Columbia ZElnibcrottp' mtficCitpotJlttogorh " 3 ^ mt*- 3 PROVISIONAL STANDING ORDERS . 1. That an open-air public demonstration be held in Hyde Park, on Sunday afternoon, July 26th, at 3 p.m., in favour of International Peace, at which representatives of the foreign delegations will be invited to speak. 2. That a reception be given by the Organising Com¬ mittee to the delegates at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 26th. 3. That at 9 a.m., Monday, July 27th, the delegates of the various nationalities meet in the separate rooms arranged for the nationalities to— (a) Elect a President and Secretary for the nation¬ ality ; (p) Verify the mandates of their delegates, and draw up for the Organising Committee the state¬ ment as to the composition of their dele¬ gation ; {c) Elect two delegates from each nationality to serve on the Bureau (Standing Orders Com¬ mittee) ; {d) Elect two members from each nationality to serve upon each of the Commissions dealing with the groups of resolutions on the agenda paper. 4. That all resolutions and subjects proposed for dis¬ cussion be grouped by the Organising Committee of the Congress under certain definite headings, and handed over by them to the respective Commissions. 5. That any resolution or subject for discussion that cannot thus be grouped with others as forming a division of one of these headings, shall be submitted to Congress after the mam groups of questions have been settled, if there is still any time remaining. 6. That at the meeting of the Congress at 11 on Monday, July 27th, an English-speaking Chairman, 4 appointed by the Organising Committee, shall preside, with, as vice-Chairmen, French-speaking and German¬ speaking delegates, invited by the Organising Committee. The Chairman shall deliver an address of welcome, and the vice-Chairmen respond. The Congress shall adjourn at i p.m., and the various Commissions meet in the latter part of the day. 7. That the Congress sit on Tuesday and succeeding days from 10 to 12.30, and 2 to 5. 8. That on Tuesday the first business of the Congress shall be the reports of the nationalities as to their dele¬ gations, and the acceptance or rejection by the Congress of the credentials. 9. That after this the reports of Commissions be taken. 10. The various Commissions meeting separately on Monday afternoon and afterwards shall study and discuss all resolutions bearing on the particular question referred to them. Each Commission shall prepare a report on its particular question and a resolution. If a Commission is not unanimous it may prepare a minority report and a second resolution. 11. No amendment to Standing Orders or the arrangement of the agenda shall be accepted or discussed after Monday. 12. That the limit of speeches be for the reporter of each Commission 20 minutes ; for all others 10 minutes; and that no speaker speak more than once on the same subject. At any time a motion to suspend this Standing Order can be made and voted on by the Congress. 13. Upon such resolutions dealing with fundamental questions of principle the voting shall be by nationalities. On questions of detail the voting shall be on show of hands. 14. That the Organising Committee recommend to the Bureau (Standing Orders Committee) the appointment on successive days of chairmen of different nationalities. 5 NOTE.—Some of the resolutions are signed by individuals only. This is due to the fact that organisations are not legally existent in those countries. I. AMENDMENTS TO THE STANDING ORDERS . 1. That this Congress maintains the terms of the Zurich Congress resolution relative to the admission of delegates. Independent Labour Party, Maidstone Branch. 2 . At the last International Congress the following resolution was carried :— All Trade Unions shall be admitted to the Congress; also those Socialist Parties and Organisations which recognise the necessity of the organisation of the workers and of political action; "‘By ‘ political action ’ is meant that the working-class organisations seek, as far as possible, to use or conquer political rights and the machinery of legis¬ lation, for the furthering of the interests of the proletariat and the conquest of political power.” That-the Congress agree to add after the words “ political action” in paragraph 2 of the Zurich resolution, the words “of which Parliamentary action is the first and most essential form.” Gasworkers Union, Sydenham Branch. 3 . All working class Trades Unions are admitted to the Congress: also all Socialist societies and organisa- 6 tions which acknowledge the necessity of the organisation of the workers. Dutch Socialist Party [Socialistenbund]. Cork Cutters Union, Amsterdam. i. Recognising as we do the importance of the International Socialist and Trade Union Congress as the sole means of uniting in fraternal bond the' toilers of all nations, we at the same time also recognise the absolute right of those working-class organisations called Anarchists as well as those Socialist organisa¬ tions who do not believe in Parliamentary action as. being the only remedy for existing evils—but who recognise the economic class struggle, t.e., that the emancipation of the workers should be brought about by the workers themselves—to participate in the deliberations of the Congress, together with the: workers of the whole world. Independent Tailors, Machinists, and Pressers Union. 