CONFERENCE AT HULL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 19

CONFERENCE AT HULL.

THE UNEMPLOYED. QUESTION, ' SOCIALISTIC SUGGESTIONS. LONDON, January 18. The majority of the delegates attending a Labour party conference at Hull were present at a special conference of trade union, Socialist, and co-operative organisations on the unemployed question Mr P. F. Curran, M.P. for Jarrow, who presided, said the £200,000 granted for relief purposes was a mere drop in th« ocean. They would not accept Government philanthropy nor help under charity conditions. - N .So long as the law of private enter, prise was the guiding principle of th« world's industry and commerce they would always have the unemployed. -They could not solve the question until they curtailed' the income of the rich, wh« caused the imposition of taxation and thereby added to the burden of the poor. They* desired legislation to prevent chaos and the ruin that" would follow an uprising of the people crying for bread.Mr' Ramsay M.P. for Leicester, protested • against the habit of "voting money.; mutinies" of panic. He "moved a resolution declaring that want, of employment w_as not caused by andl 'not averted by periods, of good trade, bufc w&8 a permanent feature of the- present' industrial' organisation. The- resolution, also urged a vigorous use of legislative and administrative, powers, including) shortening -the hours of labour of jpublia .and other employees and the protection, of the worker against the operation of land and ~ other ' "monopolies', and called upon ,the -Government to iulfikthe. promise mads in, the King's Speech in 1906 and. amend the,^Unemplbyed A\;t. ". The . resolution set" .forth that . such. \an' amendment to be .satisfactory musfcejnbody the principles of the Labour party! bill. Mr, J. O'Grady, M.P. for Leeds, in seconding the "resolution, 'said the Queen's. Unemployed Fund^ though promoted, by a woman_with a big heart, .had done more real damage *to - the - common manhood among the unemployed than anything for tie last 1 20, years." ' It. had. degraded and demoralised them. as a remedy against want of employment was an abusrd [ foundation t<r rest on, and Jfreetratle wai I doubly absurd. - - Several delegates advised caution hsi the other planks of the Labour caus« should be weakened, and a contrary resolution was carried with-enthueiasm, a^purely Socialist amendment being negatived by 210 to 13. - - •' - January 19. ~~ At . the Hull conference it was decided that any old-age pension scheme would baj unsatisfactory**unle6S it was non-discrimi-nating and non-contributory, and recognised the right of everybody at 65 yean of' age or those who were physically unfit befoi'e that age. The' money should com< froVn the higher taxation of incomes. A section of the delegates^ complained of the" party weakening since the Trad< Union Congress had fixed the pension ag< ai 60. Mr A. Henderson, M.P.,' replying, said that the present demand was a fairly bold step. It would cost the country £23,000,000 annually. Once started, . however, there was no reason why they should not attempt to reduce the age.

Only one man in the city of London outt eide "the Tower- possesses the password which enables. him to answer t the challenge of the' sentries 'at any -time. It is tb#' Lord Mayor, and 'the password is &■»***. *-<v Hxa by authority of the King.