PARTY SCHISM

Southland Times, Issue 20939, 23 November 1929, Page 7

PARTY SCHISM

THE CONSERVATIVES DISSENTIENTS HEAVILY DEFEATED MOTION AT CONFERENCE (United Press Assn.-—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 8.40 p.m.) London, November 21. An attempt to hold a poet mortem into the cause of the Conservative failure at the recent election was badly beaten at the annual conference of the Conservative and Unionist Association-.

Colonel Grant Morden, in moving for an independent committee to examine into the working of the central office of the organisation in order to devise closer co-opera-tion, expressed the opinion that the present methods were out of date. The leader of the party had more power than a Tammany boss. The conference’s resolutions were consistently disregarded, notably upon the reform of the House of Lords and safeguarding industry. They had faced the elections without a policy, therefore without a soul.

Mr J. R. Remer, in seconding the motion, mentioned that an additional handicap was an absence of Press support, due to the party heads deliberately embittering the newspapers.

Sir William Ray deprecated an exhibition of feeling among members of the party. If the Archangel Gabriel was their leader he would be criticized, but he would blow his trumpet more loudly than Mr Baldwin. An amendment deprecating the appointment of a sub-committee to investigate the troubles was carried by a large majority, the mover, Mr Herbert Williams, expressing the opinion that the only way to run a party was to elect a leader then back or sack him.

A loud debate took place on Sir Henry Page-Croft's motion favouring Imperial preference and safeguarding. He said they should bo in the forefront of the programme on which to educate the electorate with a view to success at the next election. They should also oppose the repeal of the McKenna Duties.

Mr Boyce, who is a member of the House of Commons, from Australia, said that if the dominions became weary of our vacillation and withdrew preference our unemployment would be trebled overnight. There was a scene of indignation and excitement when Captain Pierrepont opposed the motion, saying that it would be truer to say “bamboozle" instead of “educate" the electorate.

Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister said that unemployment would be the test at the next election, and its only cure was better trade. Mr James Gardiner, a trades unionist for 40 years, declared that if the Conservatives did not produce a bold policy of Imperial preference they should not be surprised if the Socialists did. The motion was agreed to with only three dissentients. Mr Neville Chamberlain was elected president.