SPEECH BY SIR J. WARD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1994, 27 February 1914, Page 8

SPEECH BY SIR J. WARD

. STILL NO POLICY. HIS BLUNDER ON TAXATION IN WINTON SPEECH. HE ADMITS IT AT DUNEDIN ißy Teleeraph—Pr«« Association.) Dunedln, February 26. Sir Joseph Ward gave, a political address in the Garrison. Hall" to-night bofore a very large audience. Ho was received with cheers.

Ho opened by referring to the question of Press criticism. Ho said that there were two sides to every question, and ho would not be surprised to find himself, figuratively speaking, torn to pieces by cricitism in next morning's Press, but they would remember that this criticism represented tho opinion of but one man. "The platform was stronger than the Press." Why was it stronger? Not because of tho man who was speaking to the multitude, but becauso the great majority of the multitude wero thinking people. Tho Press Association was not givinghim the publicity that they should have done, whilo it was taking every notice of what Mr. Massey and other Ministers stated in public.

It was marvellous what great interest the Conservative Press took in the Opposition members. They wanted to know •their policy.. Well, tho present Government never gave them a shred of a policy before the last general election. Now, however, through its Leader, they desired that the Opposition should give, them a policy for the Government to steal—(applause)— as they had stolen it before. (Applause.) Referring to the criticism of the Press that he had not given any details of a land policy, ho asserted that "he had always been on the sideof breaking up tho large landed estates in' this country.

Defence Questions.' As a publip man, ho must allude to the matter of naval policy. In his humble judgment) if such a policy were carried, it meant disaster to tho'future of the country. (Applause.) What were they dependent upon? They wore dependent on tho maintenance,'the protection of England/ Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, , because, so long as they were part of a great Empire, they had tho disabilities of that ' connection "as well as its advantages;. What' advantage would it'be. to the people- of Now Zealand if, by any mischance,, the British Navy wore to go'down in a battle, and some foreign Powers' were to' tako possession of tho British Isles? ' Tho speaker then quoted figures to show tho cost of the Australian Navy and what Now Zealand would havo to ■ sliouluer for its navy. ,-■■'■• He said he was fully convinced that wo ought to have an effective system of internal defence—(applause)—but under the proposals of the present' Government this young country would next year bo paying about a million sterling ]k>r'annum, and in four years from now it would bo paying £1,500,000 per. annum; and it would then only be'on tho verge of what 'the present proposals', would lead' to'. While ho believed in a national system of internal defence being provided, .ho was apprehensivo' of what was taking place in connection with naval, and land dofenco at present. He was afraid that it would'cause a revulsion of feeling ngainst that which he and others wished to see carried out—a feeling that would in time do an immense amount of harm. He also desired to say that ho was against the imprisonment of these young fellows who wero being fined under tho internal defenco system. (Applause.) (A voice: "Why didn't you provide agaiimt it?") 1 Sir Joseph Ward replied that it was never contemplated that under the civil law tho courso which could bo legally carried out would bo given' effect to. He was glad to say' that the Minister of Defenco had stated- recently that ho would carry out something of the kind. He was strongly against expeditionary forces to any other portion of the Empire by voluntary act. (Applause.) •

Ho supposed a few of them had heard about tho Dreadnought. (Loud laughter and .applause.) He' spoko of tno attacks made on him as. regarded the gift. He said that he had placed thol cost of the battleship upon the banks, the increase of death duties, and on racing, and quoted vhe remarks of Captain Halsey on the gift, viz., tnat .the presentation ; of this ship had been effectual in preserving the .peace of the world. (Applause and, "Ohs!")

The Win ton Blundor. With regard to tho increased taxation the Government had put a tax upon tho business people. of New Zealand, particularly last session,, in tho nature of a tax on industries. They had also proposed an increase in tho graduated land tax—what a do'usion and what a fallacy! The Government then readjusted the estimate upon,which,the land should bo valued, which protected the large land-holders. All this talk about the increased graduated tax upon lands, taken in conjunction with the alteration of land values, simply meant that the question of a graduated tax upon land 3 had not been touched since it was last dealt with by a Liberal Government. He admitted that he had inadvertently made a mistako in tho figures which he had quoted at Winton when, speaking on taxation per head of population, but after correcting, tho figures he stated that it did not affect tho question in the slightest degree. The Massey Government had stated that it had reduced tho Customs duties and the cost of living. Tlio point of interest to workers was that they had not only dono nothing of the kind, but .had increased the cost of living. Sir. Joseph. Ward then criticised the action of the Government in not bringing down some other voting arrangement in place of tho second ballot. "Let them have a system bv which tho majority ' can . decido"i —(loud applause)—and went on to refer- to the strike. 0

