LABOUR CONFERENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 April 1943, Page 2

LABOUR CONFERENCE

REMITS DISCUSSED

NATIONALISATION PROPOSALS.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day.

Remits relating to the Internal Marketing Division, distribution and purchase of goods and nationalisation of essential industries, were considered at yesterday’s session of the New Zealand Labour Party conference. The remits were the subject of reports from committees set up to examine them. Three remits relating to the Internal Marketing Division were: (a) Maximum utilisation of the Internal Marketing Division; (b) monthly bulletin to be issued covering the operations of the division; (c) a committee of caucus to be set up to investigate the operations of the division.

The following recommendation is to be forwarded to the Government: That the operations and administration of the Internal Marketing Department be carefully examined with a view to ensuring the most efficient method of handling its products, and the introduction of the most effective means by bulletins, radio and otherwise of publicising its operations. Suggestions for (1) a distributing centre being established to distribute New Zealand goods to retailers, and (2) Government control of purchasing and distribution of all essential foodstuffs, were referred to the national executive for consideration. It was also recommended that the Government be urged to support the principle of the Atlantic Charter relating to the effective and just distribution of raw materials between the nations, and that the Government take steps to bring before the United Nations the proposal for an international organisation to deal with exportable surpluses, more particularly in their relation to ensuring freedom from want.

The following remits were received: (a) Nationalisation of all essential industries, particularly freezing, meat and meat canning, munitions; (b) coal mines to be socialised after the war; (c) armament factories to be Stateowned and controlled; (d) private or vested interest not to be allowed in the manufacture of armaments in peacetime. The committee’s recommendations stated:—

That the question of ensuring the most effective method of producing, processing and distributing the maximum quantity of commodities be considered in relation to the value of nationalising essential industries, particularly freezing works, canning, etc. That conference affirm the principle that private profit should not enter into the manufacture of munitions, equipment, etc., for war, and that all the present interests should be controlled and operated by the State. All recommendations were adopted.