A LABOUR LEADER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16479, 19 February 1914, Page 6

A LABOUR LEADER.

It isnot; so many .years, 6ince even the newspapers in New Zealand were in a state of chronic doubt as to the identity of Australian Premiers. Indeed, a politician, quoting some New South Welsh legislation to a Canterbury audience, declared that ho never could remember whether Sir Henry Parkes or Sir .George Dibbs was Premier of- the Mother colony, although at the time neither of those statesmen was in office. However, nowadays we are all better informed concerning Australian affairs, and the Hon W. A. Holman, who is at present in Christchurch, needs no introduction to Canterbury people. Probably, being a very modest leader, he would object to being called a distinguished visitor, but he has at least the distinction of being the first leader in these colonies to win for a Labour Government an emphatic popular endorsement of its policy. No doubt he would himself attribute his party's triumph at the recent elections to its policy, but Mr Holman gave away, unconsciously, one of the secrets of bis success when he Aras replying to the addresses of welcome yesterday. He is quite evidently a master of tact as well as of tactics. His audience no doubt wanted to hear something about Australian politics, but Mr Holman kne_w better, and the greater part of his pleasant little speech was taken up with compliments to New Zealand and New Zealanders. Bludgeon 'methods and abuse are utterly valueless against such a defence. It is simply futile to call a man a revolutionist and a syndicalist and an anarchist when he smilingly agrees that revolution and syndicalism and anarchism are utterly reprehensible. Even the fiercest of the newspapers that a few weeks ago were saying hard things about Labour in politics have been vying with one another in paying compliments to Mr Holman's views and methods, and tho note of praise has been sounded so very persistently that our visitor must be feeling sorely tempted by this time to spend the rest of his days amongst us. For our own part we should be very glad to havo him. Capable, earnest men of high ideals and clear understanding are an asset to be valued by any country, and Mr Holman evidently adds to these qualities a rare capacity for leadership.