LABOR CONFERENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1374, 8 February 1905, Page 2

LABOR CONFERENCE.

DRASTIC POLITICAL PROPOSALS. By Telegraph— Press- Association— Copyright Rooeived 9.22 p.m., Feb 7. Sydney, Fob. 7. The Political Labor Conference adopted a fighting platform, with the following planks : Economic Government, including the abolition of Legislative Counoil and State Governorship; closer settlement and resumption at owners’ valuation for taxation purposes, plus ton per cent; cessation of Crown land sales ; amalgamation of the existing saving. banks, and converting tho advances to Settlers’ Board into a State bank, water conservation and irrigation, free education, progressive land value tax, full civil rights to federal, stale and municipal employees, local Government, cessation of borrowing except for redemption and tho completion of works already authorised, and undertakings whioh pay interest from the beginning and provide one per cent for sinking fund.

Received 9.47 p.m., Feb. 7-5 The conference carriod general resolu: tions urging the establishment of State sugar mills'; and that not less .than 900. square miles be allotted to .the Commonwealth Government for a Federal site. All proposals dealing with Federal matters have been remitted to a conference of inter-State politicians and trade'unions’ delegates in June next. They are : Abolishment of indiroot methods of raising Federal revenue by taxing food and clothing, and the substitution of a tax on the unimproved value of land ; antagonism to the importation of alien foreign productions ; a high protective tariff to be one of the fighting planks of the Federal and State Labor parties at next election ; also a heavy tariff on all goods which oan be manufactured in the Commonwealth ; the whole Australian shipping trade to be manned and owned by Australians or Britons only ; a clausa to be inserted in the Navigation Act to compel owners to insure the lives of the crews ; establishment of a Federal National Bank; all mines in Australia to be controlled by direotors within the Commonwealth.

N.Z. POLITICAL LABOR LEAGUE. (Per. Press Association.) Christchurch, last night. At a mooting called by the Trades and Labor Council to-night a branch of the New Zealand Political Labor League was formed, and temporary offioers elected. The Hon. J. Rigg addressed the meeting on the aims and methods of the league, and in the course of his remarks attributed to its influence the fact that labor had secured representation on the Land Commission. About 30 members were enrolled, and arrangements made for a canvass of the oity.