THE UNITED PARTY

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 55, 11 October 1928, Page 5

THE UNITED PARTY

NOT HAPPY FAMILY MR HAWKEN SAYS.

TROUBLE OVER LEADER,

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S POSITION

The Hon, 0. J. Hawkeu, at liis meeting last night at Cardiff, made some remarks about th e United Party which he considered to be a very disunited body.

There was no Labour candidate in his electorate lie proceeded. The fighting point was the “Unionist” party, which had nearly gone out of existence at past elections, and cam e very near to being eliminated at the 1925 contest.

“It is a pity it didn’t 1 go out,” he ■proceeded, "as the third party always confounds th e issue. Wherever Labour gains strength throughout the British Empire the weaker of the

other two always goes out 1 .” The Minister went on to say that there had’been trouble at the recent United dhferenc© over the x election of a leader. Two old hands were eliminated iii the first and second ballots and then the old members got together in desperation and approached Sir Joseph Ward to take the leadership. However, when the election for leader came on there were only 4 of the parliamentary members present, Messrs Wilford, Seddon and Smith there, those in attendance .being mostly the “new people.” • So there was not much happiness in the.i so-called happy family.*:: Mr Hawken said he had nothing, against Sir Joseph "Ward, hut *he was an old man and not in good health, so it was rather., beyond, him to make the United Pafty er in the land despite the good candidates of whom we heard so much, but of whom perhaps some people did not think a great deal. The two presidents of the United Party had resigned one after th e other, and the secretary had also resigned. One wondered why. Certainly there did not seem to be much unity.