5 . That no Socialist organisation be excluded from tho Congress on account of its non-adoption of political action, that the phrase “ Socialist organisation ” be¬ taken to mean a society or branch of a society working collectively towards democratic ownership and control of the means of life. Social-Democratic Federation, Reading. The Congress to confine itself solely to the domain of economical questions. General Dutch Carpenters Union. 7 . To replace oral discussion by written debates. Ponte-Vedia, Spain. 7 II. AGRARIAN QUESTION . The Congress to discuss the agricultural situation in Europe and its bearing upon Socialism. French Labour Party. III. POLITICAL ACTION. 1. The Congress declares in a clear manner what is the meaning of “ political action.” Dutch Socialist Party [Socialistenbund]. '-The object towards which the proletariat and the Socialist Partw should tend and for which it should devote 8|L its*%HOrts,-is the conquest of political power, this being the Joest of all means of destroying the capitalist regime, of realising the emancipation of the workers, the enfranchisement o f humanit and the citizen, and the establishment of the Inter national Socialist Republic. French Central Revolutionary Committee. That the workers, being a political party by themselves, they hereby resolve to use political means as all others to gain their social and economic emancipa¬ tion, holding themselves in every country aloof and independent of all bourgeois political parties. Social=Democratic Federation, Executive Council. Social=Democratic Federation, Clerkenwell Branch. \ 9 A m. 8 . That this Congress calls upon all Trade Unionists and Socialists to strive energetically to secure to women complete equality with men in all political rights and duties. Fabian Society. 'The International Socialist Workers and Trade Union Congress, London, declares: 1. That the place of the proletarian women who wish to obtain their emancipation is side by side with, and in the ranks of the fighting proletariat; not in the ranks of the bourgeois Women’s Rights women. 2. To the end that they may take part in the class war on the proletarian side along political lines, the ' proletarian women must be got into the political organisations- of the working class, where the Laws on Organisation allow this. In cases where the Laws do not allow of the common political organisa¬ tion of men and women, energetic efforts must be made for the necessary reform of such law. 3. To the end that they may take part in the class war on the proletarian side, along political lines—which in consequence of the part played by woman in modern industry is becoming every day more necessary—the proletarian women must be got into the trade unions of the men in cases where men and women are working at the same trade. Where this is not the case, the independent Women’s Trade Unions should ally themselves with the men’s unions of allied trades. The International Socialist Workers and Trade Union Congress, London, declares further : That it is to the interests of the male as well as of the female proletariat to strive for the realisation of the above demands, for the complete political equality IO of rights of the female sex, and for a reform which will make unimpeded participation in the struggle of their class possible to the proletarian women. Stuttgart: Clara Zetkin. Berlin: E. Ihrer. Bristol (Women’s) Branch Gasworkers’ Union: Eleanor Marx Aveling. Vienna: Adelheid Dvorak-Popp. This Congress declares that the independence and autonomy of Poland is as necessary a political demand for the whole International working class movement as it is for the Polish proletariat itself. Polish Socialist Party. That in the interests of the whole civilised world the question of the autonomy of Poland and her freedom from the cursed thraldom of Russia, Prussia, and Austria be considered, and with a view to a com¬ bined international agitation for her complete political freedom. Social-Democratic Federation, Kensal Town Branch. 12 . This Congress declares :— i. That the definite abolition of international oppression can only be attained by the suppression of the capitalist order, the source of all oppression, that consequently the most efficacious means for bringing about inter¬ national deliverance is the strengthening of the interna cional solidarity of the whrkers of all countries, and the union of the workers of each state indepen¬ dently of other national differences, with a view to common political action on the basis of the class, struggle, j II .2. That the union of the proletariat of all nationalities groaning under the yoke of Russian absolutism in order to carry on a single and common struggle against that absolutism, and to obtain political liberties in Russia, concerns not only the proletariat Ail in these nationalities but the whole of the interna¬ tional working class movement. Russian Social-Democratic Party of Poland. 14 . The Congress to discuss the attitude of workers with regard to colonial policy* French Labour Party. T • _J IV. ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL ACTION. 1. That in the opinion of this Congress, the workers of all nations should work for the socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange, to be controlled by a democratic State in the interests of the entire community, and the complete emanci¬ pation of labour from the domination of capitalism and landlordism, with the establishment of social and economic equality between the sexes. Social-Democratic Federation, Battersea Branch. 