NATIONAL PARTY AFFAIRS

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 63, 1 April 1953, Page 7

NATIONAL PARTY AFFAIRS

TAUPO BRANCH MEETING Th© Annual General Meeting of ihe Taupo Branch, New Zealand Natxonal Party, was held in Rickit's Hall 011 Thursday evening last, with an attendanee of over thirty memibers. The Chairman, Mr J. D. Swan, presided and welcomed Mr M. Friedlander, Secretary of the South Auckland Division of the Party, Mr K. L„ Usmar, Deputy Ghairman, Rotorua Electorate, and Mr Bridgman, Organiser. In his report on the past year the Chairman referred to the fact that the Waimarino Electorate had gone out of existenee and that Taupo was now in the new Rotorua Electorate, and gave details of the Party organisation. The membership of the Taupo Branch last year was one hundred and eighty eight. It had been decided that the Rotorua Electorate Executive should meet at Rotorua, Taupo and Tokoroa in turn. Amongst matters which the local Executive had taken up during the year with Cabinet Ministers concerned was the danger of destruction of scenic attractions at Huka Falls & Aratiatia Rapids, to which a satisfactory reply had been received. The Taupo Business Men's Association and the Ratejpayer's Association had been supiported in their plea to the Minister in Charge of Tourist Resorts for a Government Tourist Agency in Taupo.

The eiection of officers and cdmmittee for the ensuing year resulted as follows: — Ghairman, Mr J. D. Swan; Vice-Chairman, Mr K. E. Young; Secretary, Mr J. S. Armstrong; Committee, Mrs G. Mika, Misses K. O. Lewis, J. Branson, Messrs T. Couper, A. Graham, J. W. JBirnie, G. A J. vAcres. The Chairman expressed the thanks of the Branch to Mrw, J. W. Stevens, retiring Vice-Chairman, and to Miss R. McKelvie, retiringf Secretary. Mr Bridgman, Electorate Organiser, spoke briefly on organisation and membership, following which Mr Friedlander, South Auckland Divisional Secretary, addressed the meeting, and dealt with items of the Party's policy which had alread^ been incorporated. in legislation. Mr Usmar, Rotorua Electorate Deputy Chairman, spoke on matters connected with party organisation and preparation for the coming eiection campaign. A number of remits were brought forward and after discussion were passed for forwarding to the Electorate Executive . The meeting closed with the singing of the Nation al Anthem.