SIR JOSEPH WARD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 7

SIR JOSEPH WARD.

TOUR IN THE SOUTH. INTERVIEW AT DUNEDIN. - REPLY TO OPPOSITION CRITICISM, , Iby TEU!Giurn—r»is3. association.) Dunedln, October 24. In tho course of an interview to-day, the Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward), speaking on ..the effect of the Second Ballot Act, expressed the opinion that there would be not more than ; six second contests at the election. He ridiculed the statement made by Mr. Jeffries, Opposition candidate for Geraldine, that thero would 'be some 30 second polls at a cost: of £8000. Even if thore were SO second polls the cost would -be nearer £6000 than' £3000. He disagreed with the suggestion.that the second ballot was likely to affect tho workers. Compensation. The Prime Minister said the question of compensation to be paid to Hallinen, and the relatives of' Andersen, wrongfully oouvicted of the murder of Bourke. at Westport, had no.t : yet been considered. The matter was . to. be dealt with at the first meeting of tho Cabinet. . Postal Reforms. Continuing, he said one of the nostal reforms.to be instituted-is the introduction of the penny-in-the-slofc telephones in the principal streets of the centres. Authority .has been given for the machines. Voting Machine. "We cannot consent to the use of Dall's voting machine, becauso there is no legislation under whiohit can be done. We intend to have a' trial given to the machine probably at scm® munioipal elections as soon as we can." J Mall Service. Sir Joseph' said he recognised tho justice of the complaints made regarding tho delay in the. Vancouver service, owing to passengers and mails being taken on to Brisbane. He was hopeful of arranging for a connecting boat at Suva. This,- together with the newlyarranged Tahiti service, would mean a fortnightly mail service.' '■ ". ' ' Reply to Mr. J, Allen. Referring to Mr. 'Jas. Allen's criticisms at Stirling on Thursday, Sir" Joseph Ward said Mr. Allen apparently'made several state- • ments that were not correct. He had said that although the Prime. Minister had stated that the cost of the new Parliamentary Buildings, Government- House, and Government Buildings would be £220,000. be made the total. £405,000. ' What he did say* Sir Joseph explained, was that the new Departmental buildings, which were, required, and which had nothing to do with the destruction of ..-the Parliamentary Buildings, would cost £200,000. Mr. Allen bad based his stater Kent in regard to the £200,000 for Government Buildings on a wrong assumption. In dealing with the national endowment lands, Mr.'Allen had overlooked the faot that 6,000,000 acres of those lands were already , leased;for small grazing and pastoral runs, and, .under the law as it stood, before the national endowment law was passed there was; no right 'to acquire the freehold. It was amusing to read Mr; Allen's excuses for the fact that the Government had a clean Bheet';as far as tho Auditor-General was concerned.- Sir Joseph' explained that if there v was'anything wrong with, the public accounts it was the duty, of the Auditor-General to'.say so, irrespective of criticisms by either party. Mr.. Allen's- statement that Parliament'had amended the law to permit the accounts, to be passed without " tags " was , quite contrary to fact. It was the duty of the Auditor-General to attach.a "tag" to any, ' account when he believed that course should be taken. .He wished to draw attention to the because it had been the custom of some of the opponents of the Government to everlastingly declare that the public acoounts required looking into, or that there was -something in' connection with the ! financial^position-that'was not-as itushould ; be ; 'It was clear enough to any impartial ! jritic that when the Audit Department did. iot- direct. special attention-, to any point J which;it was its duty to deal with there was jothing wrong, and-the fact that the Department had not ;dr'awn attention to a wrong \ was the strongest reply which could be given by .the Government to. criticisms in that dir- ' 'ection.