2 . This Congress- recommends all workers to agitate and vote in favour of:— 12 l 1. The immediate nationalisation of all mines, railways,. canals, telegraphs, telephones, and other national monopolies; 2. The immediate municipalisation of the supply of water, gas, electric light; of docks, markets, : tramways, omnibus services, and pawnbroking ; lake and river steamboat services ; and of all other local mono¬ polies ; 3. The immediate undertaking by public authorities of: (a) the manufacture and retailing of tobacco and bread ; of the supply of coal, milk, and other uni¬ versal necessaries ; and of the building of dwellings for the workers ; ( b) the manufacture and retailing of alcoholic drinks. Fabian Society. 3. That the land, railways and mines of every country shall be the property of the country and worked for .the benefit of each country. Federated Trades and Labour Councils of Yorkshire. i. The Congress to discuss the conflicts between capital and labour : strikes and Socialism. French Labour Party. This Congress declares emphatically against the use¬ less and dangerous illusion known as the “ General Strike.” Independent Labour Party, Maidstone Branch. 6 . The Congress declares to give up the agitation in fa'vour of an Eight Flour day on May 1st, and to substitute 13 it by the agitation in favour of the transformation of all means of production and consumption from private property into collective property. Dutch Socialist Party [Socialistenbund]. 7 . The Congress to announce the desirability of setting up regulations as regards Minimum Wages and Maximum Working Hours. General Dutch Carpenters Union. 8 . The Congress to pronounce on “ Legislative Regulation of Wages and Working Hours.” General Dutch Carpenters Union. 9 . The Congress to co-operate as far as possible towards establishing the Eight Hours Day. General Dutch Carpenters Union. 10 . As a means for the international securing of an Eight Hours Day, this Congress recommends that trade unions and political organisations of the working class be formed upon national and inter¬ national lines, and an agitation and propaganda for the Eight Hours Day by these organisations. The agitation in favour of an Eight Hours Day should be carried on by means of lectures and demonstra¬ tions, and in all trade unions and political bodies. And the representatives of the workers in all Parlia¬ ments and on municipal bodies should from time to time bring forward bills and resolutions for the limitation of the hours of labour to eight per day. Gasworkers Union. 11 . The Congress declares that the following are the minimum demands of Labour in regard to the limitation of the working day :— 1. That the hours of labour for all Government and Municipal employes shall be at most eight per day or forty-eight per week ; 2. That in the mining, railway, and baking industries, and in all dangerous trades, the working-day shall be limited to eight hours ; 3. That in all other industries the Minister responsible for Labour shall be bound, on the demand of a Labour organisation, to institute an inquiry into the hours of labour in any given trade, and to issue, subject to formal revision by the Legislature, such regulations as may to his expert advisers seem expedient; 4. That, subject to cases of unforeseen emergency, for which an indemnity must be obtained from the Minister responsible for Labour, overtime above the hours specified in the foregoing clause shall be prohibited. Fabian Society. 12. The day of the 1st of May shall be the manifestation of solidarity and of international action, both political and economical, made by the workers and Socialists so as to claim the emancipation of the proletariat, the eight hours day, and to urge the necessity of political action, the acquisition and conquest of political power and the maintenance of international peace. French Central Revolutionary Committee. 13 . The Congress declares its adhesion to the resolution regarding the Eight Hours Day passed at the Zurich i5 Congress, and puts forward the following proposals as the immediate steps to be taken towards the introduction of that reform as the irreducible minimum of the demands of labour :— 1. That the hours of labour for all Government and Municipal employes shall be at most eight per day or forty-eight per week; 2. That in the mining, railway, and bread stuffs industries, and in all dangerous trades, the working-day shall bp limited to eight hours; 3. That as regards all other industries the eight hours law shall be applied unless a two-third majority of those engaged in the trade demand otherwise. 4. That, subject to cases of unforeseen emergency, for which an indemnity must be obtained from the Minister responsible for Labour, overtime above the hours specified in the foregoing clauses shall be pro¬ hibited. Independent Labour Party. That the number of hours worked by shop assistants should not exceed more than sixty hours per week, including one and a-half hours for meals per day; and that the Government be urged to enforce this by legislative action, speedily as possible, for the well-being of a class of the community. United Shop Assistants Union. The Congress declares :— That the existence of a class of unemployed willing but unable to find work is an inevitable result of the present industrial system in which every improve¬ ment in machinery throws fresh masses of men out of work; That consequently unemployment can only be abolished with the complete overthrow of the capitalist system. i6 and can only be limited in proportion as order and regulation are introduced into the present industrial confusion ; That while this process of evolution towards the co¬ operative State is proceeding, the following measures are urgently demanded to relieve the pressure on the industrial market: The Eight Hour Day ; The Prohibition of Child Labour under sixteen ; The Manufacture by the Government and Municipality of all commodities required by them ; The Extension of Municipal Activity to the complete supply of all common services and the provision of Healthy Dwellings for the Workers ; The Appropriation, Reclamation, and Cultiva¬ tion by the State of Waste or Uncultivated Land; The Undertaking of useful Public Works in special cases, particularly at such times as will ease seasonal depressions; ' And such legislation for each country as will set the unemployed to work at useful pro¬ duction, and under conditions which will not deprive them of any of the rights of citizenship. Independent Labour Party. 