NATIONAL PARTY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23020, 23 April 1938, Page 15

NATIONAL PARTY

OVER 500 BRANCHES PROGRESS OF ORGANISATION UNITY AGAINST SOCIALISM '[BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHTJRCH, Friday "The anti-Socialist forces of the Dominion have never been so well organised. We have more than 500 branches covering all electorates in New Zealand and working along democratic lines in the selection of their own. executives and candidates. The organisation is making excellent progress and the leader, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, has voiced his pleasure with the work we" are doing." This message was given to the Canterbury members of the New Zealand National Party by the Dominion president, Mr. C. H. Weston, at a luncheon to-day. Members of the party from all over the province attended.

Giving an outline of the progress made by the party, Mr. Weston said that from its inception democratic lines had been adopted in bringing up divisions and branches. There were now five divisions, embracing the whole of the Dominion, and these in

turn were divided into branches, of which there were more than 500 now in existence, with increasing membership. The anti-Socialist forces were organised in districts where previously there had been no organised party at all. The -aim of the party was to make it a permanent institution. Its members were convinced that democracy only succeeded best where there were two parties in existence, and the party was anxious to avoid the danger which was caused by a multiplicity of parties, as was the case in Germany and France.