Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-02-12
BRITISH LAbOR|TES
|: DEMAND MORE 0F
PARLIAMENT
DISSATISFIED WITH
LIBERAL COALITION
|SubStantiaI Achievements of
Past Few Years Only Serve
to Whet Appetite of Socialist
Element in Control.

fBy Morning Journal Special Leased Wire.l
London, Feb. ll.-Since the Liber-
al party return to power in 1905 and
particularly since It has depended for
It's political life on the support of the
labor and nationalist parties, more
legislation of the kind advocated by
trades unions has been enacted than
In any other similar period in the
history of the country.
Still, labor. or at least the indepen-
dent labor party, which is largely
dominated by the socialists, is not
satisfied, and has arranged program
which as last years president OF the
party, Ben Turner, admitted. con-
tains expectations much greater than
the possibilities.
Mr.. Turner said the party had not
done all it should have done, the fault
lying in the fact that it lacked num-
erical strength. Its business now, he
added, Is to make it the dominating.
controlling, guiding and ruling party
of the state.
In the last few years the laborites
have seen enacted into acts of parlia-
ment the trades dispute act, which
permits peaceful picketing during
strikes; an act to provide for the
feeding of school children; the COM
pensa ton act, which provides for the
payment of pensions to persons in
iured while at work; fuller adoption
of the fair trades resolution. which
makes obligatory the payment by
government contractors of the union
rate of wages; an Improvement In
The position of the works in the gov
ernment dock yards the provision OF
work for the unemployed; the old
age pension bill; the payment of mem
bers who represent their interests in
the house; the establishment of labor
bureaus where men and women IN
search of work may register and be
supplied with information as to WORK
obtainable, and insurance against i'll
ness and unemployment. This insur-
ance. though ii does not meet alto
gether with the Approval of the
trades unions, has been accepted with
the understanding that an effort VIII
be made to improve 1t.
For the immediate future the par
ty's platform contains planks looking
to the future Improvement OF me
conditions of labor; a right to work
bill, that is law making IL obliga
tory upon the government to provide
work for those desiring IL; the aboli-
ton of night work as far as possible;
land policy, which would place the
workers on the land until the nation
alization of land has been accom-
plished; the naturalization of rail-
ways and mines, and the improvement
of housing conditions.
The members of the party are bend
ing their efforts to secure legislation
reversing the Osborne judgment, that
trades unions could not devote part of
their funds to the support of the Ia
Dor party.
1t has been suggested that the par
" should make the support OF TINS
measure the price of their support OF
home rule; that an alliance shouid
be formed between the laborites anu
nationalists to the passage of home
rule bill.
on the extension of the franchise
there is a wide difference of opinion
among the leaders. At recent CON
ference the delegations from the
Miners Federation let 1t be known Una,
they should be satisfied with the bill
to be introduced by the prime minister
granting manhood suffrage.
As the miners form nearly half the
membership of the party this decl-
sion caused n sensation but not such
Snowden, the socialist member for
blackburn, who told the conference
bluntly that there was no demand for
the extension Of the suffrage to un-
enrolled men and that there were
more votes for the men than there
were men who could intelligently use
their votes The motion was not pass
ed, so that the party is officially In
favor of women suffrage, although
nearly half its membership is against
IL.
The industrial unrest OF i1ct year
resulted in great numbers OF work
ers joining trades unions ana social.s:
bodies: therefore the satisfaction of
the leaders with strikes. every one of
which they say means more strength
for the party. Further impetus was
given to the movement by the success
of the socialists in Germany. whom
the Englishmen now hope to emulate.
The propagandists are busy in the
country rallying men to the unions
and threatening strikes unless non
unionists are prevented from work
ing side by side with trades unionists.
Two daily labor papers are about
to make their appearance. One. the
Daily Herald, is to take the place of
the Morning Leader. which is to be
amalgamated with the Daily News
The other is to be the Daily Citizen
and II will be the official organ OF the
party. 4 fund of s750.000 Is being
raised to make a start and the party
has subscribed $4,000.
The leaders have set themselves the
task of increasing the labor represen-
tation in the house of commons from
forty-two to one hundred and forty
two. and with this concrete party they
believe they can dominate both home
Il n.I.liti...