16 . The Congress declares That the existence of a class of unemployed willing but unable to find work is a necessary result of the present industrial system in which every improve¬ ment in machinery throws fresh masses of men out of work, and the competition of capitalists for the market produces recurring commercial crises; i7 That consequently unemployment can only be abolished with the complete abolition of the competitive system, and can only be limited in proportion as order and regulation are introduced into the pre¬ sent competitive confusion ; That while this process of evolution towards the co¬ operative state is proceeding, that the following measures are urgently demanded to relieve the pressure on the industrial market:— The Eight Hour Day ; The Prohibition of Child-Labour under sixteen ; The manufacture by the Government and Municipality of all commodities required by them ; The Extension of Municipal Activity to the complete supply of all common services and the provision of healthy dwellings for the workers; The undertaking of useful Public Works in special cases. Fabian Society. 17 . That women labour in factories or workshops be pro¬ hibited six weeks before and one month after confinement. Social “Democratic Federation, Executive Council. Social=Democratic Federation, Clerkenwell Branch. 18 . That in all cases where the conditions allow of women doing equal work with men, equal wages should be demanded and paid. Women’s Industrial Council. Social “Democratic Federation, Battersea Branch, 19 . That this Congress approves the principle of equal pay for equal work ; and of equal opportunities for edu¬ cational and technical training for men and women; and strongly urges, for the benefit of both sexes, the immediate practical application of this principle. Fabian Society. This Congress urges the electors to press upon their respective Government's to do all their own indus¬ trial work themselves, without the intervention of a private contractor, on the following conditions : 1. That the working day shall be limited to eight hours. 2. That in all cases the rates of pay shall be those recognised by the trade societies or paid by the best private employers. 3. That a sufficient pension shall be paid to employes when incapacitated by age, sickness, or accident. 4. That a holiday per year on full pay in addition to the national holidays shall be secured to each worker. 5. That no worker shall be hindered by any departmental regulations in his exercise of the ordinary rights of a private citizen. Independent Labour Party. 21. This Congress urges the electors to press upon their respective Governments to do all their own indus¬ trial work themselves, without the intervention of a private contractor, on the following conditions : 1. That the working-day shall be limited to eight hours ; 2. That the wages paid shall be at least equal to those paid by the best private employers; 3. That a sufficient pension shall be paid to employees when incapacitated by age or accident; 4. That a week’s holiday per year on full pay shall be secured to each worker ; 19 5 - That no worker shall be hindered by any departmental regulations in his exercise of the ordinary rights of a private citizen. Fabian Society. 22. That this Congress urges upon public consideration the evils produced by allowing the standard of living among the mass of the people to be fixed by unre¬ strained commercial competition. Under existing circumstances, the market price of unskilled labour is so low that in all modern States competition wages are popularly called “ starvation wages.” The Con¬ gress desires to point out that a healthy and vigorous nation life can only be secured at present by fixing in all industries and in all districts a minimum wage sufficient to maintain labourers and their families in reasonable health and efficiency. The Congress points out that resolute agitation on the part of all electors can already secure a minimum living wage to all direct employes of the central State, the muni¬ cipalities, and other local authorities ; and that these bodies can also protect those whom they employ indirectly by the insertion of effective standard wage clauses in all contracts for public work and in all leases and concessions made to tramway companies, railway companies, dock companies, and other recipients of special powers and privileges. The Congress urges public authorities to endeavour, as far as possible, to organise and conduct public services and industries directly, without resorting to private contractors and companies. In the case of private employees, the Congress recommends Trade Unions and federations of Trade Unions in every industrial district to hold fast to the principle of the minimum living wage, and to resolutely