MORE ON THE NEN ZEALAND LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE by Owen Gager (Christchurch)
Ed. note: we have already had a report on this conference but the following from our New Zealand correspondent provides valuable additional datas
The A8th annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party met May 11 -15 in Wellington. It was subject to considerable pressure from New Zealand's national trade union organisation, the Federation of Labour, to include in its objectives "the socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange....(Ed. note: see Week number 22) This was rejected by a three to one majority. "However, three remits were endorsed, one of them unanimously, which did introduce some socialist elements into existing Labour Party policy. One, perhaps the most important, urged that the Trade: Practices and Prices Tribunal be strengthened to protect the interest of the consumer “whether it be from the actions of individusls, companies or monopolies," and if such measures failed, the remit committed the next Labour Government "to take appropriate action to nationalise monopoly interestse" Another remit pledged support to "the principle of the state taking a major part in the developing, finencing and control of the fishing industry," while a third demanded an "institution under public ownership and control" to "provide for the ecquisition and distribution of drugs."
These remits were pushed through by a combinetion of university branch and trade union pressure, Little chanze in the officers elected at the conference is discernible - the new president, Mr. N. Kirk, M.P.M is only slightly to the left of his predecessor. The main left wing influence came from the trade union movement which wants more socialist p-lictes to combat employer efforts to place the brunt of falling export prices on wage-earners,