DEMOCRAT PARTY’S LEADERSHIP AND POLICY

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 283, 27 August 1935, Page 11

DEMOCRAT PARTY’S LEADERSHIP AND POLICY

Official Announcement

WELLINGTON MAYOR SELECTED

Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P., as Deputy

PARTY ALMS AT SAVING COUNTRY Officials of the new Democrat Party disclosed yesterday that tte Mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, had been selected as leader of the party; also that Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P. for Wanganui, had been appointed deputy-leader for the North Island, and tliat the appointment of a deputy-leader for the South Island had been deferred.

Mr. Hislop issued a statement of the party’s policy, declaring, as a fundamental purpose, that the party "must save our country from the disastrous consequences already apparent from a policy of expediency and revolutionary experiment.”

“I have had the honour of being requested by the conference of the Democrat Party to become its leader,” Mr. Hislop continued. "That conference of thoughtful and earnest men and women, assembled from every part of New Zealand, and comprising both Maori and pakeha, represented the feeling of the great mass of my fellow-countrymen. We realise that the time has come when we must stand together to meet the drift of our national affairs.

“The country to-day realises that the two parties which comprise what is now, for the purpose of an election, called the Nationalist Party, have both forgotten the principles for which they stood. They have followed a policy, the logical conclusion of which is the subjugation of the people to a socialistic and bureaucratic control. With experiment following upon experiment, with a cynical disregard of the people’s rights, based on the cry of expediency, with an unprecedented burden of taxation, crashing industry in order that the experiments may be supported, the confidence of the people has been destroyed. “With all this, I am well aware of the many problems that in the past few years have had to be faced, and the temptations to follow wrong courses. We feel that we can no longer trust the destinies of this country to the members of the present Government, and that if we are to survive as a solvent and free people, a change must be made.

The Democrats’ Task.

“It is with a deep sense of responsibility, conscious’ both of the honour given me and the magnitude of the task, but with faith that we are in the right, that I have accepted the position of leader.

“We have. adopted a .comprehensive policy, the full details of which I shall announce shortly when I take the platform. Our policy has been arrived at with a due regard to the economic conditions of this country. We haye avoided both parsimony and extravagance. “After an exhaustive investigation extending over many months, and an examination of all the factors involved, we have decided upon constructive proposals affecting the major problems of the day. In the investigation, we have had the assistance of former Ministers of the Crown, former heads of departments, leading experts,, and by no means least, practical experienced men of affairs. While thoroughly appreciative of the different problems that have confronted the Government, we hold, on major issues, fundamentally different views with regard to the means of solving those problems. “I shall touch now, pending a full statement from the platform, on some of the major points of the policy. “1. Exchange Kate. — We propose, as soon as possible, and having due regard to existing conditions and to the position of traders and local industry, to allow exchange to reach its true economic relation with sterling. Thus we shall remove from the people of this country a crushing burden, inequitable in its incidence and destructive of trade.

“2. Aid to Farmers.— At the same time, we 'have a sound and definite scheme to assist the individual primary producer by a different method, and to the fullest necessary extent, at a much smaller cost to the community, and with less injury to our relations with the Mother Country, than obtains under the present inequitable and inadequate system. We propose to break down the barrier, created by the present Government, between town and country. We shall create a spirit of unity in our people and a sense of mutual dependence. “3. Temporary Mortgage Adjustment. —To create machinery to afford necessary temporary relief to mortgagors, without involving either the confiscation of capital or equities, or the undue harassing of the farmers involved in the present Mortgagors’ Final Adjustment Act. At the same time to preserve the spirit of the sanctity of contracts.

"4. Taxation. — The removal of the sales tax and the gold duty tax, and the review of the general incidence of taxation that the wheels of industry may again be set turning, freed of a crushing load. “5. Unemployment Relief— We have propounded a definite scheme that will, through the channels of public, and in particular private employment, return within a short time all fit men to their normal occupations at normal wages. In place of the present spirit of ‘defeatism’ displayed by the Government, we have complete confidence in the soundness and efficacy of our scheme. We shall again set machinery working —the mill, the hammer, and the plough, and all their attendant activities —on its accustomed' tasks. “6. Returned Soldiers.— A definite scheme to recognise and meet, to the fullest extent, the long deferred and Just claims of the returned soldiers.

"7. Public Health and Welfare.— A comprehensive hospital, health, insurance and pensions scheme. “8. The Maori Race. — A scheme to meet the just claims, too long deferred, of the Maori people. “9. Local Bodies. —An immediate investigation for the purpose of reforming local body government, so long promised and never done by the present Government. “10. Parliamentary’ Reforms.—The

introduction of more business-like methods in our Parliamentary system, 'together with a review of the number of members of Parliament, and reforms of the Legislative Council. “11. Manufacturing Industries. — The protection and encouragement, along certain definite lines, of economic manufacturing industries in this country, upon the principle of a. balanced national economy. »

