THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 25 June 1924, Page 9

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

STATEMENT BY LABOUR LEADER. By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 24. Interviewed to-night with respect to the reported efiort to lorm a new political party, Mr H. F. Holland, M.P., leader of the Parliamentary Party, said it was quite clear that mv some time forces making lor disinteg ration had been at work within noth the Reform and Liberalp Parties, am! that the whole trend ot events was towards an ultimate blending f | main elements ot those parties. Sueh dili’erenees as existed were purely ot a personal character. For their own mutual defence against the rapid;. l , growing strength of the Labour movement. the two older parties had no choice but to come together. The Labour movement was a greater force in Dominion polities than it ever had been previously, and its measure <,t -solidarity, both in and out of Parliament, would not ho in the least impaired by any new movement in politics. Asked if he thought that the present .Session would result in the pm eipitation of an election this year, Mi Holland .said he did nor think so. Still, anything was likely to happen, especially in view of the fact that there were disgninted elements with in the Government Party, and his advice to Labour was that they should hold themselves ready to enter the field at the shortest possible notice. So far as the Labour Party were con corned, their rotes would go to end the life of the present Government at the earliest possible moment.