LIBERAL LEADER.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1923, Page 4

LIBERAL LEADER.

COMPLIMENTARY SOCIAL. (N'.Z. Timcis). A complimentary social was tendered to Mr T. M'ilford. M.P.. and Mrs M'ilford. at 11 10 Town Jlall. Lower Mutt. Mr A. Mnctiskill presided over a. large attendance, and those on tin; platform, in addition to Mr and Mrs Willord, were tile Hon Orinimond. M.and Messiv, W. A. Veitch. M.P lor Wanganui, Hilbert. McKay. M.l’. for Hawke's Hay. and A. K. Ransom. M.P. for Pahiatiui..

Apologies for absenco were received from Dr Pnrdie and Messrs .). H. Corrigan. M.P. for I’atea. R. Masters (Stratford), and S. (I. Smith (Taranaki). The chairman gave a very hearty welcome to all the guots, and made a speech eulogising very highly the member lor the district and Mrs M ilford. TTici r political opponents, he said, had made a stronger set against the Mutt electorate than any other at the general election, hoping that they might defeat the Leader of the j Liberal-Labour Party a- a tirst slop to-: wards upsetting it altogether. To this end advantage was taken oi the. fact that their member, as Leader of the party, had to conduct a campaign throughout- the whole Dominion. Hut the Liberal Committee had fought a good light on. his behalf. Mrs Milford vorv ably and energetically assisting them in their eolfrts: and their old member had been returned by a big majoritv. (Applause). ‘•A SPLENDID EIGHT."

On U'hall of the Liberal-Labour Party. Mr Veitch warmly thanked the people of Lower Hurt in particular, and the paonle *>l the Hutt electorate generally, for the way in which they had rallied round the Leader of that party, and had returned him to Parliament. in spite of the. lad that he had had to cut out of the di-lri.-i so much. .Mr Veitch added that his <<>ulidcnro in Mr Wilford had been greatly increased by the splendid light he had put nil throughout the Dominion in tlx course* of the election campaign, and he was sure that that light had also greatly increased the confidence of tin people of New Zealand hi the LiberalI,a hour Party. (Applause). When he accepted the* leadership, oi the party. Mr Willord had taken on one of the hardest political tasks ever undertaken 1)v any man in New Zealand. (Ap-

plause). Ho had had to create in very short space of time a party or ganisation covering the whole of th country: and how effectively and sue i css fully lie had donu so was shown h; the line result that the parly ha. chieved. < Applause.) • A great man; people who knew little about the pro scut political situation had been on deavoiii ing to explain it to all am sundry. They had been saving v. ha this member of Parliament and tha would do ; hut they were iust guess ing. He could only say for the Li herai-1 .ahoiir Party that it would b true to its principles and to what I believed to he in the best interests o the Dominion us a whole. (Applause) As to Mr Wi Lord's career, and hipolitical standing, he (Mr Veitch) cll < not need to say anything. The far that tile people of the Hutt electorati had approved Mr •Aill'ud and had n taiiie.l him a- (heir member lor twenty three or tnciily-foiir years past, spole for itself, and was quite good cnougl for him. tJ.oatl a])j)lan.se). “To OHKATKti lU'lKtliT.S.” Mr cl.U:iy eulogised Mr Wilford a Leader oi the Liberal-Labour Party and predicted that ho would lead tha party to greater heights yet. t.Ap piarj.e). lie was proud to he a Li hcral. The Liberal-Labour Party !r.i< not yet reached the Treasury Benches but he was convinced that the grea principles handed down by such mol as th/ Hon John Hallancc and the 11 Hon 11. Scchlon, would In lore Inn. bring them oiil again on top. (An plaose). As a. New Zealander and : small farmer, he realised sirongly al that, the Liberal Party had done ioi

the people of Now Zealand as a whole and for the .small tanners in particu lar. (Applause). Some ol the sinal farmers, it was true, had left the party but lie was not. surprised to find that they were now coining hack again

The small farmers’ interests greatly needed to ho looked after, and the Libra 1-1/.a hour Party was the party to do this. (Applause). The parly was proud of its Leader, and looked to .dr Wilford to load the party until lie I teen me the Premier of it. (Applause). “C'O.MINI.! INTO ITS OWN.”

Air Ransom. introduced by the chairman as a native of the I lull Valley. and a former schoolmate of Air Wilford, also made a stirring speech. A - allowing the standing of the member for the Hull in Parliament. Air Ransom referred to the fact that when the Speaker of the House of Reprcsenttitives was defeated at the general election, all the Reform papers even pointed to Air Wilford as the man

best fitted of all members of the House ] to take his place. (Applause). He' believed that the time had come when j the Liberal-Labour Pary was coining j into again, lie believed tLat | those wTifi produced the w<.tilth of the j country should govern the country. I Those who produced the wealth were the small farmers, and the workers.; The Liberal-Labour Parly was their ( party: and lie believed that it would ; before long find its way to the ’I sur.v benches once more. (Applause).' lii in get! the need for cheaper money, ['or mortgage p-urposos, in order to ett- j abl the primary producers to launch j out and develop more fully the great j natural resources of the country. (Ap- j platise). j “A BRIGHTER HAPPIER TIAIE.”