limit by it all proposals—whether by sliding scale or otherwise —to make the remuneration of labour depend on the profits of the trade. In cases where the working 20 classes themselves organise and employ labour, as in Co-operative Societies, the Congress feels justified in demanding the establishment of a minimum living wage as a pledge of the sincerity of the recognition by these societies of community of interest between the shareholders and their employes. Fabian Society. The Congress demahds :— 1. That every Government shall institute committees of experts (including machine-workers) to study the best means of preventing accidents from the different kinds of machinery; 2. That every Government shall also establish labora¬ tories for the investigation of the safest processes of manufacture; 3. That, supported by the opinion of his expert advisers, the Minister responsible for Labour shall have power to issue departmental regulations in such matters as the fencing of machinery, precautions to be taken in manufacture, &c., and also, subject to revision of his orders by the Legislature, to prohibit processes as dangerous; 4. That the white-lead industry and the making of matches from yellow phosphorus—dangerous occu¬ pations for which safe and effectual substitutes are acknowledged to exist—shall be at once prohibited. Fabian Society. 24 . That this Congress presses upon the workers of all countries in which matches are manufactured the necessity in the interest of the health of the employes, of bringing influence to bear on the respective Governments in order that the use of poisonous phosphorus shall be prohibited by law,’ 21 and that till this is accomplished it appeals to all workingmen and women to buy none but non- poisonous matches. Matchmakers Union. 25 . The extension of State regulation in all poisonous trades so as to ensure the health of the workers. SociaI=Democratic Federation, Clerkenwell Branch. 26 . That this Congress seeing the inadequate mode of the carrying of mails, hereby urges upon the English Government the necessity to at once take steps to employ the mail drivers direct as it would be to the interest of the Post Office and the public at large. Gasworkers Union (Mail Service Section). 27 . The Congress to pronounce on the question of piece¬ work. General Dutch Carpenters Union. 28 . That the delegates present representing the organised workers of the world, emphatically condemn the British Government for the manner in which it sweats its workers, and pledge themselves to urge upon their organisations the necessity of taking steps to compel the Governments of their respec¬ tive countries to become the model employers of labour. United Government Workers’ Federation. 29 . That this Congress is of opinion that the speculative gambling on the Stock and Produce Exchanges of 22 the world is responsible for a vast amount of agricultural and commercial distress and ruin, and believes that the time has arrived when a definitely hostile position against such practices should be adopted by all Socialist and Labour organisations. Independent Labour Party, Kilburn and Hampstead Branch. 30 . That this Congress earnestly presses upon Humanitarians and advocates of the reform of the criminal law, that the greatest obstacle to the attainment of their ends is the dependence of the capitalist system on a low standard of life and comfort among the mass of wage-workers. All attempts to make prison labour productive are regarded by private capitalists as attempts to compete with them and reduce their profits ; and all reforms that aim at making prison life less cruel and more wholesome are resented in all classes on the ground that criminals should not be treated better than honest men. The Congress therefore urges the necessity of improving the con¬ ditions of the masses outside the prisons as the surest means of ameliorating the lot of x those who are inside them. Fabian Society. That all restrictive laws for the prohibition of the landing of pauper aliens in all countries should be abolished. Leicester Trades Council. 32 . This Congress discountenances attempts to exclude from any country impoverished immigrants. Independent Labour Party, Maidstone Branch. 23 33 . That this International Congress calls for the adoption of the Free Trade principles in all countries repre¬ sented by delegates at this meeting. Leicester Trades Council. 34 . That the terms of all Government contracts should be accessible to any Trade Union official on demand. Amalgamated Society of French Polishers. 35 . Extension of the system of prud’homie— i.e., boards on which employers and employed are represented, and that have certain legal rights. Federation of Trade Unions of the Bouche-du=Rhone. 36 . The Congress strongly urges upon all delegates the desirability of impressing upon the domestic servants and waiters of their respective countries the neces¬ sity of upholding the principle of a living wage. London and Provincial Domestic Servants Union. 37 . The Congress resolves :— It is the duty of the Social-Democratic Party in every country to urge upon all legislative bodies the passing of a law providing that— 1. The employer shall not have the right to make any contract with the worker by which the former lets the latter a dwelling for the duration of his employ¬ ment. 2. Where the employer lets the worker a dwelling, both . shall be entitled to at least six weeks’ notice on 2 4 either side. The expiration of the lease must, how¬ ever, coincide with the usual periods for removal peculiar to any particular place. If more than six weeks’ notice is usual in any place, such notice shall also be given by the employer, and any shorter notice prohibited. 