A PUBLIC MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1293, 23 November 1911, Page 4

A PUBLIC MEETING.

REPLY TO OPPOSITION CRITICISM

DEFENCE AND FINANCE. The Prime Minister addressed a large-ly-attended meeting hero this evemng, oiid received oil enthusiastic reception. Tho Mayor ('Mr. Wackrow) presided. fc?ir Joseph 'Ward, in his opening remarks, j referred to the distorted stories that were i being circulated regarding himself and tho Government. It' all the matters said regarding him were true, he would be a fjiend o! tho first water,. (Laughter.) It was verv easy to play the game 01 j distortions. Many ungenerous things were , said about the Government, but now ho j had just received a telegram stating that a speaker on tho previous evening had | again denounced.-t"9-Government tor its action in connection" witli. tho Dreadnought gift. Many of the peoplo who condemned tho Government on this score were cowards. It was stated that tho had been made without Parliament being consulted, but tho action was unanimously approved by his colleagues, and the offer was expressly made subject to ratification bv Parliament. When tho matter came before Parliament, every member of the Opposition could liavo voted against it, but not one of them did so. It was incorrect to hay that he had ignored either his colleagues or Parliament, and yet a specch-makiDg factory in Wellington was sending out speeches on this subject to be delivered simultaneously 'by Opposition candidates in denunciation of tho Government. No member of tho Opposition dared to vote against the Dreadnought gift, because tbey realised tbat it was a proper thing in tho interests of the Empire, (Applause.)

Defence. Ho dealt with tho present expenditure on defence purposes, including the interest on tho cost of tho Dreadnought, and said that for a total expenditure of .£250,000 a vear we were getting tho protection of the British Navy, whereas Australia was spending eight millions lor only a local navy. No other country had ever sot about establishing a local navy with the contemplation of less than twenty-five millions. Tho time might yet coma when Australia would not bo able to depend entirely upon her own navy, and when she would have to seek the protection of tho .British Nary. He also touched upon the question of military training, which lie said closely aflected tho welfare of tho workers of tho Dominion. There, was n country (China), with a population of 100 or 500 millions, whoso shadow to-day was over tho wliolo of Australia and New Zealand. Australia was only ten days ,and Now Zealand only fourteen days'steara from China. They wcro the two closest countries to China with empty interiors ill tho world. To-davthero wero in Sew Zealand 2500 Chinese, and under the existing laws thoro would bo iroro in tho country in a few years. _ If largo hordes of these people eamo into Aow Zealand tho community would !.o dedauclicd by thoir intcr-mnrriago with daughters of tho people of Now Zealand. (A voice: "No.") It had happened wherever these people had gone. T'liero would bo a system of inter-marriage which, in regard to tho women of Zealana would bo only correctly described ns pollution. It had happened everywhere that they had gone, and this was a thing they should guard against. (Applause.) Their annual expenditure in defence was well spent in guarding our shores from such a calamity as n raid from these people. (Applause.) The workers. apart from this question, would bo seriously afi'ectcd, ns tho invasion of Asiatic labour would bo a death-blow to unionism and all its benefits.

Attacks upon the Government. Ho then referred to tho subject of tho attacks upon tho Government. Men, ho said, were going about indulging in vuguo generalities about Tammaiyisw and all that sort of thing. He denied that any such thing existed. Ho tdso denied tlio charge of favouritism in respect to tho Government advertisements. The Oj,posiWu had said that ho should be turned ouv. of offico because Sir Wilfrid Launer had boon turned out. Sir W.'lind Jjiurier, however, had been 15 years in office, ami he (tho speaker) had tt-ni only f.vc years in oilieo. When ho hud leen 15 years in oiiico it would bo timo enough "to use such an argument. If, however, tho Opposition wore .•;'"iig to uso Iho ago argument, ho could also uso In this connection he remarked that some of the antii)unted members of the Opposition ought to bo relegated to innate life, and their places taken by sumo of t.lio active young men who w to coming alung to assist tho Government on tho .sido of progress. (Applause.) Uo also icpliol io tho criticism regarding the five million loan, and the public debt. As to tho comparisons of tho debt |>er head in Australia and in Now Zealand, he raid that this was unfair, as Australia had had no Ntivo war loans. i\'o country in thei world lmd nioro 60. show lor its loans than New Zealand, lie did not objeet, so far as ho was personally concerned, to this class of criticism, but he strongly objected to criticism that tended to nndoriuino tho reputation of the Dominion and placo it in a false light. (Applause.) Taxation. In reply to charges in regard to (lie incronso of taxation ho said that the Government, especially during his term of office, had enormouslv reduced taxation in several directions, during his term tho

