THE LABOUR PARTY

Otago Witness, Issue 3523, 20 September 1921, Page 24

THE LABOUR PARTY

WHAT IT STANDS FOR. Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., leader of tho Parliamentary Labour Party, gave an address recently in the Art Gallery Hall on “The Labour Party’s Policy: Its Meaning.” The hall was fairly well filled by an audience in which there was a fair proportion of ladies. Mr Colin Robertson presided. Mr Holland, who was received with applause, said tho Labour Party had a clearcut objective, and in that, it was different from any.other party. This involved the reorganisation of society in a direction which would impoe-e obligations of social service on every citizen, atid which would value men and women by the services they rendered and not by the amount of money which they happened to possess. Every plank in its platform was a stepping-stone to that objective, which—they made no secret of it —meant socialism, and every student knew that socialism was the next inevitable step in the evolution of tho race. Reviewing political events since 1914, Mr Holland accused the National Government of trying to take away from the people every cherished British liberty and imposing restrictions and repress : ons ■ such ns had made the names of Germany and Russia a byword throughout the world. He instanced the opening of letters. “For nearly two years,” he said, “every letter that came to me, either to nry office or to my residence, was opened. Every letter that came to my wife, even letters from our eon in Australia, were opened; even the Christmas cards to tho children were fastened with a dirty gum line, showing- that they had been opened. And besides we had inside information.” Proceeding to discuss the party’s platform, Mr Holland said the first plank was proportional representation and the referendum. lie condemned the Legislative endum. The Chamber was maintained on a class basis; though the Labour Party polled 128,000 votes, it had not a single representative. Of education Mr Holland said the Labour Party intended to make it wholely free. He advocated that teachers should have a voice in the control of education through representatives elected by their institutes. The Labour Party wanted to write all the military teaching out of the school books, and teach the children that there was only one human race; that tho red blood in their veins flowed in tho veins of the children of all the world; and that nothing was done which adversely affected one country without adversely affecting people in other parts of the world.—(Applause). Mr Holland also advocated State shipping. The Union Steam Ship Company had a stranglehold on New Zealand, particularly on the West Coast. The day had come when tho State should have its own lines of steamers plying not for profit, but for social service, and to run the Union Steam Ship Company out of business altogether, if possible.—(Applause). A State bank was also advocated. New Zealand. was?* using one-third of its revenue to pay interest, and this could not go on. This problem of interest could be faced only by a State bank, and, he thought, by a levy on capital. It was only fair that the men whose property was fought for should pay.—-(Applause.) Dealing with the nationalisation of mines, Mr Holland said New Zealand could produce all and more coal than she required. He put tile shortage down as being due to bad conditions in the mines and the want of decent homes for the miners. The Labour Party, Mr Holland went on to say, came as the legitimate successor of Baliance and Seddon, representing all the industrial organisations of the country, the best in its womanhood, and the roost progressive of its intellectuals; pleading the cause of all who were weary and heavy laden, an-d pleading for the solidarity of Labour for tne purpose of gaining control, when the next election came, of tne machinery of Government. When Labour came into power it would not seek to administer the affairs of the country in a narrow class interest, but it would seek to build a superstructure of industrial democracy on the foundation laid by Baliance and Seddcn in the days of a greater past.—(Loud applause.)