CALL TO YOUTH

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 4, 5 July 1938, Page 12

CALL TO YOUTH

NATIONAL PARTY

ADDRESS BY MR. HOLLAND

MANY INTERJECTIONS

Facing a running fire of interjec- ; tions with good humour, Mr. S. G. Holland, National member for Christchurch North, delivered a vigorous fighting speech in the Town Hall Confcert Chamber last night. The hall was [full and the hostile element appeared to be confined to a small minority scattered about the hall. Nevertheless the interruptions were persistent and had it not been for the amplifiers, the speaker would have had some difficulty, at times, in making himself heard. At one stage, a constable ushered out a late arrival who made his way right to _the front of the hall and kept up a running monotone of comment during the later part of the address. Mr. Holland broke off during one particularly strenuous period to state very definitely that, while he was prepared to be very patient with inter jectors, he was not going to allow his meetings to be broken up by hoodlums. The storm of cheering and applause with which the announcement was received, very plainly indicated the sympathies of the majority of the audience. Mr. Holland directed his remarks particularly to. the younger electors, emphasising that today, more than at any previous time in the history of New Zealand, there was a call to young people to take an active interest in the government of their country. "In every nation, under every form of government today, the call is more and more emphatic to youth," said Mr: Holland. "There has never been a time when youth has had more opportunity of contributing to national welfare than today and we have never known a time when youth has been more courageous and more willing to accept responsibility." WELCOME TO YOUTH. There had been an impression among young people, continued Mr. Holland, that politics and the work of government were the prerogative of the older brigade, but-that was passing. Today they found the members of the older brigade very generously and willingly opening their ranks arid welcoming the younger people into the firing line of real activity and greater responsibility. ... Mr. Holland devoted a portion of his address to the administration of the Labour Government and another section to an outline of some of the main policy measures of the National Party. He said that he would never be a party to the introduction of personalities into politics. He was glad to be able to call many members of the Labour Party his friends and f.e was prepared to give them full credit for the good work they had done. He was not among those who said the Labour Party had done no good work and he thought they would ajl admit that Labour had been largely responsible for the great quickening of interest in matters political. Nevertheless, while they had fulfilled many of their election promises to the letter, there were others they had made no attempt to honour. BROKEN PROMISES. "The Labour Party promised to restore wages cuts and it has done so," said Mr. Holland. "It promised to institute payment for holidays and it has done so; it promised to establish compulsory arbitration and it has done so; it promised to institute an invalidity pension' and it has done so; it promised to re-admit the five-year-olds to schools—it has done that also. It has done all of these things and I don't want to deny it the credit for doing them. But those were not the only promises upon which it was elected to 'power. It made many promises and almost as many have been broken. It promised to reduce the exchange rate to parity as between sterling and the New Zealand £; it promised that the cost of government would not be increased, yet we find that in. two years it has increased by £13,500,000; it promised that taxation would not be increased; it promised to subsidise the B class radio stations; it promised to wipe the sales tax off the Statute Book, but none of these things has been done." There had never been a time in New Zealand politics, Mr. Holland asserted, when the political issues were so clearly defined as they were today. On the one hand they had the Labour Party which offered them an economic system based upon the principles of pure and unadulterated revolutionary Socialism—revolutionary, that was, in the economic sense. This party and system stood for State ownership with the workers in control of industry and trade and with the possibility even of an industrial Parliament. On the other hand, they had the National Party standing for the principles of private ownership with the State giving" the fullest co-operation where it was neccessary and desirable. The Labour Government did not" attempt to disguise the fact that the legislation it had so far enacted .was only the first step towards te realisation of a policy of complete State domination. If it was given another term of office, it would proceed further towards its objective until, as Mr. Nash had expressed it, New Zealand was the first completely socialistically-controlled country in the world. The people of New Zealand, Mr. Holland contended, did not want Socialism. They wanted liberty to develop individuality and without unnecessary restriction. QUESTIONS ANSWERED. Replying to questions at the conclusion of his address, Mr. Holland said that the National Party did not propose to try and reduce the exchange rate. New Zealand had arranged her exchange in sympathy with that of other nations and the National Party did not give any promise to interfere with it. The National Party realised the importance of increasing the population of the country. Its policy would be, first, to so reorganise industry that it would be able to absorb all able-bodied workers and then to consult with the various organisations interested in immigration with a view to framing a suitable policy. Nevertheless, he believed that the best means of populating New Zealand was through the_ New Zealand cradle.

In reply to other questions, Mr. Holland said that the National Party had not considered the question of running a State lottery in New Zealand and it would never • run it with his assistance. He was not prepared to.say whether or not the National Party would continue the present education policy until it had had an opportunity of considering the Education Bill at present before the House.

The meeting broke up with cheers for the National Party and a counter demonstration by Labour supporters. Mr. Holland suitably expressed thanks to the chairman, Mr. Cheviot Bell.