Socialism and Democracy in Europe Part 42

3. _Administration._--Five per cent. of the Annual Income of the Fund shall be transferred to the General Funds of the Party, to pay for administrative expenses of the Fund.

THE INDEPENDENT LABOR PARTY: CONSt.i.tUTION AND RULES, 1910-1911

NAME

_The Independent Labor Party._

MEMBERSHIP

Open to all Socialists who indorse the principles and policy of the Party, are not members of either the Liberal or Conservative Party, and whose application for membership is accepted by a Branch.

Any member expelled from membership of a Branch of the I.L.P. shall not be eligible for membership of any other branch without having first submitted his or her case for adjudication of the N.A.C.

OBJECT

The Object of the Party is to establish the Socialist State, when land and capital will be held by the community and used for the well-being of the community, and when the exchange of commodities will be organized also by the community, so as to secure the highest possible standard of life for the individual. In giving effect to this object it shall work as part of the International Socialist Movement.

METHOD

The Party, to secure its objects, adopts--

1. _Educational Methods_, including the publication of Socialist literature, the holding of meetings, etc.

2. _Political Methods_, including the election of its members to local and national administrative and legislative bodies.

PROGRAM

The true object of industry being the production of the requirements of life, the responsibility should rest with the community collectively, therefore:--

The land being the storehouse of all the necessaries of life should be declared and treated as public property.

The capital necessary for the industrial operations should be owned and used collectively.

Work, and wealth resulting therefrom, should be equitably distributed over the population.

As a means to this end, we demand the enactment of the following measures:--

1. A maximum of 48 hours' working week, with the retention of all existing holidays, and Labor Day, May 1st, secured by law.

2. The provision of work to all capable adult applicants at recognized Trade Union rates, with a statutory minimum of 6d. per hour.

In order to remuneratively employ the applicants, Parish, District, Borough, and County Councils to be invested with powers to:--

(_a_) Organize and undertake such industries as they may consider desirable.

(_b_) Compulsorily acquire land; purchase, erect, or manufacture buildings, stock, or other articles for carrying on such industries.

(_c_) Levy rates on the rental values of the district, and borrow money on the security of such rates for any of the above purposes.

3. State pension for every person over 50 years of age, and adequate provision for all widows, orphans, sick and disabled workers.

4. Free, secular, moral, primary, secondary, and university education, with free maintenance while at school or university.

5. The raising of the age of child labor, with a view to its ultimate extinction.

6. Munic.i.p.alization and public control of the Drink Traffic.

7. Munic.i.p.alization and public control of all hospitals and infirmaries.

8. Abolition of indirect taxation and the gradual transference of all public burdens on to unearned incomes with a view to their ultimate extinction.

The Independent Labor Party is in favor of adult suffrage, with full political rights and privileges for women, and the immediate extension of the franchise to women on the same terms as granted to men; also triennial Parliaments and second ballot.

ORGANIZATION

I.--OFFICERS

1. Chairman and Treasurer.

2. A _National Administrative Council._--To be composed of fourteen representatives, in addition to the two officers.

3. No member shall occupy the office of Chairman of the Party for a longer consecutive period than three years, and he shall not be eligible for re-election for the same office for at least twelve months after he has vacated the chair.

4. _Election of N.A.C._--Four members of the N.A.C. shall be elected by ballot at the Annual Conference, and ten by the votes of members in ten divisional areas.

5. _Duties of N.A.C._--

(_a_) To meet at least three times a year to transact business relative to the Party.

(_b_) To exercise a determining voice in the selection of Parliamentary candidates, and, where no branch exists, to choose such candidates when necessary.

(_c_) To raise and disburse funds for General and By-Elections, and for other objects of the Party.

(_d_) To deal with such matters of local dispute between branches and members which may be referred to its decision by the parties interested.

(_e_) To appoint General Secretary and Officials, and exercise a supervising control over their work.

(_f_) To engage organizers and lecturers when convenient, either permanently or for varying periods, at proper wages, and to direct and superintend their work.

(_g_) To present to the Annual Conference a report on the previous year's work and progress of the Party.

(_h_) To appoint when necessary sub-committees to deal with special branches of its work, and to appoint a committee to deal with each Conference Agenda. Such Committee to revise and cla.s.sify the resolutions sent in by branches and to place resolutions dealing with important matters on the Agenda.

(_i_) It shall not initiate any new departure or policy between Conferences without first obtaining the sanction of the majority of the branches.