KEEP OUT THE NATIONALISTS!

Grey River Argus, 18 February 1942, Page 7

KEEP OUT THE NATIONALISTS!

Mr Holland, Leader of the Opposition, is still continuing with his campaign for a Coalition Government. Mr Holland can see, or pretends to see, a general public demand for a government that will include members of h's party. Every expression of dissatisfaction with Government policy, every criticism of the Government, every bye-election result, -is taken by Mr Holland as a definite sign that the people of New Zealand want a “non-party” coalition government.

We know that the wealthy interests behind the Nationalist Party want such a government. It would solve many problems for them. The Nationalist Party would undoubtedly dominate the government. The burden of paying for the war could be more firmly clamped on the shoulders of the working people, since the; presence of Labour men in such a government would tend to divide the workers in their opposition to shouldering’ that burden, whereas a purely Nationalist Government would be certain to meet with resistance from a united working class.

Mr Holland is also shrewd enough to realize that the successful formation of a coalition government would have the same effect on the New Zealand Labour Party as the infamous Ramsay MacDonald Coalition Government had on the Labour Party of Great Britain. It would be split from top to bottom to such an extent that another election victory for Labour would be unlikely foil years to come.

Some members of the present Government have expressed strong opposition to a coalition with the Nationalist Party. It is therefore very likely that a number of them would immediately form an opposition group in Parliament to a coalition government. This opposition group of Labour members would undoubtedly meet with strong support from many workers who to-day support the Labour Government; and who will deny the fact that unity between all workers and the Government is essential to an effective war effort?

Let us inform Mr Holland and his party once again that the Labour Party rank and file, the trade unions, and the ■working - people generally, are just as strongly opposed to a coalition government to-day as they were when Mr Holland’s party raised this matter over a year ago. On that occasion all working class organisations that discussed the proposal were unanimous in condemnation of it.

The Australian people are only just beginning to discover the full extent of the profite'ering and racketeering, the almost incredible inefficiency, neglect, and waste, that took place under the Menzies and Fadden. Nationalist Governments. When these governments were in office strikes and disputes were a daily occurrence in Australia. We do not want a similar state of affairs in New Zealand. Only a government which enjoys the confidence of the workers, which is closely connected with the working class, can possibly organise an effective war effort. A coalition government will never retain the support of a majority of the workers. Keep the Nationalists out of the Government!