CAULD KAIL

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1928, Page 8

CAULD KAIL

(Otago Daily Times)

The Leader of the Opposition imposed on hi insert a severe task in undertaking to address a public meeting in Dunedin after two days’ strenuous travelling. In the circumstances it wood perhaps have bee.y unreasonable to expect from, him a.speech that differed in any important respect from that in which lie opened his, general election campaign. His speech on that occasion was reported at considerable length in our columns, in which, also some of the fallacies, that were contained in it have been exposed. Any variation from this speech,! with its .same fallacies, that was to be observed in his utterance consisted ip the repetition of portions of speeches that were deliverd by him from his seat in Parliament during last session-.', :• He trumped up, for instance, his allegation of insincerity on -the part of the Prime Minister in respect of the introduction of the Licensing Bill which provided for a two-issue ballot paper, Mr .Holland bad learnt, apparently ' through subterranean channels, that instructions had been given to the Government Printing Office for the printing of a number of ballot papers with three , issues, and this afforded proof to him of Mr Coates’s insincerity It was explained in Parliament. upon the authority of the Chief Electoral Officer, that the . instruction for the ,printing of these ballot papers had been issued; as a matter of departmental routine and that neither Mr Coates nor any Other Minister had been consulted concerning the matter, or knew. anything at all about it. Mr Coates hi fusel f disclaimed any knowledge of the instruction having been issued and so did. Mr; McLeod, the Minister in charge of. the Electoral Department. Parliamentary practice requires that a member , must accept the statement of another upon a question of fact. Yet Mr Holland did not hesitate .to rivive, this petty. tale last night, as hough it had not already •been, effectually exploded, nor did lie, refrain from insinuating, if he did not actually assert, that Mr Coates was responsible for the instruction that reached the , Government Printing Office. •; ■''i v' C

So, also, with respect to the condition. which Mr Sterling made, .upon his appointment as General Manager of Railways, respecting his -superannuation rights—not it. must be - , confessed a condition that can be regarded with unqualified approval, even- if it can be approved at all. Mr .Holland would have the electors infer that this was an exceptional arrangement. It was pointed, out in, Parliament, however,- that (arrangements- of -a like kind had been made, restoring superannuation rights to officials of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants It would only have been .candid in- Mr Holland if he had acknowledged this fact. .Unfortunately, however, fit seems to be characteristic of the Leader of the, Opposition to tell only, .part of - a story and to omit the part that does not suit-him. In reality he pays a peer-- compliment to the electors when he follows:this course. He does not give them credit for taking such an interest in the proceedings in Pariament and in the affairs of the country as enables them] to distinguish between that which is true and that which is false and to realise- when the effort is being made to. sway their judgment by a process of misrepresentation. • . ■ ...