UNITEDS’ WRANGLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 882, 28 January 1930, Page 1

UNITEDS’ WRANGLE

DISRUPTION IN AUCKLAND EXECUTIVE? COMMITTEE MEMBER’S PROTEST An interesting story of disruption existing in the Auckland executive of the New Zealand United Political organisation was given to The Sun today, following the publication of a resolution passed by the local body and received by the Dominion executive on Friday night. The Auckland executive's motion reads:— “The Auckland executive of the United political organist tion enter their strong protest on the conduct of Mr. A. E. Davy in his attack made on the president of the party (Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph. Ward), and his criticism of the Government’s honest effort to fulfil their election pledges and the carrying out of the declared policy of the United Party, and strongly urges the Dominion executive to at once terminate his position as chairman of the party’s organisation.” Mr. W. J. McMillan, a member of the Auckland executive, also of its Finance and Emergency Committee, who still retains his position, says that the Auckland executive has not actually met for several months and then only to elect officers. In June a Finance Committee of 14 was appointed, but since then two have resigned, including Mr. Lovegrove, vicepresident, who left because he was dissatisfied with the party's work, and Mr. Glover Clark, the organiser, and a third repudiated any further financial responsibility. Mr. McMillan says that the resolution previously referred to, jmrportiug to be from the Auckland executive, was passed at an emergency meeting of the Finance Committee on Thursday last at noon. Only eight of the 14 members attended, and the resolution was carried by five votes to three. At the same time another motion was passed asking that an immediate conference of New Zealand delegates of the party be called to elect a Dominion executive. It was suggested at the committee meeting, he says, that copies of the resolution should be sent to all members of the existing Dominion body, but no one was aware of their names.

Mr. McMillan further states there has been considerable agitation for some time for the holding of both provincial and Dominion conferences, but it was thought that the trouble was really a dispute between the Wellington executive and Cabinet, and that it would soon be smoothed over. The reason given by Mr. McMillan for making this information public is, he says, because of an assurance given by the Auckland executive chairman, Mr. J. Trevithick, that the resolutions would not be published. He further declares that all attending the committee meeting had been acquainted of the contents of the resolution except himself.