The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1925 SHRAPNEL

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12285, 3 November 1925, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1925 SHRAPNEL

One little “s” makes all the difference in the world. Mr Coates is a man of splendid promise; Mr Holland a man of splendid promises. Being a professing and practising internationalist, the Socialist leader is a man without a country. Mr Coates was a good-enough and true-enough New Zealander to fight for. his native land. Mr Holland did. not raise a hand to help New Zealand in her most desperate years. In one respect, the New Zealand Socialist Party is unique. •It stands before the constituencies silent on the question or defence. For all the public knows to the contrary, the party is purely pacifist. There are thousands of our graves overseas to testify to the wrongness .of such a policy. Even Bolshevik Russia, of which Mr Holland is so great an admirer, has its conscripts and mercenaries. “They wanted men of knowledge and'judgment, men prepared to say things, and get things done/’—Mr R. Masters, at Tariki. That would seem to eliminate Mr Coates from political calculations. Why not send for Mr Veitch? . Mr W, J. Jordan, Socialist candidate for Manukau, is not in favour of the “usehold.” For him, a returned soldier, nothing but the freehold of his home will do. Another Socialist representative, Mr M. Fagan, has declared, unequivocally against the nationalisation of land. It is encouraging to see even two members of the party honest enough to be frank about the egregious “usehold.” ' * As so many of our pacifist politicians are not prepared "to die for their country, they ought not to be allowed to live on it. Canon Feilden Taylor recently warned an audience against the danger of attack from the East. # . Moonshine! When Mr Holland’ disarms New Zealand, Japan, too, will turn pacifist. Trust the Socialist chief to know what he is doing and where he is going! Our evening contemporary has gone into the questionnaire business. Last night it put a number of pointed queries to Mr Holland. The “Post”- is not playing the game. There is nothing intellectual about a questionnaire which metaphorically invites a hardpressed politician to cut his own throat. We have it on the most unreliable authority that when Socialism reigns in this country, M.P.’s Will be called bn to salute the Flag on entering and leaving the Chamber and sing the first and last verses of the National Anthem before retiring to bed. - Perth (W.A.) has witnessed on its wharves a pitched battle between police and strikers. The casualties were ugly and many. In the event of further massed attacks the police have been instructed to shoot. In Queensland there are signs of developing lawlessness almost as ominous. Both these States have Labour Governments. The climate of course, may be a factor. ’