Result Of Referendum Hurts Labour Party Nominee

Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1949, Page 6

Result Of Referendum Hurts Labour Party Nominee

CHRISTCHURCH, August 4. 1 My view of our Parliamentary representation is that with one exception, we apparently have the biggest colleetiou of political ' rabbits ' 1 yes ' men and phobia-ridden politicians in both parties, that has even been elected in New Zealand," said Mr H. G. .Kilpatriek when he conlirmed today a report that he had withdrawn from the Labour Party candidature for the Hurunui seal at the General Election. A telegram was sent this* morning Dy Mr Kilpatriek to Mr A. ,T. McDonaid (secretary of the New Zealand Labour Party), reading: "Please aeeept my witlidrawal as Labour Party c.andidate for the Hurunui electorate. I am also advislng the Hurunui L.Ii.C. " "While in the ordinary course of events 1 would have enjoyed carrying

the banner for Labour in a AationaliSL stronghold like Hurunui, I feel thai the espousal of eonscription policies and expenditures by the Labour Government in the referendum campaign, rnake nonsense of the avowals of fur- 1 ther progr.ess along the lines of imple- 1 menting policies which thus far have ' kept Labour iu oiiice for 14 years, 1 ' ■ said Mr Kilpatriek. "1 feel that, in i the existing cireumstanees, my with 1 drawal as a yandidate vvill save both myself and the Labour Party further 1 embarrassment. I happen to be one ot 1 those persons who vvill not support po lieies which I feel deeply to be vvrong : and against the best interests of tio working people. In the existing cireumstanees, I tliink that the Labour Party should be given every opportun : ity to fmd a candidate more suitable to the present recpiireineuts of the Party. " Along vvitli inany thousands of others, -I now feel that on the basic question>of peace and vvar, I have 110 ivpre.fentatiou vvhatever in Parliament. The: bi-parfisan foreign policy pursued on this fundaiuental question, mean-s that tliere is no real effective Opposition in Parliament at prefeent. In common with inany thousands vvlio voted ' no, ' I agree that the country needs defending — and I will say further that the first thing it needs defeiulii'g against is the present colleetiou of suliservient, banlcrupt politicians vvlio ean see no other wa}- uut of the world 's dif fieulties than to train young men foi destruction."