The Press TUESDAY. AUGUST 13. 1857. Retirement of the Prime Minister

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28354, 13 August 1957, Page 12

The Press TUESDAY. AUGUST 13. 1857. Retirement of the Prime Minister

The announcement by the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) of his pending retirement is typical of the man. The temptation to carry on while he had sufficient strength must have been strong; it had been too strong for his predecessors. It is not easy to relinquish the highest position New Zealand can give any of its citizens or to renounce a leading part in the fascinating hurly-burly of government. Mr Holland has been able to do so because he is a man of great determination. Having finally; reached the conclusion that it was his duty to . his country, his family, and himself not to undertake another three years of strenuous public service, he could be expected to make his decision firmly, though surely with lingering regret. Retirement means leaving not only the head of the Cabinet table but membership of the exclusive, though extraordinarily diverse, association of Parliament in which he has spent 22 years.

Mr Holland’s retirement at this time is the crown of a remarkably successful political career. He entered Parliament at the nadir of the National Party’s fortunes, when , the Labour Party seemed invincible. The recovery had barely begun when he became, a few years later, a vigorous, alert Leader of the Opposition. Twice tie Fraser Government staved off his challenge by narrow margins at the General Elections of 1943 and 1946; but-in 1949 he led his party to a convincing win. which was something of a personal triumph, too. With election victories in 1951 and 1954, he established a sequence not paralleled by any political leader in this century in New Zealand. Mr Holland was

fortunate to be Prime Minister in a period of prosperity and peace, uneasy though the latter condition has been. But New Zealand has been fortunate, too, in having him to preside over its affairs at this time.

He has kept his feet on the ground and worked hard and Intelligently to protect the Dominion from the worst effects of world-wide inflation. Prosperity has been fairly shared. Eight eventful years must havp left Mr Holland with many memories of events which he can recall with pride—his firm but conciliatory handling of the waterfront strike, the establishment of the National Roads Board, the great development of hydro-electricity, the establishment of the paper industry, the achievement of his goal

eat pay-as-you-earn taxation s (though this has been left to f another Minister of Finance), o Of them all, the, two things he t may remember with .greatest ; pride are the Queen’s visit to s New Zealand and the wool j profits freeze. That the Queen i should have made her first (but f not, it is to be hoped, last) a visit to New Zealand during his » term of office must have given r Mr Holland great pleasure. In a his affection for the Royal t Family and his belief in the Z Commonwealth (though, like t so many of his generation, he , has sturdily thought of it as the 1 Empire), he has well repfes sented the feeling of ; his s countrymen. The wool freeze, s by keeping a large part of ? swollen wool cheques out of -circulation, had a powerful y anti-inflationary New e Zealand handled that emergency - better than other countries did. ? Now that Mr Holland is going - into the retirement he has 2 richly deserved his countrymen may realise that they have

taken him a little too much for granted, because he has appeared so much one of themselves. This has been a source of strength, although the appearance of ordinariness has been deceptive. To his, typifying of the average New Zealander, he has added his own gifts, not least sensitiveness to the people’s moods With his quick brain he has been just a little ahead of public opinion, but not too far ahead to break the bond of sympathy. His judgment has sometimes been questionable, but not his motives or his instinct for what the country wanted. The’ result has been real public affection for a friendly, unpretentious, but astute man.

To follow such a redoubtable politician as Mr Holland will not be easy, particularly on the eve of a closely contested General Election. Mr Holyoake has the ability and character to overcome his difficulties and

e stand in no man's shadow, d Public affairs have been in his e blood for generations; and for s nearly half his life he has been - a notable figure in Parliament. I. He has been not only an able e deputy for Mr Holland, but also f the most successful Minister of e Agriculture for many years, f Still a young man for high s office, he has the resilience to - meet its exacting demands. Mr s Holland should derive satisfact tion from being able to hand - over an administration in , excellent order to so capable 1 a lieutenant.