Won't Give Up Their Seats

Northern Advocate, 9 May 1940, Page 3

Won't Give Up Their Seats

[Special to "Northern Advocate”] AUCKLAND, This Day.

Neither Mr Bernard nor Mr Lee intends to resign his seat in the House of Representatives. A statement to this effect was made by Mr Barnard in his address in the Town Hall last night at a meeting of the newly-established Democratic Labour Party. Mr Barnard was given an attentive hearing for the most part, and there were fewer interruptions, hostile or otherwise, than were accorded Mr Lee. Will Remain Speaker. Mr Barnard said his election as Speaker was for the whole term of the Parliament. It was a position he intended to retain. It would have been easier for him to keep out of trouble and do nothing, but after due consideration he had decided he could not stand aside and quietly witness the deterioration of the Labour Party, the wilful destruction of Democracy and the infiltration of Fascist ideas. The New Zealand Labour Party was not completely Fascist, but it was rapidly going in that direction. No Majority Rule. For about 18 months there had not ► been majority rule in the caucus. It had not applied in the election of Cabinet and in the question of taking over the Bank of New Zealand. The conference was no longer a body of people who conferred. It was a crowd in which it was possible to indulge in a great deal of “log-rolling,” and even trickery. He said quite calmly that both these principles had been practised at the last two conferences. There was an increasing dominance of the Labour Party by five or six powerful industrial leaders. There were one or two of them in this city. Delegates Hand-Picked. Delegates to the conference were hand-picked, and those who did not happen to be in the centre had no direct representation. There were cries of dissent when Mr Barnard said this. Continuing, Mr Barnard said: “I tell you there are 800 members of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union in Hawke’s Bay with no direct representation. “Some of us fought 20 years ago against a very great tyranny, and we are not disposed to yield to modern Prussianism in New Zealand today.”

Someone shouted: Why bring that up? Represent Constituents. Mr Barnard: Oh, I know it is a very uncpmfortable thing for some people. Mr Lee and he were representatives in Parliament of their constituents, net of the Labour Party, Mr Barnard said. They were elected on the basis of a certain policy. That policy they adhered to urn flinchingly. Mr Barnard read a statement on national finance, prepared by Mr Lee and himself. They also fully supported the war effort, he added, but did not share the view of the Government and the National Party that the only thing needed was to win the war. They had not forgotten the lesson of the last war. Mrs Lee’s Speech. Mrs Lee, in a brief speech, called on all women to serve Democracy. She said she was going to use every talent she possessed in the service of the Democratic Labour Party. She had seen Democracy trampled underfoot at the Easter Conference by a united front, and it was a fearful thing, a soulless machine'. She had seen her husband’s supporters refused' a hearing, and she knew cynicism had taken charge.