“UTTERLY ONE-SIDED”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1942, Page 2

“UTTERLY ONE-SIDED”

R.S.A. WAR CABINET PROPOSALS VIEW OF OPPOSITION LEADER. READY TO MEET PREMIER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 17. Describing the proposals of the Dominion executive of the Returned Services’ Association as "utterly one-sid-ed,” the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, said today that he. did not think the public would be satisfied with any rearrangement that did not provide for a major reallocation of Ministerial portfolios and responsibilities. “No one questions the motives of the Dominion executive of the R.S.A. vin its desire for national unity,” said Mr Holland, “but it is proper to point out that there can be no real unity unless the basis of unified administration is absolutely fair and just. Halfway houses and patched-up stop-gaps are next to useless.” There was much more involved in the proposals of the R.S.A. than appeared on the surface, and it was important that the public should know what it was that the National Party turned down. “We have already had far too much domination of Parliament by outside interests to want it extended,” Mr Holland declared. There was unquestionably a need for co-option of persons outside Parliament possessing special qualifications for important tasks, to take a hand in the administration of national affairs, so as to increase efficiency greatly and to prevent waste and overlapping, he added, but to have Cabinet Ministers who were not responsible to the people, or who had not been elected to Parliament, was another story al- - together. Who could say that under the R.S.A. proposals Messrs James Roberts, Angus McLagan, F. P. Walsh and Arthur Cook, and the Hons. R. Eddy and F. G. Young might not be the selected six for the War Cabinet? To use the Legislative Council to get over the constitutional questions involved would, he was sure, not find any considerable public support. “I am always ready to discuss this matter with the Prime Minister at any time,” continued Mr Holland. “Indeed, we had a private talk on this very question last Monday before I left Wellington. It would help tremendously if we were both able to meet and discuss this most important and vital question freed by our respective parties from all ties and conditions, and fully authorised to reach finality in the best interests of New Zealand, without reference to anyone else, or without consideration of party advantage. “If Mr Fraser is able to meet me ? on such a basis, I think I can make a similar arrangement. The Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Labour Party are numerically strong enough to put the R.S.A. proposals into operation if they wish to do so, but, in my opinion, there can be .no unity unless and until the two political parties are prepared to come together in a true spirit of co-operation and with no consideration of party advantage.”