PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 June 1926, Page 4

PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS

AIR HOLLAND AT WESTPORT. WESTPORT, June 8. Mr 11. li. Holland, AI.P., Leader of the Opposition, delivered a pro-sessional address Inst night, the .Mayor presiding. He said, in opening, that, the present Parliament would mark a new era in New Zealand’s polities, since for the first time in the Dominion’s history the Labour Party would occupy the official Opposition benches. He thought that the Liberal or National Rally would rapidly disappear, its official elements drifting into tho ReI’onn camp, ami the radical section ot its rank and file going to the Labour Party.

He dealt at some length with the question of unemployment, which, lie said, was becoming a very real problem. Every man able and willing to work was entitled to demand employment, ami when private capitalism broke down to the extent that it left willing workers unemployed it was the duty of the State to sec that work was found for them. The science of government consisted in making and administering the laws in such a way as to accord to every citizen equality of opportunity. In this respect, ever since there had been a Labour movement, it had demanded work and standard wages for men who wore involuntarily unemployed. Work so found should be reproductive ami of economic value, otherwise it was not worth AVhon Mr Coates arrognntly told the unemployed workers that they would not got standard wages, but, in effect, only what the Government chose to give them, lie was not only offering an insult to tho men. but. by implication, was flouting the Court which fixed the standard bylaw.

He (.Mr Holland) strongly resented the charges made by tlie Prime .Minister and the Hon A. D. .McLeod that the Labour members who sought to find work for unemployed citizens were only doing it for political Party purposes. On the contrary, they were acting consistently with the well-established

right-to-work principle of tho Labour movement, and the Government would not be permitted lo escape from the consequences of its own ineptitude by the use of a worn-out cry of that sort. Ho declared that the Opposition would challenge the Government on its action in sending to the Legislative

Council renegade Liberals, whose ap-

pointment was a reward for having held the Reform Government in office after it was defeated hv the votes of

the people in 1922. They would Challenge the Government on their action in heavily raising the rate of interest for States Advances loans; on their penalising Public Servants who stood as Parliamentary candidates, by only permitting them to return to work at reduced wages ; on their continued dishonouring of the labour clauses of the Peace Treaty; on the censorship of literature, uneensored in all; or nearly all, other British countries, and their partisan administration of the law in connexion with the censorship. They would also strenuously object to the High Commissionership being used as a plum to ho given to a Government supporter, irrespective of his qualifications for office. Mr Parr’s garrulous propensities, lot loose as soon as he landed in London, had already called forth a rebuke from the West Australia Agent-General, because of misrepresentation with respect to large group settlement in Australia. After dealing with a number of minor matters, Mr Holland concluded with a lengthy reference to incidents connect ed with. the Geneva Protocol and Security Pact, and declared that the Opposition would stand for both Parliament and the people being consulted before being committed to any policy of Imperial or International import. Mr Holland was accorded a vote of thanks; and 'congratulated on his leadership of the official Opposition.