VICTORIAN COUNTRY PARTY DISRUPTION

Northern Advocate, 30 March 1938, Page 5

VICTORIAN COUNTRY PARTY DISRUPTION

. ' (Received noon). : f> '. . MELBOURNE, This Day. *£ Victorian politics took on an unexpected turn at the annual conference of the Country Party at Ballap’; rat last night. The central council of the party last year ruled that no Vic'v; ” torian Country Party member of Parliament may join a composite minisfj'j;',.!. try with another party. |Jv This led to the formation of the fj '-present Country Party in the State % ■ Government, held in office* with the parliamentary support of Labour. The subject, which had been a burnf,\, Ing topic among moderates, who ob-. • ject to the party’s association with Labour, was brought to a head some months ago by the expulsion from the party of Mr McEwen, Victorian .memberof the Federal parliament, who joined the Lyons composite min- , ’ istry. ' .Last night during a discussion on Mr McEwen’s expulsion at the Ballaconference Mr T. Paterson, Vicjl/ ~ torian Federal member, who last year B ; refused to obey the instruction of • the central council of the party and Ip;, resign from the Lyons Ministry, tendpC*’ ered his resignation and left the conference followed by 200 members. This broke up the meeting. \