The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-02-12
|LABORITES ASPIRE
| TO RULE BRITAIN
Socialistic Program Offered Irish
as Price of Supporting
Home Rule

LONDON, Feb. 11.-Since the liberal
, party returned to power in 1905, and
particularly since it has depended for
its 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 inde-
pendent labor party. whiclkis dominated
| largely by the socialists. is not satis-
fed and has arrangedsFl u program Wticls,
as last years president of the party.
Ben Turner, admitted contains eNpecta-
tions much greater than the possibiii-
ties
Turner said that the party had not
| done all it should have done, the fault
| lying in the fact that it lacked nu-
merica1 strength. Its business now. he
! controlling. guiding and ruling party of
! the state.
PARTY ACHIEVEMENTS
! In the last few years the laborites
have seen enacted into acts Of par
lament the trades disputes act, which
permits peaceful picketing during
strikes; an act TO provide for the feed
ing of school children; the compensa-
| tion act, which provides for the pay
ment of persons injured 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 improve
ment in the position of the workers in
the government dock yards. the pro-
vision of work for the unemployed; the
old age pensions bill; the payment of
members of parliament which relieves
| trade unions of the payment of mem
bers who represent their interests in
| the house; the establishment of labor
burea US. where men and women in
search of work may register and be
supplied with information as to work
obtainable, and insurance against ill
ness and unemployment. This insur-
aace though it does not meet alto
ether with the APPROVAL of the trades
unions, has been accepted with the
understanding that an effort will be
made to improve it,
PLATFORM FOR FUTURE
For the immediate future the party's
platform, with its planks looking to
the further Improvement IF conditions
Of labor: right to wor bill, that is
law making it obligatory upon the
government to provide work for those
desiring it; the abolition of night work
would place the workers on the land
until the naturalization of land has
been accomplished: the naturalization
of railways and mines. and the inn.
provement of housing conditions
The members of the party are bend
Ling their efforts TO secure legislation
.eversing the Osborne Judgment that
.rades unions could not devote part
Of their funds TO the support of the
labor party. It has been suggested
that the party should make the sup
port of this measure the price of their
support of home rule: that an alliance
should be formed between the laborites
and nationalists looking to the passage
of home rule bill.
DIFFERENCE OVER SUFFRAGE
On the extension of the franchise
there is wide difference of opinion
among the leaders. At recent con-
ference the delegates from the Miners
federation let it be known that they
would be satisfied with the bill to be
introduced by the prime minister grant
ing manhood suffrage.
As the miners form nearly half the
membership of the party. this decision
as a speech by Philip Snowden. the
socialist member for Blackburn. who
told the conference bIuntIy that there
was no demand for the extension of
the suffrage to uneHrolled men and
that there were more votes for the
men than there were men who could
use their votes intelligentIy. The mo-
tion was not passed, SO that the party
officially is in favor Of woman's suf-
frage, although almost half its mem-
bership are against it.