a conference- in Wellington last weok and from the conference emanated a manifesto, which, in about two and a half thousand words,, said that the conference opposed the suggestion that conscription should be introduced in No'w Zealand. The suggestion, by the way, ij tiiat conscription should come when the voluntary system fails. The daily Press wero excluded from the conference, which was open to the "Maoriland Worker," and yesterday's issue of that paper contains what purports to be an account of the proceedmgs.

In view of the exclusion of the daily Press the following item from tho "Worker" Teport is interesting:—"lt was resolved to open a fund for the protection of those who might be prosecuted."

The "Worker" savs the discussion "had four main features: An overwhelming opposition to any form of conscription of life and an insistence that any attempt in this direction must be resisted to_ the . utmost; an absolute unanimity in demanding the conscription of wealth; an absolute unanimity to demanding that soldiers' pay shall not be less than that of -the trade union rato for che highest paid artisan, and that pensions for disabled men and for widows and orphans must be substantially increased; an almost unanimous opinion that the world has had quite enough of human slaughter, and that as a step towards the ending of it the Allied nations should state their terms of 'peace."

Other extracts from the paper are:— "There wero thoughtful, sobor speeches by men in grim earnest, in discussion of tlio individual action that ought to be taken as well as of tho action it would be necessary for organised Labour to take ill the event of conscription being introduced into this country. There were unanimous and uncompromising denunciations of the polioy of economio conscription employers are adopting to force men to enlist. There were equally strong—even stronger—denunciations of the Government supported Prussianism operating on Auckland waterfront in the form of svstematised victimisation of unionists."

"There were three women delegates on the conference. They declared that patriotism and nationalism must go, and that • internationalism must prevail." "A delegate declared his union wanted the Allies to win on the voluntary system; but if the voluntary system failed they would accept conscription. But (he said) tho voluntary system had not yot been given a trial because of the inadequacy of the conditions offered to -volunteers." "Another prominent secretary said tliose who wero keenly advocating conscription were not advocating it because they wanted, it to win the war, but to scotch the Labour movement. Conscription if applied by the present Government would exempt the landowners and the business men." "A delegate declared that an attempt was being made to break down tho voluntary system by both the Government and the employers. Soldiers should get more pay than the men who remained at home, and the Pensions Board should be kicked over the wharf at Wellington." The committee who drew up the manifesto were Messrs. J!'Combs, Thorn, Holland, Fraser, Semple, Parry, and E. .Hnntcr.