3. The inclusion of the rent in the wages, or the with¬ holding of wages for rent, is prohibited. Only the usual legal means for recovery of rent shall be permitted. 4. There shall be no contracting out of the above clauses. 5. The law to come into force from the date of its passing. Ottilie Baader and Thirteen other Women of Berlin. V. WAR. This Congress places it upon record that the principles of Socialism are absolutely opposed to all war—with the possible exception of that waged in defence of the home country against invasion. Newcastle Fabian Society. 2. That before any nation declare war against another, the matter shall be referred to the whole people, who alone shall decide upon peace or war. Social=Democratic Federation, Executive Council. Social" Democratic Federation, Clerkenwell Branch. 25 3 . That this Industrial Congress of workers calls upon all Governments to adopt a system of National Arbitra¬ tion in place of war for the settlement of disputes. Leicester Trades Council. 4 . The Congress to discuss the simultaneous and gradual reduction of military service in the European armies by means of an international Convention. French Labour Party. 5 . This Congress of workers’ representatives repudiates, on behalf of all people, the Jingoism uttered in their name by unscrupulous rulers and ignorant dupes— holds out the hand of love and sympathy to the masses of every land — and resolves not to partici¬ pate in the international plots now at work. Independent Labour Party, Maidstone Branch. 6 . That this Congress desires to call attention to the following facts concerning the great armaments main¬ tained by modern capitalistic States :— 1. That these armies act as a standing menace, not to neighbouring States, but to the working populations of their own countries. A study of the strategical disposition of, many of the great railway stations and barracks of the Continent will prove that the most important function of the modern army is to suppress the resistance of Labour to Capital in the war of classes. 2. That these huge armaments, far from making the nations powerful in international affairs, actually paralyse them through the intense fear and mistrust 26 they engender. The Congress, repudiating the bravado of the capitalist press, emphatically declares that the nations it represents find it impossible to act in international affairs because of their jealousy of one another’s intentions and their fear of one another’s threats. The Congress points to recent events in Europe and the South of Africa as proving that the smallest States can successfully defy the interference of the great European military powers by adroitly playing off the one against the other. 3. That since the resistance of the capitalist classes to any interference by the State in commercially profitable enterprises makes it impossible to use national armaments to enforce order and public responsibility in the colonisation and settlement of new countries, such operations are now left to ^ filibusters acting as the agents of Chartered Com- panies. The rapacity of these companies, the I aggressions of the irresponsible adventurers who 1 lead their armed forces, and the competition of rival companies, produce endless disputes in which each company calls on its mother country to support it by arms in the name of patriotism, the chairman being represented in the capitalist press as an imperial statesman, and its filibusters as national heroes. Thus the great European States, whilst they are powerless to undertake the work of colonisation themselves, are expected to hold them¬ selves continually in readiness to go to war, not only with barbarous races, but with one another, in defence of enterprises over which they have no control. The Congress desires to warn the workers of Europe against these appeals to national pride and love of military glory, and to repeat that the tendency of the capitalist system is to make the army a catspaw for the speculator instead of an instrument of national greatness and honour. 4. That the only possible guarantee for the peace of the world lies in the consolidation of the interests of 2 7 the most advanced States of a Social-Democratic basis. War exists at present mainly because huge profits can be made out of it by sections of the community. If this were made impossible by the socialisation of industry in England, France, Ger¬ many, and the United States of America, these four nations would not only cease to threaten one another, but would combine to impose peace on nations less advanced in social organisation. There¬ fore the Congress, whilst sympathising heartily with the objects of the Peace and Arbitration Societies, urges them to bear constantly in mind that until the antagonism of social interests which produces conflicts between Capital and Labour at home is dissolved, international solidarity must remain im¬ possible. Fabian Society. 7 . The Congress resolves to call upon the International Workers Party to hold themselves in readiness on a declaration of war by Government to immediately reply by a general strike of the workers in all branches of industry, of trade and commerce wherever the workers are able to exercise influence on the war, and in the countries effected to answer the declaration of war by refusing military service. Dutch Socialist Party [Socialistenbund]. Cork Cutters Union, Amsterdam. 