NATIONAL PARTY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 140, 15 May 1936, Page 2

NATIONAL PARTY

SIR G. WILSON PRESIDENT. VIEWS ON READERSHIP. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, May 14. Sir George Wilson, of Auckland, was elected first president of the New Zealand National Party, at its conference to-day on the motion of Mr C. H. Weston, seconded by Mr W. J. Broadfoot. The conference room was again crowded. During the morning addresses concerning the place of women in the organisation were given by Miss Sanders, of Christchurch, Dr. Turkington, of Auckland, and Mrs Stone, of Wellington. Mr H. G. Livingstone, of Christchurch, spoke on the question of publicity and propaganda, and Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates addressed the conference on “some probable results of Labour’s policy.” At the conclusion of his address' appreciative references were made to the efforts of all the members of the Opposition in Parliament. In accepting the presidency of the organisation, Sir George Wilson 6aid that in a conference whose members were drawn from all parts of New Zealand it was inevitable that there were different views, but on the vital question—that as a result of the conference there should arise a strong political organisation—all were agreed. If that were to be achieved it was essential that the old party divisions should be forgotten, he said. Different opinions were held about the leadership; he yielded to no one in his fnvn personal loyalties, but loyalty to New Zealand must come first, and for that reason he appealed to them to refrain at the present stage from making the leadership an issue of the party. When the organisation was working smoothly and supporters were enrolled the question would l>e fully considered. If a decision were forced now the old bitterness might be revived.