Encouraging Lack of Response.

On Monday, July 4th, Independence Day, seven seekers after the other side of the case went in response to a ha'penny card Inviting them to listen while Mr. S. G. Holland told them why they should take an active interest in politics.

The Netting.

Two things arrested the attention immediately on entering the hall. The first was the large number of bald and grey heads in an audience which under any conditions would be judged to be tending a little towards the sere and yellow, and which at a youth meeting seemed rather Incongruous. A careful count of those present on the ground floor revealed 37 youths or maidens present—using an extremely wide interpretation of the word youth.

The second feature was that it must have cost quite a lot of money to Install two microphones and loudspeakers, and to send out all the Invitations dispatched, in addition to hiring the hall. The Press did not mention these two matters.

Words to Remember.

It appeared before long that a good half of the youths on the ground floor didn't think much of the way the speaker was treating facts. Cries of "Speak the truth" became frequent, and as the evening wore on Mr. Holland, who remained cheerful and who had the support of by fur the greater part of the audience, halted in the reading of his typewritten speech to utter a few words of great importance to the youth of this land. Words such as these: 'If the audiences of listen to addresses of public men then it's line we had a change, and we're going to have a change next November." Not "If some people are not prepared . . ." mind you, but "If the audiences of New Zealand..."

What change can Mr. Holland intend to make people listen to him?

Again: "I'm not going to allow political meetings to be broken up by gangs of hooligans." immediate and continued protests—'Withdraw that word 'hooligan'," And one must admit the offenders didn't look much like hooligans.

The Party's Policy.

At long last came the eagerly-awaited announcement of the policy of the National Party. It was to be a party serving all sections of the community, working in closest cooperation with Mother England (i.e., Joe Chamberlain), having as its basis the maintenance of the private ownership of land, private enterprise in trade, and touching solicitude for the man with the bawbees—"the forgotten man, the thrifty man."

An aggressive manufacturing policy would be adopted. Steps would be taken to increase industrial efficiency. Employers would be encouraged to pay more than the new minimum wage which would be established later. (We were not told how much smaller the new minimum wage would be.) Other points were stressed, such as the maintenance of pensions and gratuities at their present level.

The Missing Link.

There was much else besides. But something was missing. What was It? Ah yes! At question time it came out. A .V. U. C. student rose and asked Mr. Holland: "As this is an address mainly to youth. I've been rather surprised that there's been no mention made [unclear: a] Education Could you tell us whether your party, if elected, will (a) carry the Labour Government's education policy, or (b) revert to [unclear: the] disastrous policy of the previous Nationalist Government?"

"Aye, there's a nut to crack." said the sceptics. Mr. Holland didn't try. He said that the educational policy of the Labour Government, having been before a Select Committee, was not yet available for discussion—(rude people laughed here)—and he was very vague about the second part. Very vague indeed.

Epilogue.

There was a rude man standing at the back of the hall who looked over my shoulder when I was making a few notes. At the top of the page were the words "37 youths." He seemed not to like that, and made uncouth noises indicative of disagreement or disapproval. We had to tell him that we expected our own affairs to remain our own. Wasn't that what the Nationalist Party said? It turned out later that he knew all about that because he was well up in the Nationalist Party. Still, apparently he didn't think much of that idea of letting your own affairs remain your own. Only sometimes.