NATIONAL PARTY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25679, 16 December 1948, Page 6

NATIONAL PARTY

Early Success Predicted MR HOLLAND’S VIEWS

“I believe that our success will not be much longer delaved,” said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) in a post-sessional address to members of the Canterbury division of the National Party last evening. The party’s great year of opportunity was 1949. he said. “We face the future not unmindful of the problems, their complexities and difficulties. Having prepared ourselves for that great task, which no one envies us, I believe we can face that great responsibility. We can give administration of considerable ability and sound judgment and be a Government which will be determined, come what may, to do only those things which will be in the best interests of the people. “I am constantly being asked what are our prospects for the next election, and I* would say that we have every cause to entertain feelings of restrained optimism,” said Mr Holland. “I say restrained because there is nothing more dangerous than over-confid-ence. We had the example in the United States. We have an excellent chance. The year 1949 is our great year of opportunity. We are in a much better position a year before next election than we were a year before the last one.”

The National Party had achieved what had not been accomplished in any other British country—the harmony and unity of all the anti-Com-munist, anti-Socialist forces within one party under one leader. It had also succeeded, where others had failed, in reconciling the interests of town and country inside one policy. It had proved that the interests and welfare of one were the interests and welfare of the other.

The party was in splendid heart. During the year the party had continued to make steady progress. The greatest progress had been among the young people, who had formed several new branches, but the backbone of the party was the women’s organisations. “We approach the task fortified by your enthusiasm and support,” said Mr Holland, “and confident that the basic principles for which we- stand are better suited to a British community than are the principles of Socialism, which find ’so similar a counterpart in the philosophy of foreign countries.”

Concluding his address, which was enthusiastically received, Mr Holland said: “We must succeed this time. I have already seen some of the Government’s election propaganda. It is good. The Government is appealing to the middle-class vote.”