SIR JOSEPH WARD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2159, 27 May 1914, Page 7

SIR JOSEPH WARD

AN ADDRESS AT BLENHEIM

(By Tplesroph.—Preca Association.) Blenheim, May 2G. Sir Ward addressed a public meeting to-night. Tho attendance was very large, tho Town liall being packed. Ho had an enthusiastic reception, tbo clapping and cheering lasting several minutes. His speech was much on tho same- lines as previous speeches, and ho brolco littlo fresh ground. lie commenced by criticising the system 'of taxation, at) tho present time in comparison with what had been instituted by tho Liberal Party when in power. The Liberal Party had also consistently opposed largo landowners. Ho spoko of tho opposition to tho system of cheap money introduced by him in relation to advances to settlers, and ho drew a comparison with those objecting, and pointed to his profit of £200,000 as an answer to those objections. Tho present Government for years and yeara had declared tho Liberal surpluses to be bogus. Tho public statement giving tho balances from 189G to 1912 show.ed every surplus exactly as tho Liberals gavo it in tfceir Budget. This statement, ho said, was what tho present Government gavo to tho people in London, and not what the Liberals* said. Are they going to say that they are misleading tho public in London ? Not much. And yet thoy, for seventeen years, had danced a political fandango on the bodies of himself and his colleagues over thoso samo surpluses. In Auckland Mr. Massoy had shed crocodile tears lamenting what he called tho danger to tho country because tho population had decreased. The refutation camo by the fact that,, from 1901 to 1912, -tfho population hnd increased. Mr. Massey. had said that if the country did not stop ■ borrowing, tho moneylenders should. This was whcfi ho was in Opposition, but tho present Government had borrowed more than tho Lib. end Government had in-tho samo n<< iod, and yet he cried out about borrowing !

Taxation and Dafenco. In regard to Mr. Massey's promise- to reduce taxation -tilio present Government had increased taxation by 3a. 4d. per man, woman, and child in tho country. Answering charges of his alleged extravagance on public buildings Sir Joseph Ward drew comparisons to show that tho present Goveminent had expended moro in this way than ho had. As far as tho reduction of the cost of living was concorned Mr. Massey's* Administration had increased the Customs taxation in 1913 by 3.93 per cent. As lon* as constitutional government had been i vogue, never had thoro been such industrial disturbances as durirnr Mr. Massey'e regime. Tho Lib" oral Government had given "concessions to tho users of railways, concessions in regard to universal penny postage; and in telegraphs They had helped people who desired to borrow money by tho State Guaranteed Advances Department. He justified the gift of tha Dreadnought uvery man in tho House had ratified tho gift, and then the Opposition went over the country crying that ho had given tho Dreadnought without consulting Parliament. Mr. Massey had con-tradicted-a statement that ho was go'"R t« make—and he would make it in the House—that tho workers, as a class-, had paid not olio penny towards the Dreadnought. Tho payment was made- from three sources;—(l) The increase in death duties; (2) tho tax on bauk notes; (3) tho tax on totalisa'tor s.'S£^ S ,- r i V;nan ) ,,;nust..,leaw>,m ; over ioOOO before his estate had to pay anything in tho way of death duties or towards tho DreadHought. This statement was perfectly truo, and if ho were found to bo wrong ho , would'apologise to the country. ' If Mr. Massey was wrong, ho should -likewise- ' apologise.' Unless the country had a local navy, efbeiont in every way to fight anything that came against it, it was nothing but a toy navy. The people had given no authority to tho present Government to abolish the naval policy in force before wio general election in favour of a local navy. Tho day that New Zealand commenced- a local navy' it would bo done at the expense of the public works expenditure. •Ho favoured the subsidy on the side of law and order, and, if navy. • Ho claimed for tho Liberal larty tho establishment of widows' pensions. Under an Act placed on the Statute Book by tho Liberal Party every local body could provido for tho superannuation of its employees in the samo way as the railway service did.

The Strike. Referring to-the strike, ho said that tho recent disturbances in Wellington wcro most unfortunate-. A largo amount of misrepresentation had been made against him for political purposes. The present party in power had opposed tho passing of tho Arbitration Act, as ho could provo by extracts from speeches by present Ministers. There were times when strikes might bo legitimate, but he was nob in favour of thorn, although ho would not say that workers should not havo tho right to strike. The Liberal Party was always on the isdo of law and order, and, if tho advice- which ho had given from his placo in tho House had been taken, tho strike would not havo lasted two days. ■Thft Government should havo stepped in and settlod'it immediately. Ho justified tho stonewall on the ropeal of tho Second Ballot, becauso tho Prime Minister would give no promise to have a substitute for it.' , Railways and Electoral.

When tho Liberals camo in next December they wero going to push tho South Trunk railway through,, and not stop tho construction of works in their opponents' constituencies. In answer to an interjection that tho present .Government had no money when it came iii to office, Sir Joseph Ward said that tho statement was absolutely untrue. Tho previous Minister of Finahco had £780,000 in Consolidation revenue- which !io left when ho went out of office, and he paid £500,000 into the Public Works Fund. Continuing, ho -said that tho South Island Trunk railway should bo pressed oii in preference to other lines in the samo way as tho North Island Trunk lino had been pushed. As regarded tho amalgamation of city electorates, ho did not believe in discriminating between town and country, although ho believed ho had as much

to gain as to lose b,v tho proposal predicted. Under it at least two Ministers would loso their seats. At the. last election ho was maligned from m\o end of tho country to the other, hut ho had powerful friends, and ho had never attempted to organise a mooting aiiywhoro that ho had given an address, lie. had never issued tickets for his meetings, but had opened free, doom for anybody who ch0.30 to cuter, and had always had a good and attentive hearing. Ho had given tho bent years of his.life to tho sorvico of the country.

As Leader of tho Liberal Party ho was always on tho. side of progress. Tho people of the country wore going to deeido between the parties, and ho was on tho side of tho muss of the people, and tho acknowledgment of his legislation was that not one measure, oxcept the Second Ballot Act, had been repealed. At tho conclusion Sir Joseph Ward was greeted with cheers, and a motion of thanks and confidence in him as Leader of the Liberal Parly was carried by acclamation, without one dissentient.