Levies for Labour's Campaign

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 148, 10 July 1937, Page 7

Levies for Labour's Campaign

-Own Correspondent.)

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Union to Collect 2/- From Members

2/- FOR ELECTION FUND

(By TelegruDh

AVELLINGTON, Last Night. The vigorous campaign being conducted by the- Labour Party to raise additional capital for the- party's official newspaper is likely to rpceive a substantiaj. , fillip from a recent decision of tiro New Zcajand Wprkers? fJnion. Tlie weekly newspaper, the Standard, needs more and new plant, for which the sum of £2y,000is reqnired. Some £1200 has b,een collecfed by voluntary contributi6n3j hut if is expecfed that anothter £4000 wilf bp raised by a levy of 2 /- to be collected from eyery member of the New Zealand "VVorkers' Union. A further leyy of 2 j- is tp be made for the Labour Party's election fund. The decision to impose these levies was made at the annual conference oi the N.Z.W.U. last week. According to the report in the Standard, these levies are expected to raise the sum of £4000 for each purpose in the eurrent year; and the general secretary of the union, Mr Arthur Cook, in explaining these and other steps which the union proposed to take, sa;d that the amounts raised by the levies would be only a Jrop in the oceaji of iunds that the members wQuld subscribe voluntarily. Thp conference gave a lead with a donation of £100. The recommendation that these levies and a further one of 1/- for the reliei of distressed members sbould Be struck was made to the conference in the report of a com-mittee set up to consider general policy matters. Commenting on the recommendation, Mr O. Grayndier said he thought members would have agreed to a higher rate of contribution in order to supply the Standard with as much new machinery as it needed. The opportunity to assist- the Standard and the Labour Party might be taken away at the next electipn, A 2J- levy on the present adnlt membership of ■ 30,000 would re turn £3000 each to the newspaper and the campaign fund. If that rate of levy were douhled it woyld returh £6000 each. At 40,000 members, which was not an unteasonable expectation for the coming year, a 2/- levy would raise £4000. The Standard, Mr Grayndier continued, must be supplied with better mechanical plant to enable it to handle the business of the Labour movement mqre expeditiously. Apother union had jmposed a levy of £1. However, the rules of the N.Z.W.U. did not pcrmdfc of a higher levy than 10/-, and the speaker thought that tjio levy should be increased to that amount. The machinery needed was expensive, it was needed immediately and when it was installed it would start to pay for itself. Therefore it need be paid ouce only, and the sooner that was done the better. The Labour Party had qnly oue campaign to fight in three years. T'he present opportunity to assist hoth causes to thc maximum ought fo be made the most of. A levy next year would not be nearly so useful. The levy for. The Standard would not be thrown away as it would be an investment for the union in the forrn of share capital. The union should not try to make haste too quiekly, said the Hon. F, E. Lark. The prqppsed levies went far enough when the financial pqsition of m^mLers on public works was consid•cd. Personally^ in the coming year he proposed t.o cdncenti'gte on The Standard and see that his members tock it and read it. All union branch secrer tar'ies should he instructed to do their utmost to increase the circulation, The general secretary, Mr Cook, said that a rapid increase in the ticket price or a substantial levy woulc] both be unwise. The union had in its ranks a layge number qf men who were new to unionism and those men had to be convinced of the value of the prineiples of- unionism before they would open their ppekpts to the fullest extent for it, "I anticipate that our membership next year will be not less than 40,000/' continued Mr Cook, "which will meau £4000 for the Standard and £1000 for tfie- Labour Party's campaign fund. And the amount that many members will give will not stop at the 2/-."