POOR AMMUNITION.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 226, 1 March 1928, Page 4

POOR AMMUNITION.

BEING Leader of the Opposition in His Majesty’s New Zealand Parliament, Mr. H. E. Holland must always be seeking for ammunition to expend upon his political opponents. Unfortunately for him, the pressure of disgruntled parties sometimes inveigles him into championing discreditable causes. This is plainly the position in regard to Mr. Holland’s strictures upon the Government for its attitude upon the Samoan troubles. Anyone who has had anything to do with the administration of the affairs of a backward coloured people, or who has studied the history of colonial government, will recognise at once that Mr. Holland’s championship of the disaffected elements in Samoa is a dangerous sort of drivel. Our own Maori War history should have taught us all the unwisdom of a policy which the native mind is likely to misconstrue as a confession of weakness. Mr. Holland would have all the deportees returned to Samoa, in order to pacify those natives whose minds have been poisoned by the Mau, or Citizens’ Committee. The inevitable result of such a reversal of policy would be, not a pacification of the natives, but an invitation to them to break out into open revolt. Much blood would be shed before peace was restored. Mr. Holland is not a numbskull, and he must know in his own mind that his talk on this subject is pure balderdash. It is indeed unfortunate that one in Mr. Holland’s position as the head of the Official Opposition should be so hard pressed for party political ammunition that he must descend to the making of inflammatory speeches that are likely to have a disturbing effect upon the misguided malcontents in New Zealand’s mandated territory.