Omaha daily bee., 1896-09-10
BRITISH LABOR CONGRESS-
American Delegates Are Accorded an En-
thusiastic Reception.
IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS ARE ADOPTED
Municipal and Government Owner
ship of Public Franchises Favored
by Trades JnionistS-Pnymcnt
for Members of Parliament.

EDINBURG, Sept. 1.-THE British Trades
union congress resumed its session this
morning and adopted resolutions f~avoring the
payment of mernb ers of Parliament. cooper
alton and trade unionism and amendments to
the truck act.
Messrs. Sullivan and S%trasser, the dele
gates Of tine American Federation of Labor,
were present toGcy and met with an enthusi-
astic reception. Mr.. Sullivan made a
speech. in the course of which he said he
had brought to the British delegates greet
ings from the workers in the United States,
adding that the latter regarded the British
trades unionists as the old guard in the
labor movement, and he cordially invited
the congress to send delegates to the coming
American Trades union congress.
Continuing, Mr.. Sullivan gave an account
Of the progress recently made by organized
labor in America, saying that all the non
americans from there were social ciphers'
and asserting that the organized labor had
increased wages by at least $40, 600, 900 an
nually.
j. II. Wilson, NJ. p, of the National
Sailors and Firemen's union. moved a resolu-
ton condo mining the government for refus-
ing to carry out the fair wages resolution
passed by the House of Commons February
10, 1891. and for giving contracts to firms
employing non-union workmen. The motion
was adopted.
1t was then moved to rescind the resolu-
ton of the Norwich Trades Union congress,
passed September 6, 1894, on the motion of
Mr.. Kier Hardie, declaring for the nationali-
cation of land and the whole of the means
of production. distribution and exchange.
This was ruled out of order and the congress
adopted the following, a supplementary
declaration: That in the opinion of this
congress 1t is essential to the maintenance
Of British industries to nationalize the
land, mines, minerals, royalty, rents, and
railways. and municipalize all water, arti-
fetal light and tramway and undertakings
within their several authorities, and that
the parliamentary committed be instructed
to promote and support legislation with the
above object"
Councillor ID. Holmes, NJ. p, of the Anal
gamated Association of Weavers moved:
That it is of extreme Importance to trade
unionists that all the land possible shall
be brought under cultivation and that we
taxation.
In order to obtain these objects the taxa
ton of land values and ground rents should
be made a test question at the next general
election.
The motion was adopted.
After several minor resolutions had been
adopted the A~malgamated Stevedores Labor
Protection league presented a resolution
which recited:
That this congress regrets thai the presi-
dent of the Board of Trade. while admitting
that British workmen have IL serious griev-
ance in not being able to recover compen-
sation from foreign ship. owners for injuries
received through such ship owners or their
servants NEGLIGENCE, has been unable to
introduce legislation to remedy the same.
and pledges the congress to aid as far as
possible the passage of a bill for the pur-
pose which will he introduced by II. j.
Reckitt. NJ. p, at the next session of Par
Lament.
After some discussion the measure was
adopted.
Upon the motion of the Amalgamated So
ciety of Steel and Iron Workers a resolu-
ton instructing the parliamentary commit
tee to bring up a bill extending the check
weighman's clauses of the mines regulations
act to all steel and iron works was adopted.
The Miners Federation of Great Britain
then moved a resolution approving a bill
introduced in the House of Commons by Sir
Charles Dixie for the better protection of
the lives of those working in the mines.
The resolution was adopted and the con-
gress adjourned for the day.