TEST OF PUBLIC OPINION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 68, 31 December 1945, Page 2

TEST OF PUBLIC OPINION

STATEMENT BY OPPOSITION LEADER “NO TfME TO TAKE THINGS EASILY”' WELLINGTON, This Day. (Special to “Guardian.”) “The coming year should be a year oi reconstruction and rebuilding,” said Mr S. G. Holland, M.P., Leader of the Opposition, in a New Year statement to-day.

•■Our men and women from the services are settling back into civilian life. They will want homes and furniture, clothes and other commodities, but, above all, they want assured employment in creative tasks, at wages that, will guarantee-them a fair share oi the good things of life.. This is one of the major post-war responsibilities. Those who have helped to win the victory over our enemies’in the year just ending are entitled to the best the country can provide. The main tiling to remember is that, this is no time to sit back and take things easily.” ‘‘People to-day,” said Mr Holland, “are looking for a return to the conditions they used to know. They are tired of rationing and restrictions and of standing in queues for ordinary everyday wants. They want a greater choice of things to buy, and they want to get them at reasonable prices. These are natural enough desires. One. hears the comment- on every side that people want better quality goods and they want to have them at prices which are more in line with true values. That, is going to be one of the major tasks of the coming year, to restore the country’s economy so til tit the consumer’s rights are protected. I hazard the opinion that the voice of the consumer—which means the ordinary man in the street and his family—will be heard in no uncertain terms it the position is not considerably improved during the coming year.

Big Tasks Ahead

“There are big tasks ahead of us, and we cannot shirk them. As we look round to-day we see a troubled world —a world torn by the ravages of war, with, goodwill and mutual trust among the nations at a low ebb, and with hundreds of thousands of people perilously short of the bare necessities of life. The picture is a sombre dtie, and yet we have much to be thankful for. This is a time for looking forward. If we face our difficulties in a spirit of goodwill and co-operation, in common with the rest of the world, then the new order of freedom and social justice, in an era of peace and plenty, will become a reality and not, a mirage.

“For New Zealand the coming year will be particularly important, because it will provide a test of public opinion regarding the political administration of the Dominion. During the past year a drastic alteration has been made to the electoral laws, for no other purpose than to confer an advantage on the Labour Party in contesting this election, but, in spite of this I venture to think that the heads of the Labour Party, who in tire main are the heads of certain powerful industrial organisations, are still far from confident about the outcome. I trust, however, that although the election may have a far-reaching bearing on New Zealand’s political future, it, will be conducted without rancour and bitterness. Although there may he a political cleavage, there is no justification for extending this beyond the political sphere.

Prime Minister's Mission

“For my part I extend to all New Zealanders, irrespective of political affiliations, my .best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year. The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, on his important mission abroad, carries with him our good wishes for a safe return and a successful outcome to the United Nations conference. The other negotiations, bearing on the effects of the recent Anglo-American loan agreement, will be followed with keen interest by New Zealanders, for they may have an important influence on our future. My personal view is that we cannot forget our debt to Britain, or the ties' of sentiment and kinship that bind us to her. Our own prosperity is largely bound up with that of Britain, and we should never forget that the sale of our primary produce to Britain is of vast importance in maintaining our standard of living, If we see that our production is,main* tained and, if possible, further developed, and if we work still harder and more efficienty, then there will be more goods and a higher standard of living, and that, after all, is the natural aim of all of us. With these thoughts, T wish a happy New Year to all.”