28 VI. EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. That this Congress declares in favour of a system of education, technical, secular, compulsory, and free, from Kindergarten to University; children and youths during the educational period to be maintained by the State. Independent Labour Party, Peckham Branch. 2 . 1. That the representatives of the Social-Democratic movement in every country should urge, at every opportunity given them, in public meeting or where possible in legislative assemblies, the passing of a Bill in favour of free maintenance for all children attending schools. 2. The establishment of schools in country districts so as to extend the teaching to the garden and the fields instead of being limited to the schoolroom, where the teaching of natural science becomes almost impossible, and further to allow the develop¬ ment of a strong and healthy race in the place of the degenerate one of to-day. 3. That manual work be introduced as being of the greatest necessity for the harmonious— i.e., the equal—development of the physical, moral, and intellectual capacities of the child. Social=Democratic Federation, West Marylebone Branch. 3. That this Congress calls upon the organised workers of all nations:— 29 - i. To give to the education question that prominence in the International Labour movement which its im¬ portance deserves. 2. To strive to secure for the children of all nations all' that is necessary for the full development of body and of mind. 3. To recognise the fact, that if the “ World-wide Com¬ monwealth ” is to become a reality, the children of the workers must be trained under an educational system which tends to foster the international rather than the national sentiment, and which has for its object the training of co-operators rather than com¬ petitors. Gasworkers Union. a. This Congress demands— 1. —That the minimum age for employment shall be sixteen years. 2. —That the State shall provide an efficient system of technical education, free and compulsory, for children between the time of their leaving the elementary school and the age at which they can be employed as workers, and that the State be responsible for their maintenance while so em¬ ployed. Independent Labour Party. 5 . The Congress urges that:— 1. The school age be raised to'sixteen years. 2. That half-time be entirely abolished. 3. That the hours of all young persons under eighteen years of age be limited to eight hours per day. Women’s Industrial Council. 30 6 . That the labour of boys and girls under sixteen years of age be prohibited. Social-Democratic Federation, Clerkenwell Branch. 7 . This Congress demands :— 1. That the minimum age at which children can be em¬ ployed as half-timers shall be raised at once to four¬ teen years, and in two years time to sixteen. 2. That the minimum age for full-timers shall be simi¬ larly fixed at sixteen years, and in two years at eighteen. 3 That in mines, gas-works, iron-works and all dangerous trades, the minimum age of employment shall be sixteen. 4. That the State shall provide an efficient system of technical education, free and compulsory, with main¬ tenance, for children between the time of their leav¬ ing the elementary school and the age at which they can be fully employed as workers. e Fabian Society. This Congress is of opinion that the time has come for nations to cease building up empires on children’s hearts, to give up coining its wealth but of children’s wasted lives; and demands, as a temporary mini¬ mum from all Governments, the abolition of child labour until the age of fifteen, and of all night labour until the age of eighteen. , Gasworkers Union. 9. That by international agreement the age at which children commence work should not be less than fourteen years of age. Federated Trades and Labour Councils of Yorkshire. 3 1 VII. ORGANISATION . 1. That in the opinion of this Congress an effort should immediately be made to create a permanent Inter¬ national Executive, with a responsible Secretary, centered in some convenient part of Europe. Oldham and Districts Amalgamated Trades Council. 2. This Congress resolves :— 1. That an International Socialist Alliance be formed ; 2. That a small Committee be appointed from this Congress to frame proposals for giving effect to No. i, and to report to next Congress ; 3. That said Committee be empowered to act as a Provisional Executive for the movement between now and the next Congress; and that any nationality not represented on the Committee by election from this Congress may send one representative to act until the International Congress next meets. 4. That each nationality represented shall pay the expenses qf its own delegate attending the Com¬ mittee and its joint share of the expense which the Committee may incur. Independent Labour Party. 3 . That the policy of the Social-Democratic Party, irrespec¬ tive of nationality, shall be to support and in every feasible way to make common cause with barbaric, peoples in their efforts to maintain their independ¬ ence against the raids and tradings of European civilisation, no matter what the power may be, by 32 whom the raid is undertaken, and no matter what may be the specious excuses, humanitarian or patriotic, by which such raid is supported or defended. It is further resolved that a standing international com¬ mittee be appointed to watch events and to take such action in the above sense from time to time as may seem desirable, thereby inaugurating a new depar¬ ture in the sense of a foreign policy at once united and definite for the Social-Democratic Party in all countries, irrespective of so-called national interests. Such committee to report fully to the next ensuing International Congress its- action, with the grounds thereof, and to formulate suggestions and recom mendations for the future. Social-Democratic Federation, Executive Council. 