THE ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1920, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS.

THE LABOR CAMPAIGN. In reply to a question regarding Labor newspapers, Mr Holland stated recently that the Labor movement now hnd control of the Grey River Argus, and they were, producing the first Labor daily in New Zealand. "This fact gave them the advantage of being able day hy day to nail the lies promulgated by the reactionaries." The Westport Times had also supported the Labor Party, while the second Westport paper, which had always bitterly fought the late Mr. Colvi'n, hnd figured as an enthusiastic supporter of the anti-Labor cause. With their own paper on the West Coast, continued Mr. Holland, they would give a load to all New Zealand in the matter of daily Labor journalism. Nationally speaking, the Labor movement had been almost without press support, and it was surprising that they hnd made the great advance they had done under the circumstances. Now, they found the Liberal press wailing that the Liberal debacle was the result of Labor's action. Thisr was almost humorous in view of the fact that the oflicial Liberal Party had laid itself out desperately to achieve the dp' feat of the sitting Labor members. As a matter of fact, the Liberal Party represented every interest that was hostile to Labor Sir Joseph Ward himself had publicly boasted that he had personally seen to it that candidates were put forward against Messrs. Fraser. Semple and himself (Mr. Holland). Not only so, but the Liberal Party had not hesitated to ally itself with the Reformers and the Howard Elliott elements in the Biiller, Wellington South, Wellington Central, Palmerston North, the Christolvureh and Dunedin, and other constituencies for the purpose of preventing the Labor movement from securing the representation to which its numerical strength entitled it. It *ounded loudly insincere, also, in view of the manner in which the Liberal Party repeatedly joined with the Tories in the last Parliament to defeat the Parliamentary Labor Party.