OPPOSITION LEADER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20087, 26 October 1928, Page 16

OPPOSITION LEADER.

MR. HOLLAND IN WELLINGTON.

DAIRY CONTROL FAILURE. CHARGE AGAINST MR. COATES. QUESTIONS FOR OPPONENTS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PIIESS ASSOCIATION' J WELLINGTON, Thursday. Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, addressed an enthusiastic meeting in the Town Hall this even-

ing. Stressing the charge that Mr. Coates and the Government had been responsible for wrecking the. co-operative marketing effort of tho primary producers, Mr. Holland referred to a statement made by Mr. W. Grounds at the annual meeting of tho National Dairy Association at Palmerston North to the effect that in May, 1927, Mr. W. Goodfellow had written an article for tho Exporter, in the. original draft of which it was set foitli that the scheme of absolute control had been wrecked bv tho propaganda of vested interests and that if it had not been for tho Government's action and the action of its appointees the producers in New Zealand would liavo been saved the disaster of the 1927 season. The article was altered before it appeared in print, according to Mr. Grounds' itatement, and in its altered form it set forth that tho scheme of absolute control had been wrecked by dissensions within the industry and by tho farmers themselves, and furthermore, that the breaking down of control was largely due to tho action of the Labour Party. Loan to Broadcasting Company.

This change, said Mr. Holland, had apparently been made after Mr. Coates had been interviewed bv certain persons, and it was about this time that the Radio Broadcasting Company, of which Mr. Goodfellow was one of the principals, secured a loan from the Postal ' Department of £15.000, which loan was made without authority'of Parliament. Apparently there was somewhere a connecting link between the Exporter article and the loan to the Radio Broadcasting Company. It was an interesting coincidence that the same man edited the Exporter and the Radio Record, and that both these papers wero supporters and defenders of the policy of the Government.

Referring to Mr. Coates' denunciations of socialisation, Mr. Holland said he wanted to ask him to give a straight answer to tho question which of the socialised institutions of New Zealand he proposed to abolish ? If Mr. Coates was really serious in his fulmination against socialism it followed ho was antagonistic to social services represented by tho Government Railways, Post and Telegraph Department, Education and Health Departments, Public Trust, State Advances, Stato coal mines and other State undertakings, and since this was so the public was entitled to know in what order Sir. Coates proposed to direct his attack against these services if he should succeed in getting back to office. > Sir Joseph Ward's Politics.

In his recent speech at Auckland Sir Joseph Ward was reported as having said the encroachment by the State on the field of private enterprise was detrimentally affecting all commercial progress and causing a feeling of insecurity in the minds of those engaged in business, and further, that the United Party held that trading for profit in these enterprises was not a legitimate function of the State. This, continued Mr. Holland, was wholly in conflict with Sir Joseph Ward's pronouncement, made :ri his speech on the Financial Statement on September 30, 1919. On that occasion Sir . Joseph showed bow by setting up a State bank they could make £500.000 a year out of it, and how this profit from a State enterprise could he used- to reduce taxation.

In the same speech Sir Joseph liad advocated the nationalisation of the coal mines, contending that since the annual output of coal in New Zealand was over 2,000,000 tons, the country would require to get only 2.s a ton out of it to reap over £200.000 a year, and it would onlv he a matter of time before we would get 1250,000 from these sources. This amount Sir Jose]>h Ward had proposed should also he utilised to reduco taxation. Protesting that there were some people in New Zealand who thought that the State could not do anything satisfactorily. Sir Joseph, in 1919,"declared that the' State had run the post office, the railways,- the Government insurance offices, the Public Trust/ and other State services, and had done well in the interest of the community. Now he was leading what appeared to bo a campaign in the opposite direction.

Something Due to Public. It was due to tho public that SirJoseph Ward, equally with Mr. Coates, should specify the State services to he curtailed or abolished if his party succeeded, concluded Mr. Holland. • The secretary of the Alliance of Labour. Mr. J. Roberts, moved the following resolution: That the meeting tenders its hearty thanks to Mr. Holland for his address, expresses confidence in ' tho Labour Party, and Mr. Holland as leader, and pledges itself to work for tho triumph of the Labour Party candidates on election day. The president of tho Trades and Labour Council, Mr. F. D. Corn well, seconded the motion, which the chairman declared carried on a show oi Lands, with only two dissentients. No questions were invited.

TO-NIGHT'S PROGRAMME

CANDIDATES' ADDRESSES. Public meetings announced foi Litis evening arc, as follows: Mr. 0. E, I'urton IKden).—Comei Val Icy and Doniinioii Roads, 8 |».m. Mr. Kclls Mason iMauukau ). —Picture JI ;i 11, Penrose, 8 Ji. 111. Ml'. K. lv. Allen i Auckland Suburbs).— Kwanson, fi p.ni. Mr. It, 11. (Ireville (Waiteniai a ).-- Greenliit lie Hall, 8 p. in. Mr. K. .Allan (Ilauraki).•- Public Hall, I'akiiranga, 8 p.m. Mr. A. G. .Osborne. (VVaitemata).---Marinc Square, Devonpori. 8 p.m. Mr. W T. Anderton (Jul en I. Coiner Mariukau and Raufurly I toads. 8.10 p.m. and .corner Mariukau and A Ilia Itoads. 8.46 [i. in, Mr. A. S. Hicliards (Iloskill). —Mount Albert terminus, 7.45 p.m. -Mr, H. G. H. Mason. M.P. (Auckland Suburbs).—Taupaki Hall. 8 p.m. i " Barclay ( Kaipai a '). - Rivet head, 8 p.m. b'VL ington SST, p.',™" i-A 1 ?-" Alexander Harris (Walteniat-U----,1 'l 1 ' 1 . 10 School, Glonfiokl, 8 p.,n.' ' h ti s wH' Cn Melville (Roakillj.— Public Hall, AVaikovvliai, p, , > rn ' ul)lu Mr: Stewart Iteid M.P. ( \V ;i .k io\ Tatuanui Hall, fi p . ni . < w.i.k.i ,o).~ " ~ \V' i - Nl . nss <\v (Franklin),'—Public Hall,, Karaka North. 8 p m ~ ? N; M I- (0,,.v sEn**? s " w '"■« n„s S ," V " C °' W' (Auckland •V • rec letups, Ponsonhy, 7.30 n