in 1944 came a significant shift in the party's fortunes when the primary producers' association, of which the party had been the political wing, passed a motion during negotiations with the wheatgrowers' union deleting the rule which authorised the party's existence and its use of ppa branches and funds for party purposes. a new organisation was hastily set up by watts and the member for pingelly, harrie seward, who were very active in setting up branches to endorse local candidates and obtaining donations on which to run the 1947 campaign. this was the start of a significant decline in the country party's fortunes over the ensuing decades. in 1946 the party changed its name to the "country and democratic league". the party's total of seats would slowly decline at successive elections from the twelve won in 1947 to eight or nine in the elections of the 1950s and 1960s until by the mid-1970s onwards the party would win a maximum of six seats