THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1907. LABOUR LEAGUE'S ASPIRATIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9018, 3 January 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1907. LABOUR LEAGUE'S ASPIRATIONS.

There is a growing tendency on the part of Labour in the dominion to take a more direct hand in the game of politics than it has yet done, and its ultimate aim is to secure preponderance of power in the Councils of the State. Whether it will achieve its object is a question upon which it would be unsafe to prophecy, but it is more than doubtful if the fulfilment of the present desires of Labour would be beneficial to itself or the country. Class legislation, up to a certain point, may not be without its advantages, but carried to extremes it would be disastrous, and the people of this dominion owe it to [ themselves to prevent the possibility J of any such danger. It cannot be truthfully said that Labour is not well represented in our Parliament, or that it has been overlooked by the Administration or the Legislature. For years past there has scarcely been a Parliamentary session in which the claims of labour have not occupied a large proportion of the debates, and a large space in the yearly StatJte Book when the prorogation took place. All that has been done, all that is promised to be done, however, do3S not anything like fill the bill of many of the Labourites. Noth- J ing short of complete control of State affairs will satisfy them. This much has been apparent from the movements of labour organisations for some time past, and the fact is confirmed by the deliberations of the Labour League's Conference, which was held at Christchurch at the close

of the year just ended. There were but sixteen delegates at that Conference, but it may be assumed that they represented a considerable section of the workers of the dominion. It was sat out as a condition precedent ihat the platform of the party —which is admittedly politicalshould bo limited to those objects which it might reasonably hope to attain. Had the League confined itself to that platform it would have had the sympathy of a large section of the community ; for all fair-minded men recognise that labour has equal rights with every other section of the people to fight, in a legitimate way, for its own hand. But the Conference had no sooner mot than its idea.? of reasonableness began to run riot. Its first resolution was wildly socialistic in tone, namely—'That this Conference confirms its conviction that the only way to regulate interest, profit, and rent, and ensure increased spending power to the workers, is by the entrance into industry,.of the people themselves" —in other words that all business concerns should be run by the State. A prominent member of the Conference went so far as to declare that "they were going to get nationalisation in ten years, and he believed that the members of the League would be the men who would run the country ten years hence." It would be wasting words to attempt to show the absurdity of the proposal quoted; but if the aspirations of the League as to "running the country" reached fruition we are afraid that the rest of the people would run away from the country, leaving Labour without Capital to work upon. There is, fortunately, little danger of a calamity of this kind. The outstanding fact of the League's ambition, as indicated in the resolution, is that LaLour has not yet reached that stage of political discretion where it may safely be trusted to take- a more dominant part in the affairs of the State. There were many other resolutions arrived at by the Conference which we have not space to deal with at length. They mostly contained highly debateable matter, the discussion of which in Parliament may result in some germs of good being evolved; but it would be impossible for the Legislature to give effect to (hem as they stand. Whatever time ar\d altered conditions may bring about, the country is no*; ripe for the adoption of Socialistic experiments that would disrupt the whole trade and commerce of the dominion, and land New Zealand in industrial and social chaos. With all friendliness to the legitimate aspirations of Labour, we urge it to adopt as its guiding principle the admirable motto "Hasten Slowly."