NEW ZEALAND LABOR PARTY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3172, 18 March 1911, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND LABOR PARTY.

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

DISCUSSION OF FIGHTING

PLATFORMS

A large and representative meeting of the Gisborne branch of the New Zealand Labour Party was held last night iii Townley’s Hall, Mr Coleman occupying the chair. The* chief business for consideration was that in connection with the coming Borough Council and Harbour Board elections. It was decided that the Labour Party should nominate only two candidates for the Borough Council and one for the Harbour Board. It was also decided that the final election of Council candidates will be made, this evening at a special meeting, there being six candidates for the honour. Mr Turner was selected as the party’s candidate for a seat on the Harbour Board . The following is the platform, which Labour candidates for the Borough Council will subscribe to : -—Conditions of Municipal Labour. — i. An eight-hour day and Is l£d per hour minimum wage for all unskilled labour employed by the Council.

—Public Health. — 2. An efficient water supply, sewerage. drainage and sanitation. 3. Minimum building area, stringent building by-laws, removal of insanitary dwellings and houses reported as unfit for human habitation. 4. Provision of additional open spaces as recreation grounds, parks, and gardens. 5. Stringent inspection of all milk comma, into the borough, provision for a humanised-milk supply, with the ultimate object of a municipal milk supply. —Public Utilities and Enterprises.—

6. Good roads and footpaths, and the permanent laying down of the main street in the material most suitable for construction. 7. Municipal trams, municipal lighting and a municipal theatre. 8. The building of a municipal tepid bath when the time is opportune. —Harbour Board Platform. —

Tie following is what will be advocated in regard to Harbour Board matters : 1. Conditions of labour as advocated for the Borough Council employees. 2. An outer harbour on the lines considered by expert/ advice to be the most efficient and economical. 3. To ensure safe navigation in the river,

4. Improved facilities for accommodating shipping and handling cargo. 5. Revision of the scale of wharfage charges, with a fairer adjustment of the rates on imports and exports. 6. To initiate, a full inquiry into the question of the Board doing its own lightering and undertaking the same if found to be preferable or advisable. 7. To secure a report on the advisability of looking the river, and to carry out the same if favourably reported on as a practical means of adding to the beauty and utility of the river and preventing the nuisance which now arises in the Taruheru river 8. That the Tauwhareparae endowment property be cut up into small areas to allow' those with a small amount of capital to take up the land and work it The question of sending a delegate to the Labour Party’s conference, to open m Wellington on April 24th was discussed at some length, and it was finally decided that Mr Turner, who lias been appointed delegate to the Trades and Labour Council Conference to open on Easter Monday in Christchurch, should be appointed as the delegate from the Gisborne branch. The question of remits was next considered, and a sub-committe consisting of Messrs P. Andrew 7 , T'. Jackson, A. Richards, J. Granger and the secretary (Mr J H. Hall) w 7 as set up to consider the question, their suggestions to be submitted to a special meeting to be held on Friday evening next.