His Hole In Strike Time. Ho said that a strike was, is, and will be a very regrettablo thing for the country. It had been circulated'in his district that ho had been responsible for it. He, however, had no knowledne of the striko before it took place. Ho did his utmost from the start to try to prevent the striko going on, and to try to effect a settlement lone before it spread to other unions, and before it reached the inflammatory state which it did in Wellington. ' He-quite agreed thai! if stones were thrown men were entitled to use their batons in self-de-fence. Ho brought up the matter in tho House, however, because he had been informed that when tho "specials" galloped back they did so, not through the strikers, but through women and children, and what was_ the result of his.protest? Such a tliinn: never . happened again. He ouoted Hansard to show exactly what he had said in the House in regard to the "specials" incident in front of the post office at Wellington. He wanted to know, if reputable- citizens brought matters beforo them, told them that (from any eauso) a number of men, women', and children upon a public street, if thoy were galloped towards, or through, by n number of men, did they mean to say that he was to have- it rammed down his throat that be was to remain gagged and a coward? (Applause.) Let him say he was not against strikes. The men had every right to strike if they wished. He, howover, had always been against strikes.

He believed that tho.v wore the most undesirab'e way of effectively -settling disputes. 'Die speaker said that his party had not embarrassed the Government when dealing with tlio strike Mr, MasKey himself had said that he had not been embarrassed by the Liberal party. Touching on the question of arbitration, when the Liberal party were standing nut For arbitration, they were opposed by members of tho present Government, but to-day tho latter was the Worn friend of arbitration.

The Friend of the .Farmer. It had been said that 1m had lost tlio sympathy of tlio fanners. What was tho position? Ho had been in. tlio north a week or two a<*a and tho farm* ers there, without any arrangement, had carried out an entertainment and presented him with an address. The same thing had happened i.t AYinton when he had had a very fine large meeting, tire majority of thoso prosent being farmers. They wore jii6t as loyal and enthusiastic as they over were. Reverting to the strike ho said that- large farmers had lost nothing by tho strike. They wero not shipping wool., or frozen meat until after the strike was over. It was tho small farmers who had suffered tho greater burden.

Public Service. In this country at the present time a great many men wero being put out of the railway. Why? Because tho finances wero not in a satisfactory state. The relation of expenditure to revenuewould be the highest tils icountry had ever seen and tho highest ally Australian State had ever seen in, the administration of that Department. It • was absolutely necessary when alterations were mado to see that a larger revenue was being brought in. He, for one, was strongly opposed to tlie- giving up by people of the governing of all the Departments of the'country.' To-day the whole _(f tho Public-. Service, with, the exception of the police and the Defence Department, was beyond tho control of the people through their Parliamentary representatives. -There- was great discontent permeating tho Public Service at the present time. He was against the idea of importing a; manager from another country to run the railways. It was tho plum of tho.Service, and there were men in tho Service who. had worked in it for 40 years and studied to mako themselves efficient.

Continuing ho said that they must admit that the Liberal Party, with tho Labour Party, had 'doiio'morethaitariy other Parliament' in any other of the world. Ho recognised that if they were to.move forward they would hftvo a system in operation in tho Dominion which, would lend itself to-closer settlement of tho land. '' fto was'on tho side, of, tho and worker, despite the fact that tliosft who wore bitterly opposed to him\w_eto. declaring that he was not on .tho'side of the worker. '■-.■"..

Finance, Speaking of the'last loan, lie eaid that it_was in tlio nature of a recominencTatrOn given to Lis opponents, who:., in tlio House, on, the platform, and in the Conservative Press, had taken the opposite view in their criticism, and had disputed thd claim of the then Government that, ove.r a number of years, it had had a surplus at tlio end of tlio year, and that it had paid upwards of £8,000,000 from ordinary' revenue to the Public Works Pimp*. "This was.what. Jho present Government said when it was floating its'3J million loan in London.:—"lt should bo noted that tho above amounts represent the net surplus revenue. The.sum of £9,230,000 has been transferred to tlio Public. Works Fund sinco 1891, and used for tho purpose of opening up and improving the public estate, Much tsf this money is earning .over. 4. per cent.., and constitutes a clear profit." Tho speaker'also . dealt with -tho question of loan renewals. This cffim-' try, lie said; had,-.in prepprtiiort to its indebtedness, less money to'tenew when his Government went oiit"W office than tho . Commonwealth , of ', Australia, Queensland, or Now gouili. Wajes. '.' Sir Joseph Ward,, who spake for two hours, concluded amidst, loud applause, and the following resolution' was passed with cheers, only a few hands being hold op-against it:—"Thai . tijfs mcotirsg thanks. Sir Joseph Ward /for his ab.lo and statesmanlike' address. It desires to convey to hirn its high appreciation of tho great. public services Which "he has rendered to tho Dominion, jjnd assures him of its hearty, gep3' wtsiieiS for his future success and that of his party." ..