PARTY LEADER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 136, 10 June 1936, Page 7

PARTY LEADER.

U.S.A. REPUBLICANS. Bickering and Scheming at Convention. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 2 p.m.) CLEVELAND, June 9. The Republican party convention, at its opening sessions to-day, simply organised itself and selected Mr. Steiwer as temporary chairman and made ready, Avithin the next CO hours, to ratify decisions of the leaders' and managers in the choice of candidates and the party platform.

Over 1i3,000 persons' crowded into the vast auditorium, which was ablaze with lights and noisy with the blare of half a dozen bands. The usual mixture of gravity and high spirits was displayed by the delegates. There were ever present features of the sublime and the ridiculous. The gathering opened with an invocation by Washington clergymen, in which they asked tiod "'to protect us from greed, and social irresponsibility," and warned their listeners solemnly of the consequences of allowing the poor and young to be ground down by depression. These were immediately followed by a quartet, which sang medleys, the principal ingredient of which was the voice of a bass, which was so low that the floor of the hall trembled and caused the audience to laugh.

The crowd was colourful, most State delegations wearing this and that article of raiment for which their State is known. Women were the greater number in the auditorium, but their presence in such large numbers only emphasised the diminishing importance of the role of women in party affairs. At this convention they have been absorbed increasingly into administrative machinery, of the party, but apparently have less voice in the determination of policy. Women's Diminishing Part. The inconspicuous part played by women in framing the platform is indicative of this, as is the fact that the movement to get the Republican party to approve a constitutional amendment to permit regulation of wages and hours of women and minors in industry, is being led by men. The convention, after a brief session, adjourned and was to reconvene to-night to listen to Mr. Stelwer's keynote address. Apparently convinced of the ineffectiveness of their efforts to defeat Mr. Landon, other leading aspirants, chiefly Messrs. Knox and Borali, are now concentrating their strength in an effort to influence the platform, principally the five tops: Monopoly in industry, money, foreign affairs, agriculture and foreign trade. It seems unquestioned that there will be a plank strongly condemning monppoly. They will agree on extreme neutrality in foreign affairs and condemnation of trade agreements which reduce tariff rates. Bounty for Agriculture. There is also likely to be accepted some form of general bounty for agriculture. It is expected that the money plank, however, will produce the greatest difficulty. Conservative banking interests in the East will be given little say in framing this, it having been decided to-day not to allow Mr. Ogden Mills, Mr. Hoover's Secretary of the Treasury, a place on the resolutions committee which drafts it.

Mr. Borah announced that he will take the floor of the convention on liis own drafts of planks if those being drawn fail to satisfy him. Mr. Knox, in a statement this afternoon, said that he did not want a "blank power of attorney." He wants a platform without a single ambiguity. Anything else leads to dictatorship. The "Old Guard" of the Republican party is fighting desperately to have some voice in the party's affairs this year, but their concerns with both of the candidate and the platform seem likely to be frustrated.