NO DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 85, 12 April 1939, Page 10

NO DISPUTE

LABOUR CONFERENCE

PRIME MINISTER SUPPORTED

CABINET AND CAUCUS

•Unofficial reports of certain phases of proceedings at the Labour Party Conference, published outside Wellington, were the subject of a statement last night by the Hon. D. Wilson, M.L.C., national secretary of the New Zealand Labour Party. He stated that if such reports said anything about a test of strength between Cabinet and caucus, it was absolutely untrue to say that any such thing happened at the conference.

The reports stated that the conference provided a remarkable demonstration in favour of the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), the verdict being described as a setback for that section of the Labour Party that did not agree with certain features of the Government's policy.

Mr. Wilson said that right through the conference to date the Prime Minister had received the unanimous endorsement of delegates to the conference.

"There are no disputes between Mr. Lee and the Prime Minister, or between anybody else arid the Prime Minister," Mr. Wilson said. "The conference has been one of the best and most united that has ever been held by the party.

"Though differences of opinion arise from time to time at conferences, nothing has happened at this conference that is in any way unusual. Free and frank discussions on the party's policy are the .rule at all conferences." Mr. Wilson repeated the statement in the presidential address of Mr. James Roberts that though there might be differences of opinion at the conference there would be no difference whatever when^ it came to standing behind Mr. Savage and his Government.