PARTY v. POLICY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 888, 4 February 1930, Page 10

PARTY v. POLICY

MR. DAVY’S LETTER Tn UNITEDS u WILL TOUR DOMINION "The Prime Minister and hi* Cabinet coterie may believe thathey are the all-in-all of our political life. They may think I have no support, and cannot carry on w th the course I have set mys e |f that of loyalty to tie many v,|, 0 supported me in the early s t age and of loyalty to the policy that the organisation, not Sir Joseph Ward, drew up. But I wish to "assure you that I shall continue in my efforts, and it is my intention to tour the Dominion at an early date to weld together and consolidate that section of the organisation which stands fast by its tenets.” lu a letter addressed to members ot the United New Zealand Political Organisation, Mr. A. E. Davy refers to his dismissal as chairman of the organisation and his future political plans. Mentioning the names of Messrs. Perry, Lonergan, McGrath, Henderson Masters, Seivwright, Burns and Kerr as a section of the Dominion Executive of the Party concerned in his di s . missal. Mr. Davy said he considers its action a positive insult to the organisation as a whole by flagrantly breaking its constitution, subordinating its interests to that of the Parliamentary Party, ignoring altcgethethe opinions and representations of other portions of the organisation, and usurping its rights to elect or depose a chairman. “The foundation members of the organisation will remember the basic principles on which the organisation was founded when the convener ot the first Dominion Conference said:'‘Our first consideration should be sound and capable administration, irrespeci ive of name or title. Measures, not party, should be our objective,'" states Mr. Davy. PRINCIPLES BROKEN “Later the convener said the organisation should be separate an! distinct from the Parliamentary party in order that there might bf freedom of thought, speech, and free dom from Parliamentary control o: gagging. We find in speech afte speech, letter after letter, this atttude endorsed on all sides by men bers of the organisation in the early stages. Immediately we have an established Parliamentary party we fiii these principles distorted and broken by many of their erstwhile keenest advocates who have allowed their par • prejudices and sense of dignity to tiecome so warped that they are blinded to all organisation responsibilities and duties in their desire to serve a certain Parliamentary coterie. “Possibly in voicing my protest against the inefficiency and ineffecluality of the Parliamentary Party aid its methods I have unwittingly earned the disapproval of sections cf the or- ! ganisation that honestly believe that | the party is all that they expected ! For the opinion of those members, I who are solely for party purposes, I do not care. But to those membcis who have expressed dissatisfaction, to those members who feel that their work is going to nothing, and their hopes dashed, I would say It is up to you to see whether the organsaticn carries on with its original high ideals, or it falls as a mere retainer to a section of the Parliamentary party. “I shall pursue steadfastly the course I set for myself when I founded the party, and guided by the high ideals and principles that the firs conference laid down, I shall ea deavour to complete the work that feel is being sadly neglected to the detriment of the country. PREJUDICE AND SELFISHNESS “Party must go by the board wheo it places itself first, and I am coatdent that this organisation, with sued high aims, will, in no uncertain voice, express itself at a Dominion confe'ence. I shall wait for this section ot foe Dominion executive, from whom i dissociate myself entirely to call > Dominion conference. Should this no: be done, and in a fair and impartial manner regarding representation and ! selection of delegates, then the time has come for action and initiative | as was taken by you in the past, i “Regarding my own position, while legally I am still chairman, the see tion of the Dominion executive o! which I speak, has—while it would come under the severe criticism of the law in other cases—prevented me from carrying out my duty to the United New Zealand organisation. I do not intend to make any appeal other than to let me have your opes opinion. I shall leave the verdict to yourself and the public of New Zealand. “In conclusion, may I say that at no time have I ever wavered in ml loyalty to the organisation, I am still firmly convinced that if carried out on the lines on which it was founded, it can be a power for good in the country. I shall always oppose poli- ■ tical action, or inaction, which to mi mind is detrimental to the Dominion i If party prejudice and selfelmes creeps into the organisation, then • shall fight those factions also.”