AWAY FROM LABOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26624, 21 November 1947, Page 6

AWAY FROM LABOUR

PRONOUNCED TENDENCY EVERYWHERE “ WRITING ON THE WALL” P.A. WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. “The municipal elections yesterday, the recent elections in the United Kingdom, the landslide in Victoria — these signs of the times give all of us anti-Socialists renewed heart to continue our fight for freedom, realising that in the British world there is a pronounced swing everywhere against Socialism and its close relative, Communism," said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, to-day, commenting on the Labour defeats in yesterday’s local body elections. Throughout New Zealand the elections had resulted in smaller representation of the Labour Party on local bodies than one could really have hoped for, but the figures spoke for themselves, and no amount of explaining away could alter the facts. In all the main centres Labour Mayoral candidates had been heavily defeated and there was an overwhelming number of local bodies with little, if any, Labour representation. The brightest spot in a highlyencouraging day was Dunedin, continued Mr Holland, where for a long time there had been strong Labour representation on the City Council. Not only had Dunedin given its Mayor a record majority, but the City Council was 100 per cent. non-Labour, and three strong Labour members of Parliament had been rejected. Although the various Citizens’ Associations were not connected with the National Party’s organisation, the Labour Party organisation in municipal and national politics was one and the same, and the results of yesterday’s elections must give the Government furiously to think. “The Government must realise that it is on its way out,” added Mr Holland. “The writing is on the wall.”