THE LABOUR PARTY’S PLATFORM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 856, 23 June 1910, Page 3

THE LABOUR PARTY’S PLATFORM.

Labour stood on a reconstructed platform (iu which many of the old planks reappear) iu Auckland East recently. The programme proclaimed in Auckland will be the one advocated by the leaders in their effort to form an independent Political Labour party. Here are the chief features, taken from circulars recently distributed in Auckland ;

Constitutional Reforms. Electoral Law Reform, to provide for “ One Vote One Value” absolute majority decisions and proportional representation. (2) Abolition of all nominative appointments to the Legislature. (All legislators should be elected by the people). (3) Provision for the initiative and referendum in the hands of the people. (4) Extension of the powers of local government with provision for all local government polls to be taken on the Parliamentary franchise. (5) Increased powers to be given to local governing bodies to carry out local works by means of direct taxation without relying on the General Government for special grants.

Rand Reforms. — (i) Maintenance of the State’s pre-emptive right of control over all lands of the country. (2) Cessation of the sale of Crown lands. (3) Increase of taxation on large landed estates to burst up such estates and force the lands into use. (4) State purchase of the Native lands and the speedy subdivision and settlement of same on lease with provision for revaluations. (5) Increment land taxation to ensure that h e socially created land value shall go to the community or State as a preventive against the inflation of laud values and the practice of land gambling. Financial Reform. —(1) Establishment of a State Bank. (2) Establishment of a Stace note issue. (3) Restriction of public borrowing and payment ol annual contributions towards the redemption of existing loans. (4) Close economy in expenditure on administration of Public Departments. Educational Reforms.—(l) Election of Education Boards of all kinds on a popular vote of the people. (2) Extension of elementary school age to 15 years, with provisions for technical instruction and training in domestic economy during the last two years at school. (3) Maintenance of our national system of education as free, secular, and compulsory, from the primary school to the university. (4) A national system of technical instruction in art and science under the direct maintenance of the General Government and municipalities. Economic and Industrial Reforms. —(i) Nationalisation of monopolies which in any way enhance prices and increase the cost of living to commence with the State entering into competition in the production or control of the chief necessities of life. (2) Conciliation and arbitration, with full regard for the rights of organisation on the part of the workers. (3) The maintenance of the claim of “ statutory unconditional preference to unionists,” such preferences to be given to all bodies of men and women registered as unions under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. (4) Nationalisation of natural products which from their nature are likely, otherwise, to become privately monopolised—such as coal, iron, and oil supplies ; with State competition in the marine transport trade.

Civil Rights Reforms. —(i) Equality of civil rights as between the sexes. (2) The right of State employees to exercise their full civil and political rights as citizens. (3) Full right of civil trial to be in all cases conserved for all citizens of the Dominion.

Defence Daw Reform. —(1) A citizen army exempt from class control, with full provision for advancement in service on the ground of merit and service only. (2) Alliance with Australia in naval and military affairs, with the purpose of establishing common lines of action and protection by means of an Australasian Navy. (3) Restriction of oversea service to voluntary recruits with assent of volunteers, receivable only by a civil authority. (4) Expenditure for purposes of defence to be met from direct taxation of wealth. Temperance Eaw Reform.— Maintenance of the full rights of the people on a bare majority vote, by both local and Dominion option, to restrict or abolish the liquor traffic.

Taxation. —Graduated land and income tax and death duties to be used to secure close land settlement and an equitable distribution of wealth.

Immigration.—The exclusion of aliens to be strictly maintained.

Children. All . destitute, neglected, and orphan children to be taken charge of by the State. The cottage-home system to be substituted for the present method of crowding in large institutions. Cruelty to children to be punishable by more severe penalties. Where paternity is proven ol illegitimate children, such children to be registered in the father’s name, and to have equal claim upon his property with any other of his children. The cost of maternity nurses to be paid by the State in all cases where the income of the family is less than ,£250 per annum, for such amount and such period as Parliament may decide. Rife and Accident Insurance. — These two branches of insurance to be made State monopoly.