FOR LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 238, 9 October 1933, Page 9

FOR LABOUR.

LEADER AND FIGHTER

GROWTH OF THE PARTY.

UNSPARING EFFORTS

Hi* life was lived for the cause of Labour. That briefly summarises the career of Henry Edmuird Holland, Parliamentarian, journalist, and Leader of the Opposition.

From insignificant beginnings Mr. Holland saw the movement in New Zealand grow in strength and solidarity and reach, 'dnder his always able generalship, the present position it holds. In Parliament Mr. Holland was an outstanding figure. One of its best debaters, he commanded universal respect for the logic of his utterances and the brilliance of his many onslaughts on the Government. It may not be beneath the dignity of the historian to record that the Labour Leader was always on his bench in the House and kept a diary of the major happenings. In recent years his health was not good, and a leg injury troubled him. In his 15 years of service he created a remarkable record for his application to duty. Thrice Imprisoned.

Born in Giniderra, near Canberra, New South Wales, in ISOS, Mr." Holland at the age of 14 years was apprenticed to the printing trade. The whole of his adult life was devoted to the cause of Labour, and such was his passion for the principles he held that he thrice suffered imprisonment on their behalf. In addition to his vehement advocacy of Labour action, he was a competent writer on the subject, and through both he came into conflict with the law. In 1896, for refusing to pay a fine of £50 inflicted upon him for an article defending a strike of Newcastle miners, h- was eent to gaol, and in 1909 he served five months' imprisonment for sedition arising out of Broken Hill mining troubles.

When the New Zealand strike of 1913 broke out he was among its most active supporters in Wellington, and for plat form utterances was arrested and tried for sedition. He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, but after having served four months he was released, as one of the acts of clemency in connection with the outbreak of the Great War.

Although he had visited New Zealand in 1911 in connection with the Waihi gold miners' strike, Mr. Holland did not settle permanently in the Dominion until the following year. He at once took his place among the leaders of the Labour movement, and, assuming the editorship of the "Maoriland Worker," he led newspaper opposition to conscription during the war. A Small Party.

Entering the Parliamentary arena in 1914, he unsuccessfully conteited : the Wellington North seat, but in 1918 he was returned for Grey (now Buller) at a by-election, Mr. P. C. Webb, the sitting member, having been debarred from taking his seat on account of his antimilitary attitude. Mr. Holland on that occasion defeated by 210 votes Mr. T. E. Coa.tes, a West Coast lawyer and farmer. He retained the seat at the 1918 general election, and at each successive contest was returned by large majorities. Shortly after his entry into the House he was chosen Leader oft the Labour party, then only seven strong. At the next general election the group increased its numerical strength by two, but made a tremendous gain in solidarity, to form the basis of the united movement that Labour is to-day in national politics.

It is a matter of history, of- course, that for th'e first two years of its administration, 1928-30, the .United Administration was kept in office as the reeult of Labour's support, which, however, was withdrawn with the introduction of Mr. Forbes , wage and salary reduction policy.

Mr. Holland is survived by Mrs. Holland, who resides at Westport, and by five soils and two daughters. The sons are Henry, who has recently acted as private secretary to his father, Roy, who is on the staff of the "New Zealand Worker," Wellington, and Cedric, Allen and Fred, all of Sydney. The daughters are Mrs. Ivar, of Adelaide, and Mrs. Forman. of Westport. The latter, formerly Miss Agnes Holland, was her father's secretary until her marriage about two-years ago.