LABOUR CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3106, 1 February 1909, Page 5

LABOUR CONFERENCE.

'suggested ALL-31UTISH CON- [ FSRENCE. STO RM Y A LTER C A TIO NS. Receive.! January 83, 4.15 p,.m. LONDON, January 30. At Mr Keir Hardie's instance, it was resolved by the Labour Conference at Portsmouth, that the Execu- j tive should ask the Labour and | Socialist organisations of the Empire J whether they favour an all-British Labour Conference in 1910 to consider matters of interest common to the working class; all partis.-? to proceed to make arrangements if the replies are in the affirmative.

Mr Keir Hardie dwelt on the success of labour in politics in the Commonwealth, and added: "Mow labour has come into its it own, it appears to us desirable to get into closer relationship with our comradas throughout the Empire on all matters appertaining to the welfare of the people." A resolution to prevent members or candidates of che Labour Party appearing on the same platform as members of capitalist parties was largely negatived, and led to stormy altercations between Messrs Tillet and Quelch on the one hand, and Messrs Ramsay Mac Donald, Shackleton and Henderson on the other hand. The next Conference will be held at Newport (Monmouthshire). The Conference, by a small majority, resolved in favour of the Socialisation of the means of production and distribution, complete emancipation of labour from the domination of capitalism and landlordism, and largely resolved in favour of the abolition of the halftime system, raising the school age to sixteen, and secular education. The Conference largely rejected the State maintenance of school children, but agreed as to the necessity for the medical inspection and compulsory feeding of school children.