DEMOCRAT'S AIM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19133, 30 September 1936, Page 15

DEMOCRAT'S AIM

BALANCE OF POWER

POSSIBLE 15 MEMBERS

DISCLOSURES IN COURT

ORGANISER'S £195 CLAIM

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day

. Further evidence was preferred in the Magistrate's Court to-day before Mr. Wyvern Wilson in the case in which Harry Charles Baulf is suing several well-known personalities of what was the Democrat Party, claiming to recover £195 as the balance of salary and expenses allegedly owing for work as the Auckland organiser ot the party. The evidence for the, plaintiff was continued by Mrs. Susan Mabel Milne, a member of the committee, who said that after a committee meeting in August or September, Baulf's account was discussed. J. B. Donald had said: "That will have to be paid, but Harry (meaning Baulf) will have to wait." After a later meeting the secretary submitted the. accounts to Donald, asking: "What about Harry?" Donald had 'said: "I will see that they are paid." Since, the case commenced Donald had said to the witness in conversation: "T. am prepared to admit that M'hat Harry said is right." FORMATION OF PAIiTV

Opening for the defence, Mr. A. K. North, representing William Goodfellow, said the principal question was whether the plaintiff looked to the organisation, or whether he was entitled to look beyond the organisation to individual members. Counsel outlined the history of the formal ion of the party and said that after a break occurred with Goodfellow in January of 1935, as letters between them showed, the organiser, A. F. Davy, began to "flirt" with Donald, who was then coming to the fore. All interesting fact that emerged from the accounts, said counsel, was that Donald got back £ISOO that he guaranteed to the party's funds, having received two chorines of over AI7CO each. "A peculiar thing." continued Mr. North, "is that Baulf hail been paid all owing to him. His relatives, of whom Donald is one. say that this money was a loan, so whether'this is really an action by Baulf, or his relatives who wish to reimburse themselves, cannot he ascertained." The central executive had not been sued. The first witness for the defence, William Goodfellow, company director, said it was originally intended that the party should consist of 15 prospective members of Parliament, and these should control the balance of power with reciprocal free trade as the main plank. He never intended to provide more than £IOOO. It was untrue that he promised to give CSOOO to » party fund of £15,000. |