SUCCESS OF LABOUR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17220, 11 December 1923, Page 10

SUCCESS OF LABOUR.

MR HOLLAND'S SPEECH. Pjbr Pkess Association. WESTPORT, December 10. Speaking at a railwaymen\s meeting last evening Mr H. E. Holland, leader of the Labour Party, said the outstanding feature of the British elections was the phenomenal advance recorded by the British Labour Party in the face of one ol the bitterest and most slanderous auti-Labour campaigns ir: British history, and for which both Conservatives and Liberals were responsible. How signally that- campaign had failed was demonstrated by the fact that the aggregate Labour vote had increased in a single year by nearly 400,000, while representation in the House of Commons had increased by round about 30 members or 20 more than the Labour Party’s own estimate. Twenty-three years ago the Party bad only been able to contest fifteen seats and their aggregate vote was then 62.298. Ten year later it had grown to 605,690 in 78 electorates, and in 1918. in the war atmosphere of Mr Lloyd George’s “ hang the Kaiser ” election, it rose to 2.244,945 in the 361 electorates. Last year the 1918 results were nearly doubled, the aggregate vote being 4,235.457 in 414

electorates; thus in five years the British Labour vote had doubled itself. Et appeared that Mr Baldwin’s defeat would immensely hasten the inevitable amalgamation of the Conservatives and alleged Liberals, and it was only a matter of time when. a Labour Government would rule in Britain. Not only had the British electors very emphatically condemned the economically unsound protectionist policy of Mr Baldwin, a policy that most certainly would not have protected the British workers, but they had also clearlv recorded their disapproval of the Singapore naval base project and called a halt to the militarists. Jt looked as if Mr Wilford’s visit to Singapore would have been made in vain after all. Mi* Holland said there would be very great satisfaction throughout the New Zealand Labour movement because ol the gains recorded by British Labour, and amongst the incidents of the election on which the New Zealand movement would feel that British electors were to be especially congratulated were the re election of Mr Ramsay Macdonald with sucli a huge majority over his Conservative opponent and the defeat of Air Winston Churchill and Mr F. M. B. Fisher. It was to bo regretted that the New Zealand Prime Minister had deemed it necessary to rail go himself on the side of the Conservative Party and its impossible policy while the campaign was proceeding, and he was confident that New Zealand electors would remember the fact. He was of opinion that the British results would have a big influence on the- voting in New Zealand in favour of Labour at next election, and more especially if it took place at an early date.