4 . The Congress resolves 1. To form a central office of statistics for the world, to ascertain the labour value of products, with or with¬ out reference to their money value on the market. 2. To call upon the respective party executives in each country in connection with the central office. 3. To prepare suitably-arranged lists of questions, and periodically to issue them to the organised members of the [party] in each country for the purpose of determining numerically the quantity of labour, as measured by time and based on the force of the individual man, embodied in any given product. 4. Upon the return of these lists of questions to compare, classify, and work up in suitable fashion the data contained in them. 5. To found a central organ of statistics to be carried on upon rigidly socialistic lines, to be printed in the best known languages, and periodically to publish in this the facts ascertained. German Social-Democratic Reading Club, Paris. 33 5 . That this Congress appoints such delegates as may be willing to collect information in their respective parts of the world of the progress of Socialism, or any important facts useful for propaganda, and then transmit such information to every other foreign delegate who undertake a reciprocal obligation. The received information to be distributed to the Socialist Press, and wherever else it promises to further the cause. Independent Labour Party, Erith Branch. 6 . This Congress resolves to immediately establish an International Bureau and thus enlarge the sympathy and lead to the development of concord among the toilers of all nations. Independent Tailors, Machinists, and Pressers Union. 7 . The publication of a periodical to appear every three months, and contain an account of the chief events of the Socialist world. International Committee Working Men’s Party of Spain. 8 . To found a journal, The Internationalism of Reason , in two or three languages, whose mission shall be to make all men free, industrious, and just. Ponte-Vedia, Spain. 9 , The Congress to announce the desirability of Inter¬ national Trade Secretariats, and pledge itself to promote their establishment. General Dutch Carpenters Union. 34 10 . The International Socialist Workers’ and Trade Union Congress at London earnestly asks all Socialist Organisations to organise the Socialist teachers in their respective countries. Socialist Union of Teachers of Holland. VIII. MISCELLANEOUS. 1. Firstly: To ascertain what is actually the most practical or convenient language to employ as the official language of International Congresses ; that is to say what language would be best understood by the majority of delegates and nationalities likely to attend such Congresses for some years to come, each nationality be separately asked to state what language, other than its own language, it would prefer. Secondly: That with a view of uniting future generations by the knowledge of one fixed international language, which all children in primary schools should be com¬ pelled to learn, the Congress be invited to decide whether that future international language shall be English, French, German, Volapuk or Latin. Independent Labour Party. 2 . That to facilitate the business of International Con¬ gresses, this Congress urges the advisability of some one language being agreed upon for use at forth¬ coming Congresses. Independent Labour Party, Marylebone Branch. 35 3 . That this Congress recommends that the French language shall be adopted as the universal language, and that every effort be made in all countries, that this language be taught in all schools and by every other means available. Social-Democratic Federation, Walworth Branch. 4 . That this Congress considers the time has arrived for the establishment of an international language, and proposes the English as it is already known in every commercial centre, and, what is more to the point, it is easiest to learn. Social-Democratic Federation, Canning Town Branch. 5 . That this International Congress calls upon the English Government to at once release all men who are suffering imprisonment for political offences in England, and protests against the vile system of police provocation of plots as proved in the case of the men Charles, Cailes and Battola condemned at Stafford in April, 1892. Walsall Amnesty Committee. 6 . That this Congress calls upon the workers in every land to at once begin an international agitation for the release of all political prisoners, believing that these offences are simply the result of the tyranny and oppression exercised by governments upon the people of all countries. Walsall Amnesty Committee. Suppression of Registry Offices (Bureaux de placement). Federation of Trade Unions of the Bouche=du=Rhone. 36 NOTE. —It is important that all organisations should intimate at once to the Secretary of the Organising Committee (W. Thorne, 144, Barking Road, London, England) the number of delegates they propose to send to the Congress, in order that the necessary arrange¬ ments may be made. Foreign delegates are especially requested, in noti¬ fying the day and hour of their arrival to the Committee, to also state at which railway terminus in London they will arrive. 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