NATIONAL PARTY CAMPAIGN

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24051, 13 September 1943, Page 4

NATIONAL PARTY CAMPAIGN

* MR HOLLAND’S STRENUOUS TOUR

Since he opened the election campaign for the National Party in the Theatre Royal, Christchurch, on August 31, the leader of the party (Mr S. G. Holland) has made a rapid tour of the North Island and has also visited Blenheim and Nelson, from where he arrived in Christchurch last evening. A computation has been made that he has spoken to no fewer than 17,000 electors, excluding those who listened to his opening radio address. “Everywhere the .policy of-the National Party was splendidly received, said Mr Holland in a review of his tour to date. “Many believed some months ago that no interest would be taken in the General Election campaign, but my experience has convinced me that the people are as deeply interested in political questions as in the days of peace. They have had eight years in which to form their judgment of Labour administration, and more than three years of Mr Fraser’s Government, and the many thousands of electors I have addressed so far have welcomed the National Party's policy as a constructive plan of a party which has the will and the capacity to put its plan for a better government and a happier country into operation.” Commenting that the people knew very well whether they liked the present Government or. not, Mr Holland said that experience in many parts of the Dominion had proved the soundness of the course he had taken from the beginning of the campaign of devoting his speeches to placing his party’s policy before the people. It was obvious that the electorate was interested in the future, not the past. The largest meeting addressed on the first section of his North Island tour, which will be resumed next Monday, was at Auckland, said Mr Holland, where 3000 attended in the Town Hall. Two other highlights were that nearly 1000 electors of New Plymouth stood outside the Opera Hpuse, which seated 1400, and the attendance of 800 at 11 a.m. last Friday at Feilding, where a Minister who had opened the campaign in the district had spoken to an audience of 70 at night. At both Blenheim and Nelson the theatres were not large enough to seat the electors who wisned to hear addresses: indeed, overflow audiences were the order of the tour.

Mr Holland will leave Christchurch to-morrow to give addresses at Timaru and Oamaru, and on Wednesday he will speak at the Dunedin Town Hall. After speaking at Invercargill on Thursday night, he- will return to Christchurch to give an address in his electorate, and on Monday night he will broadcast from Hamilton. After meetings in the King Country and at Wellington, he has arranged to return to Christchurch North for the final two nights of the campaign.