SERVICE TO LABOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21617, 9 October 1933, Page 11

SERVICE TO LABOUR

AUSTRALIA AND DOMINION FIFTEEN YEARS AN* M.P. CONTINUOUS LEADERSHIP An Australian' by birth, the late Henry Edmund Holland 'devoted practically the whole of his life to the Labour cause. Ho was born at Giniderra, near Canberra, New South Wales, on June 10, 18G8. After 4 primary school education he was apprenticed, at the age of 14, to the printing trade, serving for live years in the employment of the Queanbeyan Times and gaining at the same time some experience in journalism. During the maritime strike of 1890 lio camo into prominence in the Labour organisation. He was a member of the first executive committee of the Labour Electoral League in Sydney and there gained the organising experience which later was to be employed in New Zealand. His association with Labour journalism dates from tho time he became manager of tho Australian "Workman, which afterwards amalgamated with tho Australia Worker. In 1901 he led a strike of tailoresses, in which 2000 women and girls were involved. Conflict with the Law On several occasions the vehemence of his advocacy of Labour action brought him into conflict with the law. His first prison experience was for refusing to pay a fine of £SO inflicted upon him for an article defending a strike of Newcastle miners. In connection with the troubles at the Broken Hill mines Jn 1909 ho was arrested on a charge of sedition with reference to a speech delivered under the auspices of tho Combined Unions' Committee. Along with Tom Mann he was tried at Albury and received a sentence of two years' hard labour, but was released after having been imprisoned for fivo months. Immediately afterwards ho took the platform in regard to a strike of Newcastle miners and was arrested again, together with the members of tho miners' executive.

When the goldminers' strike occurred at Waihi in 1911 Mr. Holland came to New Zealand and delivered Socialistic lectures in various industrial centres. At once he took his place among the leaders of the Labour movement in the Dominion. In 1913 he became editor of the Maoriland Worker, through which he opposed conscription. When the great New Zealand strike of 1913 broke out he was among its most active supporters in Wellington, and for platform utterances was arrested and tried for sedition. He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, but after having served for four months he was released, as one of tho acts of clemency in connection with the outbreak of the Great War. At the time of his sentence he was before the public as a candidate for the Mayoralty of Wellington, but his candidature ' was necessarily withdrawn. Election Contests Early in 1918 he made his second attempt to enter Parliament bv again contesting the Wellington North seat at a by-election, made necessary by the appointment of tho Hon. A." L. (now Sir Alexander) Herdman to the Supreme Cffurt Bench, but was defeated by Sir John Luke. _He was elected for Grey in May, following upon the disqualification of the sitting member, Air. P. C. Webb, under the War Regulations, and represented the electorate, under its original title and its later one of Buller, for the remainder of his life. Leader of Party for 15 Years Prior to his first election to Parliament, the Labour Party had a strength of seven, its chairman being the late Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, member for Wellington South, but small though it was, it did not have the unity that characterises it to-day. It included Mr. J. Payne, member for Grey Lynn, who was really an independent, and Air. W. Veitch, member for Wanganui, whose ideas conformed more to the principles of the Liberal-Labour Association, of which the late Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon had been chairman, than to those of Socialistic Labour. It was the late Air. J. AlcC'ombs who, with Air. P. C. Webb and afterwards with Air. Holland, who formed the spearhead of the Labour political movement as it is to-day. Air. Hindmarsh died in 1918, a few months after Air. Holland's election. Air. Holland was then appointed chairman of the party, and was re-appointed unopposed at the beginning of each Parliament ever since.

The election of 1919 gave Labour its first real taste of political power. It had only nine members, but they had the solidarity which Air. Holland advocated. There were gains in Auckland West, Auckland Central, Wellington Central, Christchurch South and Avon. Grey Lynn was also definitely marshalled with the party. Varying Fortunes

In 1922 the party nearly doubled its strength, gaining 17 seats, but when Reform swept the country in IG'25 it lost ground, securing only 12 seats. When it gained Eden in the by-election of April, 1926, brought about by the resignation of Sir James Parr when lie was appointed High Commissioner, it was, however, able to claim the title of official Opposition.

At tho 1!)28 elections Labour more than recovered its lost ground, although losing Grey Lynn and Auckland East. Mr. Holland now had 20 votes. It had to give place to the Reform Party as tho official Opposition, but upon the Coalition being formed Labour again exercised that function. The 1931 election saw Labour increase its strength to 24.

How much of the present strength of tho Labour Party is duo to Mr. Holianrl's influence and how much to other factors is a matter of surmise, but one thing is certain—Mr. Holland .was very definitely a leader who exercised his power of command when necessary: He had a high sense of the responsibilities attaching to his leadership, and was an indefatigable worker. , He burned the midnight oil and was never long absent from the House. He seemed to live in a state of nervous tension and had been known to complain of his inability to snatch sleep at odd moments. Mr. Holland is survived by Mrs. Holland, who resides at Westport, and by five sons <and two daughters. The sons are Henry, who has recently acted as private secretary to his father, lioy, who is on the staff of the New Zealand Worker, Wellington, and Cedric, Allen and Fred, all of Sydney. The daughters are Mrs. Ivar, of Adelaide, and Mrs. Forman, of Westport. Tho latter, formerly Miss Agnes Holland, was her father's private secretary until her marriage about two years ago and is well-known in political 'circles.