total remissions in Customs laialion hvi amounted to .'.'1,319,00(1, nr.'! in railway I'alos altogether the rvinissiui's hvl Amounted to over ;i million more than tho extra taxation imposed for d'dence purposes. Tlin>c facts could be bv reference to the Blue liooks. lu i? the land tax, he said that out of 1 .V),W) landholders only 27,01(0 were paving any lax, the remainder being protected by thi liberal exemptions to small ownt-rs. (A voice: "What about Mokau r") Wait a tniunto, ho raid, and ho would tell thern all about Mokau and all the cows th.er wanted. (Laughter.) He went on _to sp;-ak of the administration of tho Govr.rninenl in regard to land settlement, and s;;id that to-morrow evening he would j?|V,v to Minn statements made by tiie "New Zealand Herald" regarding what had Im-.ch dono during his own term of oliico as. Minister for Lands.

Molcau and Other Matters. Passing on to tho Mokau ease, he said that the report of the .Native A (lairs (jiiiumitlco, which included tlimi Opposi--1 L'"> members, and which was to the ell'eet tinit Mr. Massey's charges wore disproved, was u suflicicnt answer to the allegations. Ivvon Mr. llerries had said that tho Maoris got n fair price for their land. (Hear, hear.) Tho Government, ho said, had put more poople on tho laud than any other Government, 110 also referred to what tho Government had done for tho workers, and said that in this respect it had dono more thau any other previous Government. Coming back to the attacks of the Opposition, ho said that they said that if they were returned to jxiwrr they would not repeal one of the existing Acts. This win Ijecatise they dare not. They had strongly opposed this legislation when it was brought forward, and yet they would not repeal them. lio referred again .to the Opposition's specch-mnking factory in Wellington, which he said was turning out ready-made speeches for Opposition candidate;, ready to lie fried lilto so many chops. (Laughter.) Tho only trouble was, however, that different candidates were frying the speeches in different ways. (Laughter.) lie concluded with an inspultmg appeal to tho eloclora to discriminate between such peopio and tiioso who were lighting tho battio of Urn true interests of the poopic. Sir Joseph Ward, on resuming bin seat., was greeted witn loud and continued cbecrs.

On the motion of Mr. Lovcdny (Churn), tccondi-ij by Mr. A. A. Scholos (chairman of th« Waitomo County Council), a hearty vote of thanks to Sir Joseph Ward for hi.-j addre;*, coupled by a vote of continued confidence in the Government, was carric-d unanimously, amid applauso and cheers.

In returning thanks, the Premier said the motion had been proposed by llio captain of tho clmmpion rilio team, who had showed by his resolution that ho possessed a truo eye. (Laughter and applause.)

Mr. W. Jennings, who is seeking reelection for Tauiuarnnui as a Government candidate, and who was received with applause and cheers, also tpoko briefly, saying that Sir Joseph Ward had shown that he was the proper leader of the Liberal party. He also conveyed a message from Mr. Bell (the oldest white resident) expressing appreciation of tho specch delivered by Sir Joseph Ward at. the railway junction that afternoon.

A Banquet. After the speech Sir Joseph Ward waa entertained at a banquet by the Taumaruuui residents and settlers of the surrounding districts. Thore was a largo attendance, and the preface of iadiei lent a special character to the function, which passed off most successfully, the arrangements being very satisfactory. Sir Joseph Ward and patty leave by the express to-night for PuKekohe. The Premier will speak at Putamahoe during tha day to-morrow, aud wal address a meeting at Waiuku in the evening. He will go to liotorua on Friday and spess there that evening. Ue will speak at Te Aroha on Saturday, aad will then procced to tho Taranaki district, The Prime Minister is not receiving any deputations during hi c tour owing to the impending election*.