AN IMPENDING TEST.

Wairarapa Age, 9 August 1929, Page 5

AN IMPENDING TEST.

HOW WILL THE LABOUR PARTY VOTE? MR HOLLAND ON “KING MAKER” SPEECH. (By Telegraph.—“ The Age Special.) WELLINGTON, August 8. The fate of the amendment to be proposed by the Right Hon. J. G. Coates (Leader of the Opposition) when the primage duty increase comes before the House for confirmation, continues to be the subject of Lobby speculation. It is believed that the Labour Party is inclined to support the new taxation proposals ,though the Customs aspect is distasteful, but the situation is to be dealt with only when it arises. Mr. H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labour Party) has written to the “Evening Post” correcting the original newspaper report of his “king-making” speech at Greymouth in January last. "What I said,’’ he writes, “when referring to a statement made by a previous speaker, was that I could not conceive of the Labour Party voting for rto-eonfidence motions moved by Mr Coates, which would have the effect of putting the Reform Party (back on the Government benches, and I added that possibly because neither the Reform Party nor the Labour Party would support each • other on no-conifidence motions, the Ward Government would hold office longer than would otherwise be the case. I did not say that Sir J. Ward was assured of office for three years. I mentioned’ then, as I have done on numerous other occasions, that the Labour Party’s attitude in this respect would be determined by the legislation brought down by the Government and also by its administrative acts, and I concluded by saying that in view of the peculiar position of the three parties, to some extent the Labour Party, of which I had the honour to be Leader, was in the position of a kingmaker. ” The Parliamentary Labour Party defines its attitude, after a caucus this week, in the following terms: “The party reaffirmed its attitude adopted in December last, namely that the Labour Party would maintain its position in Parliament entirely independent of the other parties, and that it would shape its policy as all the circumstances surrounding each situation would warrant. ’ ’