POLITICAL SURVEY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 123, 22 February 1928, Page 15

POLITICAL SURVEY

LABOUR VIEWPOINT MR. HOLLAND ON TOUR By Telegraph.—Press association. Dargaville, February ‘2l. Mr. H. If. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, addressed a meeting of over 300 electors at Dargaville last night, the Mayor (Mr. F. A. Jones) presiding. The address was similar in many respects to those given at Helensville, Russell, and Whangarei. After dealing with the political questions of the day, particularly as they applied to rural electorates, Mr. Holland dwelt at length on rural credits, and the Samoan and and uestions.

In speaking of the Intermediate Rural Credit Act, Mr. Holland said that the Government had broken faith with the Commission, and the Act now in force would not give relief to the farmers which the Government claimed it would. The conditions were such that no one could take advantage of them, and he yet had to hear of any association being formed under the Act. The abour Party’s remedy for putting the finance of the country on a solid basis was a State bank with agricultural banks as an adjunct to assist the farming community. The need of to-day was a lower price of interest instead of tax reduction. The latter had only benefited to any extent the big financial and merchant institutions, who had made tens of thousands sterling out of it. The small farmers had not benefited at all. He attacked the Government in its attitude with respect to the Dairy Produce Control Board, and said that Mr. Coates had surrendered to the “big guns” of Tooley Street just at the time when they were trained on him. He prophesied that when Labour Governments came into power in Britain and New Zealand the middleman would be cut out as far as was humanly possible, and the producer would secure the full benefit of his labour. He condemned the Reform Government’s land policv, and dwelt at length on the subject of land settlement. Mr. Holland also attacked the Government for importing coal when there were thousands and thousands of tons in this country waiting to be hewn by New Zealand coal miners out of work. It was scandalous to think that while unemployment was rife the Government had recently sent to Australia for 150,000 tons of coal, which could easily have been produced in the Dominion. At the conclusion of his address Mr. Holland appealed to the audience not to be guided bv the Tory Press, but to think for themselves. Mr. Holland had a particularly good hearing, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks.