POLITICAL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2938, 19 September 1925, Page 2

POLITICAL

MR. HOLLINGS OPENS HIS CAMPAIGN.

There was only a poor attendance at the Town Hall on Thursday night to hear Mr. P. L. Hollings open his campaign in the LiberalLabour interests, for the forthcoming general election. The Mayor (M. E. Perrean Esq.) occupied the chair and introduced the speaker. In opening his address Mr Hollings said he had heard it rumoured that he had an axe to grind in seeking election to Parliament. That was half true. Tie had an axe to grind and that was the axe of the people of the Manawatu electorate and he would grind it so sharp that it would cut down all the opposition that had been levied against local schemes “in that marble talk shop in Molesworth Street.” He referred to his two opponents and said that his criticism of them during the campaign would only be of their public platform and public utterances. He would not deal in personalities and hoped they would take up the same attitude. The people of Manawatu wanted a local representative. Mr. Linklter’s interests were in Palmerston North, and Mr Roberts’ in the Wairarapa. The speaker’s interests were in Foxton and if the electors wanted fair representation they should elect someone who was on the spot and knew their requirements and the remedies necessary in certain troubles, fie likened this election to a hurdle race and the biggest hurdle of a Liberal-Labour candidate was the Press of New Zealand. It was not fair to any Liberal candidlate and published only those things which were in the interests of the Reform Party. The people however, had their suspicions that the Press of New Zealand was bought by the Reform Party. He also made a special attack on the “Dominion.” However, he did not care two tin tacks for all the papers in New Zealand.

In launching an attack on the Reform Party, Mr Hollings said that they bad sanctioned a most idiotic work at. Palmerston North, where the railway station was being shifted from one street to another at a cost of £BOO,OOO. This work was supported by the present member for Manawatu as a further block to the Levin-Marton deviation. Manawatu also received all the opposition of the Reform Party to every scheme they bad tried to encourage. Mr. Linklater was away at a dance in Government bouse when the Lev-in-Marton railway deviation question came up in Parliament, and the proposal was turned down. They also bad all the opposition of the Public Works Department against the reconstruction of the Shannon Bridge. The Reform Party was the rottenest Government this country bad ever had. However, he could 'hit as hard with bis brains as flic Reform Party could with I heir money bags. Their cause was so rotten though that money could not now save it. A day of reckoning was coming. He likened the coming election to the David and Goliath combat of Biblical times. The Reform giants and wealthy knights of Reform were out to face the strength of character and humanity with the obvious result. His was (lie course of humanity.

Referring to the Labour Party. I lie speaker said that the aims and ideals of the Liberal and Labour Parties were the same but not their methods. It' these two parties united there was not sufficient money in New Zealand to heat them.

Speaking- of himselt, Mr. Holiiugs said he was not an extremist, Red-led or Bolshevik. He was a Liberal who believed in the ideals of Labour which was striving to uplift humanity. He did not believe in the methods of that Party, how-

Refevenee was made to the Welfare League by the speaker, which, . lie said, was only a tool of the ReI orm Party. It consisted of wealthy men, landowners, and lawyers, most ( of whom resided in Wellington. It would have been better styled “The Well Fed League.” Human brotherhood was the solution of all New Zealander’s industrial and social troubles. Personall v he was a worker. He was pledged [o neither Party nor leader hut was free. He was certainly not attached to either Reform or the extreme Labour Parties. The name of the voice he would follow was humanity. The Liberal Party hadn’t a. leader at present, but if they found one as good as the late Richard Seddon,.then he would follow that man. True liberalism could be carried out by the Liberal and Labour Parties. That was why lie styled himself a LiberalLabour candidate as he believed that the Liberal-Labour could disperse the forces of oppressive wealth. These two bodies should unite and light the common enemy —Reform. His policy was to put out the Reform Party and then make foundations to build up a constructive policy. Mr. Hollings then dealt at some length with the Reform Party’s Public Service Reform Act, which, ho said, was a dismal failure and also dealt with the Public Service in general. The Reform Party, he said did nothing but improve the conditions of the wealthy by, relieving them of taxation which they ought to bear. They had also allowed the knights of Reform to retain the best land and had purchased from these supporters the poorer lands at an exorbitant price, upon which to settle the Returned Soldiers. The National Debt when Reform took office was £84,000,000 and it now stood at £227,000,000. The Re-

form party had all the faults of the old Toiy Party and none of its virtu es. It was incompetent. It’s land policy was a dismal failure; the Soldier Settlement system was a scandal and a disgrace to New Zealand and was another piece of deception practiced by the Reform Party to catch the soldier’s vote. The Defence Policy of that Party was a farce. It was an Imperial question and they were not capable of handling it on Imperial lines. The Reform Party had lost the public confidence because it was incompetent and unfair. However, his was not a wholly destructive policy and he would give his electors some idea of his constructive policy. He was in favour of the abolition of the present Conservative Government and the substitution in its place of a strong'combination of a LiberalLabour Government, on the lines laid down by the late Richard Seddon and John Ballanee. He was also in favour of a sound land policy, a system to prevent strikes, and reduction in cost of living. He was in favour of improving the Main Trunk railway line by the construction of the Levin-Marton deviation. Educationally, he favoured the erection of a District High School at Foxton, and an Agricultural College at Weraroa. The port of Foxton was an important matter and he was in favour of a Government scheme for opening it up as it was a matter of National importance and benefit. He was also in favour of the immediate commencement of main highways work and the construction of a main highway through Foxton. What New Zealand wanted was another Dick Seddon.

Mr. Hollings proceeded to describe the disabilities from which Foxton and district suffered as a result of the administration of the railways, and said the FoxtonPalinerston line was only served by one train a day, and the cutting out of the express stop at Levin had proved of great inconvenience, and, he said, was another instance of the way in which Reform was juggling with public departments to keep themselves in power. Mr. Hollings answered several questions put forward by his audience

At the conclusion of his address the Mayor asked for a vote of thanks to Mr. Hollings, which was proposed by Mr. Chrystall, seconded by Mr. Adams, and carried by acclamation.