“12. Education. — The provision for increased facilities for the education of children along more practical and useful lines. In this respect, to ensure, in conjunction with our employment proposals, the absorption of boys and girls leaving school into normal channels of production, trade and industry. To revert to five years as the school commencing age. Finn Finance. "In connection with public affairs, I think that I may claim to have observed meticulously the principles of sound finance,” Mr. Hislop said. “All the above proposals, and other items of policy, have been subjected to the closest examination and checking by competent authorities, and completed for the platform. They comply with these sound principles of public finance. "After giving this outline of some points of the policy, to be elaborated upon the platform, at a later stage, I desire to express my warm thanks to the many who have given their time and energy to the task. “No Dissension.”, “There has been, through interested quarters opposed to us, exaggerated talk of dissension in the Democrat Party. In the formation of any party some differences are bound to arise. To-day I can say that there is no party in this country more loyal each to the other and more strongly united in the pursuit of a common ideal than is the . Democrat Party. “f have, during the past years, attended many conferences, both in this country and in the Old Country. I can say to-day with pride that never have I attended a more generally representative conference where there has been a higher standard of character, ability and singleness of purpose, than the recent conference of the Democrat Party. It is indeed, an honour to lead this band of men and’womeu, strong in faith, and united in purpose. Their names will soon be before the country, ami in each constituency I ask for their support. Ending |a Farce. “It is time that the farce of party names was ended, and realities, faced. We stand for the basic principles of democracy, the rule of the people through their representative institutions. The present Government, which calls itself now yet another name, Nationalist, has done more to drive this country into all the evils of a Socialist bureacracy- than any other Government in our past history. But it has done no more than follow at an ever-increasing rate, the course both leaders were individually following before the present union took place. There is little difference in principle between the Nationalists and the Labour Party. It is time ithe mask was off. “We are a party new in name, but our principles are not new. We have before us this objective—the good of the country. We shall change neither our name nor our principles. We shall in this campaign follow, no petty • courses, indulge in no mere personalities or intrigue; but we hope to raise the tone of the discussions of our national affairs to a level worthy of our people. Individual Freedom. “We believe, fundamentally, in the greatest possible freedom of the individual, and the fewest possible shackles upon his legitimate activity. We believe also that the general good is the supreme aim. We believe in the equal, and not the partial sharing of the burden of troubled times, and of the fruits of ultimate prosperity.

“We, in our party, each one of us, has pledged himself to carry oqr message through the country. We shall fight all the way for recognition of the principles for which we stand, and through our faith win through to ultimate victory.”

LOYALTY TO LEADER

Spirit of Democrat Conference

A report of the Democrat Party conference in 'Wellington last week was also issued yesterday. It showed that Mr. T. C. A. Hislop was selected as leader last Thursday, and that the following resolution was carried unanimously:—“That all candidates of this Democrat conference assembled in Wellington, wish to place on record their unanimous and unswerving loyalty to their distinguished statesman leader, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, and they extend to him their whole-hearted co-operation in the fullest sense of the term; and further affirm their resolute determination to ensure the return of the party at the polls, and the establishment of a Government on a sound and democratic basis, in the true interests of, the people as a whole, including the Maori race.”

The official report drew special attention to the following facts: “That the leader' was chosen on the second day of the conference after the luncheon adjournment; that the conference was marked by absolute loyalty and enthusiasm on the part of all candidates ; that the report of the conference was held up pending the completion of the work of several subcommittees.”

The question of the publication of the names of .the candidates was left in the hands of the divisional executives.

During the conference the chairman, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, on behalf of the candidates, made a presentation to Mr. A. E. Davy, chief executive officer of

the Democrat organisation. Tribute was paid to Mr. Davy’s able service for the party.

MR. HISLOP’S CAREER

Mr. T. C. A. Hislop is 47 years of age. He was born in Wellington and educated at The Terrace School and Wellington College. In 1907 he became a student at Inner Temple, London, and was called to the Bar as a barrister-at-law in 1911, his sponsor being the late Sir Henry Dickens, K.G., son of the famous novelist. He returned to New Zealand early in 1912 and, after being admitted to the Bar in New Zealand, commenced the practice of the law with his father's firm of Brandon, Son and'" Hislop, one of the oldest-established Wellington firms of barristers and solicitors. In 1913 he was elected a member of the Wellington City Council, and remained a councillor till 1914, when he obtained leave of absence to go on active service overseas.

During the World War Mr. Hislop saw active service in Egypt, on Gallipoli and in France. He was twice wounded. He served as a second lieutenant in command of a squadron on Gallipoli, and subsequently in France obtained the rank of captain, and had command of .the Hawke’s Bay Company of the Ist Battalion of the Wellington Regiment. He was invalided home in 1919, and again took up his practice. He successfully contested a seat on the Wellington City Council in 1927, and was returned again in 1929, at both times topping the poll: On the retirement of Mr. G. A. Troup Mr. Hislop contested the Mayoralty with Mr. Martin Luckie, and was successful. He was elected Mayor, unopposed, in 1933, and this year defeated Mr. It. Semple, M.P., in the Mayoral contest. In addition to being Mayor Mr. Hislop is a member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, president of the St. John Ambulance (Wellington Centre), a member of the Wellington Racing Club, deputy-chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Ai;t Gallery and Dominion Museum, a member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, a member of the Wellington Returned Soldiers’ Association, and a former president of the Wellington District Law Society (1934-35). His father was the late Hon. T. W. Hislop, who, in the Atkinson Government, was Minister of Education and Justice and Colonial Secretary. It is interesting to note that the Democrat leader was born in the Ministerial residence in Moturoa Street. In 1921 Mr. Hislop married Ailsa Craig Dalhousie, only daughter of the,late Mr. J. W. E. D. Ramsay, of Christchurch, and formerly of Scotland.