POLITICS & WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1941, Page 6

POLITICS & WAR

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL MR HOLLAND REPLIES TO PREMIER DECISION REGRETTED. SEAT ON WAR CABINET REFUSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. “I have carefully considered the Prime Minister’s reply to the Opposition's proposal that party politics should be dropped for the duration of the war and a National Government formed," said Mr S. G. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, today. “A good deal of disappointment will have been felt by many people, of all shades of political opinion, upon learning from the Prime Minister's statement that a decision upon, the Opposition’s proposal must stand over for, say, three months, until Mr Fraser returns from overseas.

“The vital need of the country is unity—unity of effort, unity in politics and unity of the people”—Mr Holland continued, “and this can be achieved only by the setting up of a truly National Government and the sinking of party politics. To those who share this view it will ■ be some satisfaction to know that the Opposition's proposal has not been finally rejected and that it will be reconsidered upon the Prime Minister's return to New Zealand. Wo of the Opposition are of opinion chat the situation is so serious as to warrant the immediate formation of a National Government, whereas the Prime Minister appears to hold the view that the position may have become serious enough by the time he gets back to warrant its formation then. The matter is one entirely for the Government to decide, and we have no alternative but to await Mr Fraser's return. However, if invited to do so,- I shall be quite willing at any lime during Mr Fraser's absence to meet the ActingPrime Minister and discuss with him any situation which may arise. “As stated a day or two ago. the proposal that I should join the War Cabinet for two or three months, or for that, matter for a longer period, would not only fall far short of what is really needed, but would not in fact meet the fundamental issue, as party poll-, tics would still divide the country,” Mr Holland observed. “To increase the size of the War Cabinet from five to seven would not result in any material acceleration of New Zealand's war effort, nor would it result in the cessation of party political activities so essential to national unity. It therefore is not desirable that I should accept the invitation. "Referring to the Prime Minister's other proposal—that active public platform propaganda should be reduced to a minimum during the period in which he is absent from the Dominion—l may say that the Opposition readily agrees with this. It is to be understood, however, that the Government does not ! desire that all' its activities and other ; important public questions should be immuno from fair and reasonable comment or discussion, or that normal elec- ; tion preparations should be suspend-J' ed.”