Party Changes Name

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32324, 16 June 1970, Page 9

Party Changes Name

(N.Z. Press Association)

HAMILTON, June 14. In an effort to escape the stigma of being labelled a farmers’ pressure group, the New Zealand Country Party last night officially became the New Zealand Liberal Reform Party.

The decision was made at a special meeting of the party executive during the second annual convention, at the University of the Waikato. The party leader (Mr C. S. Emeny) said it had been decided to rename the body to enable the party’s wide range of free-enterprise policies to reach all sections of the population. “We regretted that news media and most occupations outside of agriculture considered us as only a farmers’ pressure group,” he said. Only two delegates at the special meeting had opposed the change of name, he said. No change would be made in the party's policies. “These were always designed to solve major problems for all New Zealanders,” he said. During the two-day convention a number of remits were discussed and party members bitterly attacked various aspects of Government policy on taxation, agriculture and trade unionism. After the resignation of Mr T. M. F. Taylor as party president, a special meeting of the party executive discussed a change of name and election of a new president. Mr J. Telfer (South Island) became the new president and Mr Taylor remains a member of the executive. Mr Emeny said the remits passed were basically the same as those on which the party based its election campaign last year. It was agreed that the Liberal Reform Party would

work for a reduction of the burden of taxation, to remove the widespread disincentive to wage-earners, farmers, business and professional people. A remit was passed supporting a national referendum to remove the “dictatorial" power of unionism and to abolish compusory unionism.

1 Other topics discussed in- ■ eluded the freedom of com- • petitive enterprise, Govern- , ment responsibility for in- • creased costs caused by taxation and inflation, replace- - ment of the graduated income • tax system, restitution for • crime, Government welfare, I fixed butter prices, and the - abandonment of the dairy beef subsidy scheme.