THE ELECTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1928, Page 13

THE ELECTIONS.

MR. HOLLAND ON TOUR.

REPLY TO PRIME MINISTER.

REFORM'S RECORD ANALYSED.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

DUNEDIN, Friday. Before a crowded audience which loudly cheered when he appeared Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour party, addressed electors in the Burns Efa.ll to-night. In replying to the Prime Minister Mr. Holland said he had been struck by the extreme modesty of some of Mr. Coatee' statement*. The speaker read a lengthy list of progressive reforms which Mr. Coates claimed to have brought about. There .was just one thing that Mrf Coates did not take credit for and that was the flight across the Tasman. (Laughter.). Mr. Holland said he noticed that Mr. Coates had said that in 1925 the Government set out with a clear programme and no Handful schemes. Fanciful was not the word to describe the promises made in the huge advertisements which appeared in New Zealand papers, before the elections. The Government had not divulged who had paid for them. Mr. Holland invited other parties to do as the labour party did and publicly acknowledge contributions to its funds. "Promisee Unfulfilled."

When one went through Mr. Coates' speech in Christchurch, continued Mr. Holland, one found that most of the promises which he had made in 1925 remained unfulfilled, notwithstanding the fact that he had such a large majority. Mr. Coates talked of forfeitures and surrenders and Baid most of the settlers concerned i* recent years had voluntarily surrendered their leases so that they could take them up again under a better tenure. . Forfeitures and surrenders which had taken place showed the extent to which men had been driven off the land by the Coates land policy. If the Prime Minister thought that figures would show his own policy in a better light let him give figures. He had not done so up to the .present. Hie Government had been cutting figures out of the Tear Book since those figures had been used by their opponents. "Let Mr. Coates look to New Zealand," said Mr. Holland, in dealing with references which Mr. Coates had made to the Labour party in Australia. "We cannot solve the problems of Australia, and Australia cannot solve ours. Let New Zealand lode after its own problems." In connection with the total eigrstered mortgages, a full page had been cut out of the 1928 Tear Book, contended the speaker. The same «nng applied in the ease of the Post Office Savings Bank. It was peculiar that this had happened sines the Labour party had made use of the figures. Alternative to Reform. The Reform party had been in office for 16 years and it said that if it were given another term it would do **inf that it had promised previously.. After 16 years of office it said the country Was just turning the corner. . Mr. Holland made only brief reference to the United Paity, stating that Liberals had so often voted with-Reform that there was no line of demarcation between the parties. The only alternative to Reform' was Labour. ,

In reply to an interjection Mr. Holland stated that the Tory Government was in office in New South Wake. It had a bigger deficit and a bigger unemployment problem than ; ever the State had had under Labour.

In reply to the Prime Miniater** references to relief works, Mr. Holland Mid the Labour party - did not think - that there should be any relief works, bat considered that instead necessary public works should be undertaken. If, they were worth doing the Government should pay the standard rate of-wages.