NEW LEADER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 238, 9 October 1933, Page 8

NEW LEADER.

LABOUR'S CHOICE?

MR. SAVAGE OR MR. FRASER. THE BULLER. BY-ELBCTION. fßy Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this clay. While quite naturally members of the Parliamentary Labour party are not yet ready to consider the question of the future leadership of the party, one thing is certain, and that is that it is not at all certain that the leadership will go to the present deputy-leader, Mr. M. J. Savage.

With the gradual increase in numerical strength that the Labour party haiattained, there have, come difficulties, common to all parties, of preserving unanimity and singleness of outlook. It cannot be denied that members have been singularly loyal to the late leader and to the party, but in the past few years there have developed at least two sections, which can more or less be defined as the Right and Left wings. The attitudes of these two sections differ approximately to the same extent as in the British Labour party; themoderate or Right section is content to po on working for Socialism in a gradual manner, while the more radical or Left wing stands in favour of immediate socialisation on the party's attainment of office. These differences of opinion are likely to be apparent when at the end of this week or early next week the Labour caucus meets to select its new leader.

Qualities of Leadership. Other factors will also come into the selection. The two members who will have the greatest claims on the leadership are Messrs. Savage and Eraser. Mr. Savage has been the deputy-leader for a good many years, and Mr. Fraser hae been secretary of the Parliamentary Labour party for a considerable period. Both men have many of the qualities of leadership, and each of them could probably hold the party intact and prevent anything in the nature of a breakaway. The fact that Labour is considered to be nearer to attaining power than ever before in its history will also have an effect on the members when they meet to select their new leader, for when an election comes the party will have to be led by a man who can catch the imagination of the electorate. A Holland to Succeed? As with the question of leadership, no one is yet giving much thought to the question of, a successor to Mr. Holland in the Buller seat, but there is a general impression in Parliamentary circles that if neither of his two eons in New Zealand, Messrs. Harry and Roy Holland, wishes nomination, then it will go to Mr. P. C. Webb. The choice, of course, lies with the Labour Representation Committee in Buller, the decision of which has to be confirmed by the national executive. Both sons are keen Labour eupportens. Harry has been his father's private secretary for some time, and is the elder of the two. Roy has been advertising manager of the "New Zealand Worker" for a considerable period.

Mr. Webb represented the Grey electorate before Mr. Holland, and, as he is keen to return to politics, there is little doubt that his name will go before the selection committee. It is believed that if any of these three stood there would be no difficulty in Labour holding the seat.

Will Seat Be Contested? Like the Labour party, the Government has not yet considered the question of the forthcoming by-election. Buller has now been a Labour seat since it was made an electorate in 1919, and there is a possibility that the Government will decide not to contest it. Its recent marked defeat in the Lyttelton electorate is sill fresh in the minds of the leaders, and there is no doubt that a repetition of that debacle is not to be desired. Hence the question of allowing the seat to go uncontested, especially if either of Mr. Holland's sons wishes to stand, will be seriously considered.