The Hon J. (irimmond, as one who had been a member of the House in the tiniU'bf Sir George Grey, the lion ,)oh it Balia nee and the Right Hon R. .). Soddoit, said that he looked upon the results achieved by the LibiralLuhour Party at the general election as in some sort of a resurrection of the old Liberal Party that those stalwarts had led. (Applause). He was convinced that the confidence of the people of the Lower llutt and the Liberals throughout the Dominion had shown in Air Wilford would bo fully justified, and that as a consequence a brighlet. happier time wa.s in store for the countrv. (Applause) • PRESENTATIONS. On behalf of the Liberal Committee of the Halt electorate, the Chairman then presented Airs Wilford with ■>- handsome solid silver rose-bowl, expressing the hope that when they next made a~presentation to her it would be as the] wife of the Prime Minister ol New Zealand. (Loud applause). On behalf of the Liberal Ladies’ Committee. he also presented Air Wilford with a handsome silver cigarette ea-e. as a mark of their appreciation and esteem. (Loud applause). AIR WILFORD’S SPEECH. LIBERALS AND POLITICAL PARTIES. For both 'Airs Wilford anti himself. Mr Wilford warmly thanked the man hers of the* Liberal Committee ol the electorate for their beautiful gifts, and at his call hearty cheers were given for tliti members of Parliament—both Vppeir House and Lower House—who had addressed the meeting. He look-

cd upon, tho party lie led, lie declared, a,s tho political party of the country. He eulogised the work done by Mr Veitch, in helping to establish again the Liberal-Labour Party in which, as in its old prototype under (Iroy, Ballance. and Seddon, tlie Liberals would stand hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, with the workers of New Zealand to bring about a better state of affairs, not only for one class, but lor the whole people of New Zealand. (Applau.se). They believed in a Liberalism that .stood, not for the ex-

clusive privileges and .the vested interests <>f a class, but for the best interests of every class, for the best interests of the country as a whole. (Applause). Their party was opposed, on the one hand, -to the Labour extremists who advocated direct action, strikes, and .such like; and on tlie other hand, it opposed just as strenuously the extremist Leader of the Tory Party, who in time of industrial trouble said: “Now is our chance to smash unions." (Applause). Each of these extremists was a danger to the country ,a pestilence to society. What they wanted was not Tory reactionaries not the direct action of tho Labour oxtn mists, hut sane, moderate progress. Nor reaction, not revolution, hut evolution was what was needed ill the best interests of our country. (Loud applause). Anarchy was no good on the one side ; despotism was no good on the other. Mere autocracy could not successfully combat Socialist exI tremism. Liberal-Labour principles afforded the only sound, pi actual al- ! ernativi.i. (Applause). LIBERALISM DEFINED.

Mr .1. 1.. Garvin, editor of the London ‘‘Observer,” had given the following line definition of Liberalism a day or two before tint recent British elections:—“lt represents an essential and indestructible' element in the working of those representative institutions which its .spirit did most to create. It has gnat, legislative tradition, and the greatest, critical tradition of any party in the world. In intellectual vigour and keenness it has generally surpassed all rivals. If returned, it would restrain Labour extremism, while enl'orejnj.; constructive reforms on other lines. !l is certain that Conservatism in the long run. ami by its< If. could never be a sufficient barrier against Socialism." Dealing with economic conditions. Mr Willord said that neither by penalising capital should wo drain away the resources ul employment. nor by enslaving labour make it an automatic wage-receiving instrument in the industrial machine. Me must rise to a higher view of tho true human relations between the two. Me must get them into Mich relations that they will he living conscious partners in a common process, and equitable sharers In the joint result. Applause.) THOSE- REFORM RESOLUTIONS

! Referring to the resolutions passed by tlm Reform Party caucus. Mr M ilI lord said that he still awaited the i answer to the question he had put at his Stratford meeting as to what was the real meaning of those resolutions. Mas it the wish of the Relorm Party that the Liberal Party and the he- | form Party should become one parly, and that Air Holland should lie made the Leader of His Majesty's Opposition and thus become the head ol iho alternative, or next Government for : New Zealand:' (Applause). That wtt> an easy question: but not one ol the Relorm leaders and not one of the Reform papers had attempted to answer it. (Loud applause.) The l.ibcral-La-hottr Party would deal with those reilut ion,, at it.-, meeting on Monday next. (Applause.) "! am not, an autocrat." he declared. “1 don’t think J could run this country with six secretaries. i Laughter and applause.) 1 know 1 could not. I don’t, believe the leader of a party should act without collective responsibility: and my party will meet on Monday and will decide, alter discussion, of the resolutions of the Reform Party, the course that we shall talte. ( util then, at least, my constituents ami the Liberals throughout New Zealand will lie willing t f > trust us aliil abide the result. (Loud applause). Me place our country first, our party second, and ourselves, individually third. (Applause). That is tho line on which (lie Liberal-Labour Party will proceed to di-eues the resolutions submitted to them next .Monday." (bond applause). At the call of Mr \ citch three hearty cheers were given tor Mr and .Mrs Mil ford : and on the motion of Mr Wilford a hearty vote ol thanks was accorded the chairman. H. was decided unanimously to establish a permanent i.iln nd-Lahour organisation for the electorate, and tlie chairman expressed the hope that this example would he followed m e\ei\ electorate ihrongnont the Dominion.