LABOUR LEADER

Hokitika Guardian, 15 November 1928, Page 5

LABOUR LEADER

VIEWS OF AIR HOLLAND

(By Telegraph'—Press Avssociation). WESTPORT, Nov. 15. 'Phis morning Air H. Holland (Leader of the Labour Party) made the following statement available to the press:—“Never in the history of Australasia has there been so crushing a defeat of a Government as that experienced by the Coates Administration yesterday. In 1925, advertised and extolled in almost every newspaper, Coates went up like a rocket and yesterday came down like a stone, and even in his own constituency bis majority lias been considerably reduced. “AYhile I am extremely gratified at the substantial increase in Labour representation in the House, and by fact my own constituency has given me the largest straight out majority in tho Dominion I regret very much the defeat of Lee and Bartram for Auckland Fast and Grey Lynn, respectively. They were both valued members and T have no doubt whatever that in good time both seats will bo recovered. In a number of cases where we failed to win, our own organisation was lacking. We left the selection of some of our candidates all too late, and unlike our opponents of lioth other parties, we were heavily handicapped by a lack of funds. Indeed there were not a few constituencies which we were compelled to leave untouched because we were unable to finance candidates. Notwithstanding these mistakes and difficulties,, which I hope will be avoided and overcome in future contests, we have made a most signifiant forward move and now find ourselves in a position where we arc masters of the situation for tho time being, for the result of yesterday’s poll leaves matters where neither of the other two parties can carry on without our consent.

“It goes without saying that tve will not, under any circumstances, vote to hold the present Government in power and in any case I do not anticipate that Coates and his Ministers will seek to continue in office. “After tlie debacle yesterday, the country' is entitled to expect that the Prime Minister will meet Parliament immediately or alternately that he will lose no time in tendering the resignation of lii.s Cabinet. # “It has been suggested that prior to going out of office, the Government will make a certain number of appointments to the Legislative Council. It is hardly necessary to say that in face of the people’s verdict such a move would amount to an abuse of tlie powers held by a defeated Government, and would moreover constitute a grave political scandal. “Sir Joseph Ward could only hold office at the will of the Labour Party and since a majority of his followers have made public statements repudiating tlie idea that they would vote with Labour, it does not appear that they would agree to a Ward Government that would be largely subject to tlie dictation of the Lalxrnr Party. “This being so. and since under tlie circumstances, a Labour Government is not a possibility, it follows that failing a fusion of the two Anti-Labour parties there must lie another appeal to the electorates very shortly. “In my opinion there is no material lino of demarcation between the policies of Reform and United Parties, and an amalgamation of those parties is both logical and likely, more especially since during quite a number

of years tliev have voted together in the House, in opposition to the Labour Party. At the same time I would warn Labour organisations that if «• fusion of our opponents is not consummated, we must' he prepared to face another general election at short notice/’