CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20598, 24 June 1930, Page 9

CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

SPECIAL MEETING CALLED. EMPIRE FREE TRADE ISSUE. British Wireless. RUGBY. Juno 22. A meeting of the Conservative Party has been convened for Tuesday as a sequel to attacks made on Mr. Baldwin's leadership by protagonists of the Empire free tiado movement. 'I here has not been a meeting of the party of this kind for seven years, when, after his defeat at the general elections of 1923, Mr. Baldwin received an enthusiastic vote of confidence The main question at issue is Mr. Baldwin's attitude toward the programme of the Empire free traders, particularly on the question of food taxes. Mr. Baldwin as a compromise some months ago accepted the proposal of Lord Beaverbrook (who leads the Empire free traders) to refer to the people the question of any agreement involving food taxes reached at a specially summoned Imperial Conference lie has repeatedly stated that food taxes will not figure in the programme at the next general election. Tho utterances of Mr. Baldwin have been regarded as lukewarm by Empire free traders, and Lord Beaverbrook, in a letter to /the Daily Mail, on Tuesday, said the Empire crusaders could expect little assistance from tho Conservative front bench members. lie appealed to all Conservatives for subscriptions to enable tliern to place candidates in those constituencies in which Empire free trade was cot actively supported.