MR. HOLLAND'S EXCUSE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 6

MR. HOLLAND'S EXCUSE

I .-■■■"-...' 10 THE EDIIOB. '■■■■", -.- Sir, —In an endeavour to .save the face of his party, Mr. H. E. Holland, 1i1.P., presented a sophistical plea in his address reported in your columns. He says, "The Labour aPrty put forward % every effort to secure a settlement -without a strike.". .So far as we can learn what the party, did was .to actively support the A.S.K.S. in the line of policy, which culminated in strike action. .-■■' These four acts : were tacitly supported by the party:— ■: .. . ' '. (1.) The breaking: of negotiations under the first wages board.. '.■/..: > (2;) The taking of a strike ballot. : ' (3.) The closing of negotiations for a second-wages board. -': „_■■ .-' \ (4.) The calling of- a railway strike. ; If we are'wrong .in this assumption, Mi. Holland may .put'us right by showing when and where; his party : opposed or objected to any of these acts: \; On' the evidence before. the public,- :we submit that this political party was as much to. blame for what; transpired as the members .of the ; A.5.8.5.. The only difference between the railwaymen and the Labour politicians ..was that-the former stood to lose something; whilst,the latter were all out for their, own advantage. ■".". . ■;■■ --„-■ ; ;'-■•;■ '.'. In striving to turn the industrial dis- '. pute into a purely party pilitical cb2itest; the Labour poluiciai:s were cok sidering tlieir own before all other. ictcrestsi even those of the railwaymen. Having encouraged the ■railwaymen. to teka a- wrong course, we r.ow find'this, pa'riv-' through, its. leader putting forward the lame excuse that it was nt-t to blame:. would be a good deal more manly if these j^liticians would take their share of the blame for what they encouraged, instead of throwing it'air on to the railwaymen. .: What: sophistry it is for Mr.: Holland to plead that-"it would' be mcorrect to say that the strike failed." That sort of playing with words avails nothing. The strike succeeded only in doing injury toYthe people of the country, including the- railwaymen, and for that result Mr. Holland and his party must be held responsible insofar as they encouraged, the wrong litte of policy. Even now. it; must bo noted that this politician, who apparently aspires to be Prime Minister of New Zealand, shows no, idea of opposition to\ strike policy in relation to State services. His chief regret is not over the strike having occurred, but merely that the organisation was. not complete enough to set? tie by force of numbers. .. It is quite clear from what .has trans-; pired\that the railwaymen recognised in time that numbers are not evetything, and the-big orgnnisatibn may, be an ac-. taal source of danger, otherwise the dispute would have been passed on to the Alliance of Labour.. •'..•' .. After-all,-Mr. Holland's poor pleas are boomerang statements, which coirie back and strike himself and his party.-—We are. etc.. '- v ;"'" -; '■' '.--■ '•"■'.' X.Z. VVBLFAEE LEAGUE: Glh May. ": -. : ',- /-.-/:.-.:..Vi.'