DEMOCRATIC LABOUR

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1940, Page 3

DEMOCRATIC LABOUR

NATIONAL TREASURER RESIGNS [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, December 5. Mr. A. H. Carman, of Tawa Flat, to-day announced that he had officially resigned from the Democratic Labour Party, and from his position as national treasurer, to which he was re-elected at the New Zealand Conference at Labour Day week-end. Mr. F. Temm had been appointed national treasurer in his stead. Mr. Carman also said that the Tawa Flat branch of the party had decided to withdraw its affiliation and form a group of Independent Socialists. “We are of opinion,” said Mr. Carman, “that the difference between the Official and Democratic Labour Parties is that of tweedledum and tweedledee. The old mistakes that wrecked the true democracy of the Labour Party are repeated, and inherent in the new party are all the factors which caused us to leave the old. We have therefore constituted ourselves a group of independent Socialists, and regard the new party, and the way it has developed as only adding confusion to the political scene. The fight is between capitalism and socialism, and no halfway compromising party should be left to confuse and mislead. We believe many of the public are disillusioned as to the aims of the old style political'party, and are looking for a lead to those who are willing to place principles and ideals first, and work toward the betterment of conditions for all. Fascism and Communism are two of the answers given to this desire; but we contend that socialism, which would replace the capitalist system, gives a true answer to the urge of mankind,.and that it can be established constitutionally and in a democratic way.”