PARTY CAPITAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 17

PARTY CAPITAL

ALLEGATION IN HOUSE LABOUR'S RETORT" . - An allegation by. the Leader of the Nationalist Party in the House of 'Representatives yesterday .that thcLabour Party was trying to ; make .political capital out of the unemployment..question brought forth a retort from the Leader, of the Opposition;'; "I do not think this. is a time to make, party, capital out of .unemployment," said Mr. Forbes.1 -He said he believed all were anxious to see as much as possible done by way.; of re-.. lief. The Prime Minister had declared in 1926' that the prevailing- unemployment was only a. passing phase,.;yet it was still present, and; had1 even .'.increased. He referred to econbiinc-and .other, conditions which ho thought accounted for that fact. "' ; .'.'.'"'' ' '""■':" Mr. E. J. Howard;. (Ghristchurch' South): "Are you apologising- for -'-the Government1?". . ' ' ■ ';-,-. The speaker said.he was not; "I am not trying to make-party, capital,out'of., it," he said, '-'like-the-honourable gen-" tleman and his. colleagues.. ';"\Yp. kjapy/', there is an election: coming,' and-<these gentlemen are out- to expld.it the; piesent position."--..Mr. !■ Forbes , said- he wan ted .-to appeal to', th'c; Government to do all it could to meet uliemployment; they were, hr.a great majority, and had the power to deal .with the problem; It was no use "'moving amendments of no-confidence in them regarding unemployment. . ■''.-'•' '-.' '.'■'■"'■ ' ME. HOLLAND IN REPLY. "I want-to.have a.^word.to..say about tho speech of thp Leader of the : United Party, or is it the ''National Party?" said Mr. Holland: •' ■". .•■-■ ::' ■■• ■ Mr. Forbes: "Have anpther guess." Mr. Holland/"Yes, -I -must confess' I am guessing, for I don't know what the .name of tho party is." .I'must say that .1 was struck by the fact that after the amendment had;.be6n.moved, and- sec-; onded no Minister rose :to reply. When the member for Hurunui gptiip I be-' gan to wonder if w.edidn.'t have a pros^ pectivo Minister replying on behalf of the Government; '(Laugh'te'ri) .It is true ho turned-hisguns-ori the-Govern-.ment to some extent, biithiswas a'most peculiar viewpoint, ..considering he is j sitting on thp1' ■ Opposition : -' -benches. Ho has accused ns, of trying to make political capital out of unemploymeiit by moving an..amendment,; b.utif^mov--ing an- amendment .constitutes, an .endeavour to make political capital, then I would like to ask the., member for Hurunui how often1 he has done that in the past. .The honourable, gentleman spoko in Aucklandnot long-ago, and he told the people that"a'change; of Govern-' 'incut was absolutely necessary. One of the reasons ho advanced was the.unemployment problem. Now ho accuses us of challenging tho Government.,;. I. suppose if wo endeavour-to secure ' better finances for the farmers or if we protest against breaking the .principles of Magna Charta iii Samoa, we are making political capital.'' •-, „- , -.- .. ; Mr. Holland quoted-.from speeches hia'do by Mr. Forb.es during last.session in which he had sharply criticised-the-Government for its actions in connection with-the unemploymeiit . problem,and remarked that now 'Sir. Forbes was going to lead his party, or that portion of it that he could lead,.'into''tile lobbies in defence of the Government.-