NOT FAVOURED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 April 1942, Page 2

NOT FAVOURED

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE OF LABOUR PARTY. PREPARED FOR. ELECTION. (By Awioci.'ition.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Following the presentation of a report to the conference of the New Zealand Labour Party yesterday by the policy and finance committee of which the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, is convenor, the conference rejected the idea of a united national Government. The party decided to hold itself prepared for a general election. The resolution adopted was: “That while this conference is prepared to support any and every measure which in its opinion will promote national unity in this hour of national danger and crisis, it does not consider that a national government as advocated by the Opposition and other political opponents and a hostile Press would further promote such desirable national unity, but on the contrary would engender disunity. It expresses itself in favour of everything calculated to increase and improve the country’s war effort and national solidarity, and requests the national executive of the party, the Government, and the Parliamentary party to co-operate at all times with this objective in view.” Reporting on a proposal that the byelection agreement with the National Party should be given legal form, a special committee recommended that the Labour Party should remain prepared for a general electioA. This was adopted.

THE NATIONAL PARTY. STEPS THAT WOULD BE TAKEN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 9. “The Labour Party’s decision to continue party warfare means that the present inefficient Ministry is to continue to hold office till the electors turn it out,” said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, tonight when commenting on the decision of the Easter conference of the Labour Party not to agree to the formation of a national non-party Government. Mr Holland said the decision was a clear-cut victory for the big unions, who had decided that the interests of their powerful unions were much more important than the interests of New Zealand. “The announcement that the Labour Party is to hold itself in readiness for a general election will, in the circumstances, be welcomed by -an overwhelming majority of the people, who are insistent on the formation' of a national Government, and who realise now that the only way of obtaining it is by having a 'general, election and returning the National Party, which would immediately set about forming a non-party Government and utilising the best brains in the country regardless of where they may be found—Government or Opposition benches or outside Parliament alto- * gether if need be.”