POLITICAL SITUATION

Southland Times, Issue 19279, 25 June 1924, Page 5

POLITICAL SITUATION

SUGGESTED NEW PARTY MR HOLLAND’S VIEWS REFORM AND LIBERALS COMING TOGETHER. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 24. Interviewed to-night with respect to the reported effort to form a new political party, Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said it was quite clear that for some time forces making for disintegration had been at work within both the Reform and Liberal parties, and that the whole trend of events was toward an ultimate blending of the mt<n elements of those parties. The record of voting in the main divisions of the more recent sessions and the consistent manner in which the Reform Party had been held in office by votes of either some or all of the Liberals, furnished evidence that there was no wide difference in the Reform and Liberal policies, and that such differences as existed were purely of a personal character. For their own mutual defence- against the rapidly growing strength of the Labour movement, the two older parties had no choice but to come together. If the effort which was being made at Auckland to form a new party should succeed, it would certainly not include any members of the Labour Party, as had been suggested. 111© Labour movement was a greater force in Dominion politics than it ever had been previously, and its measure of solidarity, both in and out of Parliament, would not be in the least impaired by any new movement in politics. Asked if he thought that the present session would result in the precipitation of an election this year, Mr Holland said he did not think so. Still, anything was likely to happen, especially in view of the fact that there were disgruntled elements within the Government Party, and his advice to the Labour movement was that they should hold themselves ready to enter the field at the shortest possible notice. So far as the Labour Party was concerned, the votes of his supporters would go to end the life of the present Government at the earliest possible moment.