LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2327, 8 December 1914, Page 7

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

(By MeeraDli.—Prera *Assoolatton.) Masterton, December 7. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a crowded meeting in the Drill Hall on Saturday night, and received a good reception. He dealt at length with the land question. Mr. Massey, he said, had promised land, more land, and still more land, yet had purchased 200,000 acres less for settlement in two years than had the Liberal Government in ' the same time. The Liberal Party was determined to stop the aggregation of land, and to do this alteration in the graduated land tax was necessary. Through the instrumentality of the liberal Government, 138,000 settlers were on the land in New Zealand today. _ Referring to financial matters, he Said in six years the Liberal Government borrowed £18,000,000, and the Massey Government admitted borrowing £14,000,000 in two and a half years, yet were going about the country saying that they were borrowing less than the previous Government. Ho also leferred to the baby bonus, education, repeal of the second ballot, State-owned shipping, the strike, and other political questions. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks, which aleo expressed the hope that he 'would be restored to tho position of Prime Minister of the country. This was . carried almost unanimously. Cheers were given for Sir Joseph Ward arid for Mr. A. W. Hogg, Liberal- candidate for the Masterton eeat.

Balclutha, December 7. Sir Joseph Ward visited Balclutha to-day,"and was warmly reoeived at a large public meeting here. He replied to a number of criticisms recently directed against him. He pointed out that theTelefunken Company is a British company, and. its system is- in use on many steamers in Canada and in Australia. He again denied that his firm had a 6tore of wheat, and said he would not allow a specualtor to hold wheat at this juncture. He had always helped the woollen industry in New Zealand, and in his remarks in the north ho had never proposed that the duty should be taken off any article tbat could be made in New Zealand. _ He referred to the increase of taxation, and of the public debt under the Massey Government, and other matters touched on by him in his northern tour. . A motion of thanks and confidence, together with a wish that Sir Joseph Ward would be Prime Minister was carried by a very large majority.