VICTORIAN POLITICS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9204, 31 March 1938, Page 3

VICTORIAN POLITICS

UNEXPECTED TURN AT ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

MEETING BREAKS UP

Australian and N.Z.. Cable. MELBOURNE, March 30

Victorian politics took an unxpected turn at the annual conference of the Country Party at Ballarat last night. The central council of the party last year ruled that no Victorian Country Party member of Parliament may join a composite Ministry with another party.

This led to the formation of the present Country Party in the State Government, held in ofilce with the Parliamentary support of Labour. The subject, which had been a burning topic among moderates who object to the party’s association with Labour, was brought to a head some months ago by the expulsion from the party of Mr McEwen, Victorian member of the Federal Parliament, who joined the Lyons composite Ministry.

Last night, during a discussion on Mr McEwen’s expulsion at the Ballarat conference, Mr T. Paterson, Victorian Federal member, who last year refused to obey the instruction of the central council of the party and resign from the Lyons Ministry, tendered his resignation and left the conference, followed by 200 members. This broke up the meeting,