HOLLAND'S HOLY HOCUS.

NZ Truth, Issue 472, 4 July 1914, Page 3

HOLLAND'S HOLY HOCUS.

More Mayoral Muddled Monthings

(From "Truth's" Christchurch Rep.)

Hapless Henry Holland, the verbally acrobatic Mayor of Christchurch, after a somewhat lengthy abstraction from indulgence m anything contentious, has flopped his floundering feet into the. muck again and raised particular pandemonium among 1 tke "Paddies" of bigot-infested Christchurch.

■ Presiding, the other. night,, at a-meet-ing of : the Young (?) Women's, Cadging Ass, Holy Henry is reported, to have relieved himself of a gallon or two of gush concerning a Continental tour to which' he treated himself some time ago.

Characteristic of his old. lady-like idiosyncrasies, Henry's diatribe trespassed on a sort of sectarian racket, m which he twanged on the heart-strings of his lady listeners . by mentioning that while he Was m Italy his.supersensitive heart was literally rent to ribbons when he beheld the miserable, poverty-stricken, priest-ridden condition of the people.

% phristchurch followers of the Roman. Caiholic faith rose as one man and heaved a brick of righteous wrath at heretic Holland's head as soon as the local day-lie press committed -his sentiments m cold print. ■• '"'

■ "Truth" has repeatedly drawn- attention to his aldermanic majesty's blithertngly blatant : bubble blowing. Yet the holy one does. not 'mend his ways. As Mayor of Christchurch, Mr. Holland is, m duty bound, to, represent all classes of his little community, irrespective of their creed or station, and it is quite likely thatwhen he: rode to office,- the votes of the Roman Catholics wero just as strongly m his' favor as were those of hfe^,6wn particular piety puslK In all- probability, Mr. Holland travelled ■ through Italy on a Cook's ticket, or drew his conclusions concerning the conditions under which the Italians lived at a moving picture show. Poverty is certainly ,to be- met with m Italy,, but, if its sources were^hquired into, it would, bo found that tho relentless heel of Capitalism is .'the cause of Italian poverty, just as it is the cause of English, poverty and American poverty. -'-'„"I t'Holy "Holland's economic education had been attended to, instead of tilting at the Quixotic conclusion that the religious belief of the Italians was responsible for any signs of distress which clashed against the single optic through which he viewed things, bo would have apportioned the blame properly.