THE OPPOSITION LEADER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 68, 13 December 1919, Page 8

THE OPPOSITION LEADER

ADDRESS IN AUCKLAND THE RIGHTS OF LABOUR By Telegraph-Press Association. Auckland, Uecember 1". .the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, addressed a crowded 'meeting in the Town Hall Concert Chamber I to-day.

Sir Joseph 'Ward, who was greeted with ehra'.saim ii.upiau.se snid thchibcr.J Vmtv had drawn first blood in the present- contest. The Liberal Party had had one member returned without tpposition, He referred to the Hon. A. T. Ngatii, who was a brilliant representative of the Native race. Jlr. Ngata was tho only member of tho new Parliament returned unopposed. That was a grand omen. During his tour in the south he had had particularly large meetings, and lie had bean i-eceivoit as Leader ol" the Liberal Party with such great enthusiasm as he had never experienced in connection with any general election in tho history of New Zealand. .Owing to the refusal of the lieform Government we were not to have majority rule in New Zealand, continued Sir Joseph Ward. He had pressed in the House for the confirmation of the undertaking given by the Reform Government when the latter repealed the second ballot, the undertaking being that seme alternative would be provided for the second ballot. Mr. Massey had not provided Ihat alternative, and the present position in connection with the'election of Parliamentary candidates was the system of first past the post. That wns a' horrible policy, to allow minority rule, when the majority had the rifflit to 'have tho full snv as to Hio should represent them in Parliament. Tho Prime Minister had said that the Proiitesrins; Act was placed on the Statute Book by the Deform Government, and ho had said it was one of the fii'pst and most drastic Acts in the world. The Act h"d been prepared bv a Liberal, Hie Hoii W. D. S. Mac Donald.

Tiefprence was mndn to a statement by Mr. Massey to the effwt that judging by tho utterance of Mr. Holland, the Len'ler of the New Zealand Labour Parly, that party was prepared to join with the 'Liberal Partv for the ininin.se of ousting the Reform Gn'-ermuoni'. If wo? useless fnr the Prime Minister to camonflnce the position wlier" nloin matters o? fact were ennp'p.rnert. Th" "Reform Government was on its trial, an.'l if Hip. hwdlp returned a ,?trongpr party thmi Mr. Ifassny's parly, '(lien Hip Bpform. Partv had lo eo out of nfficp. Sir Joseph Ward said he hod mnde it clear that wilp's ho could hold office without tlif extreme parlv lie would refuse to hold r.idcc TTp had sa.id Hint iu tli.n Foiifp of Tlepresentativos long ago, and lip issued n manifosfo to thn people in which hp sr-id ho wn-; n;;aiu c t 'lireet aotion or. anvtliin<» of that ?~rK The Christehujch "Press" lind pirculnfofl n deliberate lie with resard to his attitude, and hn had plinllensrpd them, and offered to put nn p, cheque for ,i'soo if the statement could be proved, 'but (lm challenge was not accepted. They had nevpr pomp nut in the. open. They npvnr would. But they allowed a.' wromr iuipVession to RO nut. i\"o unrty that "as 'ii \ minnrity wuld control the country if there was a majority from any section of thp House and they carried a lesolution against the Government.

Siv Joaep\\ 'Ward referred to sv statement by Mi , . Massey that the Liberal Party liad rejected a proposal of tho fieform'Party that the Lest elements of each should,unite to oppose Bolshevism, ami how Sir Joseph Ward and otlipr Liberal Ministers had left the Government just before tho session. "If I wasn't a good imtured man I don't quite know what I would say to a statement of that kind," the sneiifcer said. Ho left Mr. iliiasey because he was very glad to get out of the National Government. (Laughter and applause.) With rejard to the state■mont alwiit parlies uniting, that wps before they wiiil; to Ungland. He believed ficmetiiing: of tho kind iras discussod tit •a meeting of the Reform Party, and there was mention of it in the papers next ('ay. Ho was asked about it, and ho made a statement that ho knew nothing about it.

Continuing, .Sir Joseph Ward dealt with the Question of nationalisation on the linos o£ previous speeches, lleforring to immigration, he said that although the Prime Minister had spoken enthusiastically about this matter, it was disappointing to find 'hut rnly .KJ.CCO l.ad been placed oil the Public Works Jiifcimatps this year. For developmental works of a nature to do any good ,£SOiUiW) would, be required. 3\"ew Zealand was short of 17,000 of its manhood compared with the period before the war. We required 20,000 more men than we had tow in order to carry on the ordinary reciuirements of the country. Thousands of people- had to be settled ou the land in iNow Zealand, including between (10.000 aud 70,000 soldiers. . Little was being done to prepare for this progressive lend policy. Railways and roads should Lβ provided in order to transport produce iron) riu , coiiiitry to ihe towns and ports. There was a stagnation of public works in New Zealand. The total vote on lha Estimates for the most important railway lino in the Auckland district vould i;ot make five miles of railway in twelve months. The sum provided for somo of the other railways would not permit ono mile of lino to be constructed' in twelve months. Yet the Prime.Minister spoko of galynnisinjj tho public: works of tie Dominion.

After dealing with other planks j'u his policy, Sir Joseph Ward said: •'Wβ are appealing to tho moderate section of every class of the community. I jay that Labour' should be represented in tho next Government, aud 1 say that Mr. Voitch, of Waiignnui, is as fijio a representative of Labour us could bo got ;n tins foiiiih'v. Tk' mi'ii who an> crying I out to stop these men from putting 'klo Parliament are tho class who did their very best to sow discontent among the. workers. Tw-tliirds of ihe men who fought for the British I'lo.g were workers and employers and capitalists would be foolish to deny these men their rights, lhat is one of the things we arc out forWe are out to see that the largo landed estates in this country are cut up." The /ollodng , resolution iras carried — "That this meeting heartily eoiißratiilates bir Joseph unrd on his able and statesmanlike address, and again assures him of our unabated confidence in him as lender of the Liberal Party in this counADDRESS AT DEVONPORT. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a crowded meeting at Dovonport 10-night, and received a cordial reception. A resolution of thanks and expressing appreciation of his services to the country was carried.