"NO POLICY YET"

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 14

"NO POLICY YET"

ME. HOLLAND'S CHAEGE

TASK FOR ROYAL COMMISSION

COALITION'S INEPTITUDE1

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

•'■■■■•■■ " ■■: '"•■' ; GBEYMOUTH, This Day. " The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) has concluded the Grey Valley portion of the tour of his clcc-: t.orate', and now proceeds to Bulle'r, where he has a lengthy programme of meetings before leaving for the opening of Parliament. He has delivered addresses iit all the /'farming and mining centres, and has been; accorded'votes of renewed confidence in every case.. Last.night at Bunanga Mr. Holland devoted attention to the Boyal Commission to. make recommendations regarding economies to be/ effected by legislation during the forthcoming short session-'of'Parliament. The Coalition Governnient^;he-said^ had!gon&'to the country in'i)e/cember asking .for': a blank cheque; aiid'promising that.if this were given the Government would-, produce a_ policy that would redeem tW situation in New Zealand. The majority of the people had gone blindfolded to the polls and had given the blank cheque asked for. The result of the election was that, notwithstanding the significant advance by the Labour Party the Government" had such a . substantial majority ,that it was in a position to carry through the whole of whatever programme it adopted.-■■•■ ■•■■■ Notwithstanding the pre-election pronouncements of the Coalition, which were in no way being honoured, conditions? in relation •' to unemployment and poverty were last becoming worse, and the Government, instead of coming forward -with the promised policy- of remedial, legislation, was now busy setting up a Eoyal Commission to which was to be delegated the task'of framing a policy which the Government had apparently found itself incapable of formulating. It spoke volumes for the ineptitude of the Coalition ; .that it shouldhave convened a session of Parliament, to deal with a policy that wa-s as yet unprepared arid, which when prepared would be the work of an outside body and not of Cabinet. Furthermore the Government .could only hope that the Commission would have its report in: part ready for submission Yonie time during the session. It could not guarantee when the details of the policy to_be made for it would be available. .It would be somewhat peculiar, said Mr. Holland, if the Address-in-Eeply debate was left to eventuate without tha members of the House having.been made, conversant with the essential features of the economic proposals in which Mr. Forbes and his\ fusion colleagues, were ultimately toVbe involved by the. Eoyal Commissioners The people had every right to expect that before the session was called" a general outline of; the Government's programme would have been agreed upon by Cabinet and made available both to Parliamentarians and the pUblic. V ' ■'■"'■■■ :■■:..-