Mr. Holland Speaks About Industrial Chaos

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1948, Page 3

Mr. Holland Speaks About Industrial Chaos

Press Association) '

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INVERCARGILL, March 4. "I was very mufVinterested in the grave statement eoncerning the industrial situation- made by the Prime Minister," said th? Leader of the- Opposition in an address at Half •- Moon Bay, Stewart Island, to-night. " The Government ii' in a-rdilemma of- its own making. It has';c'reated a situation .which is now finds itself ■ entirely m- ' capable of dealing with. Ever since tne Waikato coal mines strike when tke Government overr^de . the^decisip.n oi; the law courts, tlie i'Soybrnmeht: li'as . constantly capitulated to threats ana direct action. To-day the Prime Minister complains- of 'feslOlutitnis- by powert'ul unions but what'" can he expecr when every threat made to the- Government sees it climb down? "Last session a Bili was introduceu providing for eompulsory secret baliots in connection with' disputes aua for heavy penalties on bothmnions and oflicials. On tliat occasion the Prime Minister announced that the Government was detennined... to take a stand but within a week hia own Minister ot Labour weakly capitulated to tfireats of the big unions and all pepaltjes ' wefe removed from the ^ill -"•} •• ,| 7 Naturally the unions 'are tryirig the saijjie tactics again. We will never get an|where in New -Zejaland, - unt^l we hav-e a Government 1 'fhat will take a' lirih stand which is what the present

Vroverni4eut- '.s.dems entirely; iincapabte of doing. "It is utter humbug and hypoqnsy tor the Government to be appoaling to New Zealand/. i'krihers to work harder Rinjl, produce more food for Britain when the L ^ame, ...Goaejjiment, in the .next • breath, announces ar'substantial " xeduction in'We workihg^houfs*':bf^^ YoaT min--erSs and the importation of thqifsanils of tons of coal into New ZealahjfTroni' Britain. The Government cannot, in sipcerity or fairness^ urge more work fofworkei's on fafiiis!anMes/ wbrlc^bE men in mines. The thing is too silly for woids and is the direefc. aoii||Come :( the; . Govei-nmeiit ; alldwi'Hgi" ,-itselfh'tb conje under. t-hfe^ donUi/atipn |of- fpow'erful; militant t-rades bhfonM / pidme ox wh'icli - are ltliemselv.es: • . domi'hated oy potferful Coipmunist^ (whb do not care: two straws whether Britain sinlcs or swims. In fact, I am quite sure every true Communist wants to see tne li quidation of the British Empire and downfall of Great Britain. Every day Britain 's leading statesmen are appeaiing for assistanee. We are asked not to spend our accumulated steriing fund. We are asked to reduce our orders for goods which can be sold to foreign countries, and yet the New Zealand Government; in faee of those appeals, orders shiploads of coal from Britain using valuable shipping space and denying Britain the rigkt to self tliis coal to countries where she is dea-pei-ate for foreign exchange id pay for essential imports."