LABOUR LEADER NOT SURPRISED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 871, 15 January 1930, Page 1

LABOUR LEADER NOT SURPRISED

Staging Of Mr. Davy’s Rebellion “ ONLY DOMESTIC DUST-UP ” United Administration Attacked •special to THE at V

WESTPORT, Today. IDO not a tach very great significance to the little rebellion staged by Mr. A. E. Davy in the United camp. It represents a domestic ’dust-up' that would be bound to occur sooner or lator in any political organisation with ‘Davyesque’ flavourings,” said Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, in the course of a special interview given THE SUN > newspapers.

In some of its aspects the rebellion, taic: Mr. Holland, furnishes reminders of the sustained efforts that were made anonymously in 1923-24 by an element calling itself the “New Zealand League" to drive Mr. Massey out of the leadership ot the Reform Party and tn put Mr. Coates in his place. When Mr. Davy ultimately disunites himself from, or is divorced by the lialte* Party, he will in all probability start a new concern with the baptismal name of tile “New Zealand League." PAR MORE SERIOUS FACTORS ' But there are far more serious factors than Mr. Davy making for the disintegration and defeat of the present Government Party'. Among the rank and file of the Government’s supporters outside Parliament, and among the people generally, there is the gravest dissatisfaction. The Government made lavish promises on the huntings, and these promises, plus the historic personality of Sir Joseph Ward (who was the only leader around whom the almost dead Liberal cause could have been organised toward even a temporary revival) sent many thousands into the polling booths to rote for (he then third party. “When the United Party came ' into office it was a hopeless minority, but still had a larger following in the House than either of the two other parties, and it was generally recog vised that it was entitled to claim a reasonable opportunity to foi mutate its legislative and administrative programme. That opportunity was igiven. FAILURE OF POLICY Now. after more than a year in nUk-e, while in seme directions more or less serious efforts have been made 10 live up to the Government’s election pledges, in other respects there has been Consider able failure. In the Public Works camps there is the utmost dissatislact on with the conditions under which the men are required to work. Indeed, it is claimed that, on some of the works, conditions are now worse t aan they have been at any other time within recent years. There is equally great dissatisfaction with the rates paid and the conditions prevailing on many of the relief works. “The Government's unqualified promise wholly to do away with unemployment has not been honoured, and, notwithstanding the numbers of men sent to temporary work, unemployment, particularly in the cities, is still an enormous problem. "The Public Service is a mass of discontent, because of the promises, implied and direct, affecting the salaries question, which remain unredeemed. "The Government's financial policy ir stead of making money readily available at reduced rates of interest as Promised by the Prime Minister, is " J v tending to harden the market and increase the interest charges. COERCION IN SAMOA Added to these items is the deep concern of the more thoughtful elements regarding the Government’s policy of blind coercion in Samoa. P-.V their absurd proclamation of the Mau (which is practically all the Samoan people) as an illegal organisa--lon and their naval invasion, they threaten to make Western Samoa v miniature Ireland of the ‘Black and 1 an’ era. At the same time they assure the League of Nations that order prevails. "Their policy of imprisoning harmloss young men lor being in possession tit literature which is possessed and read by every member of Parliament v ho studies world politics, and which Australasian university professors freely use in their study and teaching f f history and economics, is another risturbing factor with both workers and intellectuals.

“These are some of the more consistent factors which were created by the United Government and which are making for its downfall. “I do not say that it is probable that the Government would be defeated on a vote on any of the foregoing issues taken singly, but it appears to me that the sum total of them constitutes for the United Party the handwriting on the wall of offices “No one can safely predict the events which will follow the defeat of the United Government. My opinion is that, if the Government is defeated before next general election, and if constitutional procedure is followed, the Labour Party must Ije given an opportunity to form a Government. That would, I think, be followed by a fusion of the antiLabour elements. “It is quite interesting to find Mr. J. A. Young and other Reformers now

calling for a linking’ up of the Reform and Liberal sections. I can’t help remembering how, when the Liberals were in what appeared to be a hopeless position on the Opposition Benches, every advance made by them for amalgamation was contemptuously rejected by the Reform Party. “Still, I agree with those who dislike the presence of three parties in the House and would prefer a straight-out issue between the clearly-defined policies of two parties. “Fusion of the Reform-Conserva-tives with the Conservative elements in the United Party is inevitable and, when that takes place, it is possible j that some of the more radical per- '■ sonalities of the United Party in Par-j liament will move toward the Labour j camp. It may be that these will not be numerous, but I am confident that in the constituencies there will be a heavy transfer of votes to the Labour Party. “Mr. Young, Mr. Davy and other Conservatives fondly hope that a Re form-Liberal amalgamation will prevent the Labour Party from gaining the Treasury Benches. I am of the opinion that its ultimate effect will be to give New Zealand a Labour Government with a better chance of permanency than the three-party system could possibly give. As a matter of fact, the three-party system gives no certainty of permanence to any party.” r LEADER OF OPPOSITION MAKES NO COMMENT The Right Hon. J. G. Coates. Leader of the Opposition, was approached yesterday, at Helensville, by a Sun representative, and asked if he would make a statement, for publication, on the present political situation. Mr. Coates would make no comment.