THE RED PAMPHLET.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 317, 3 December 1910, Page 3

THE RED PAMPHLET.

REPLY BY SIR JOSEPH WARD.

REMARKABLE SPEECH

When the Hine debate was resumed at 2.30 on Wednesday afternoon it at once took a sensational turn. The Prime Minister began with a reference to a speech of his delivered in 1896 which had been mentioned by Mr Massey, and in which he had alluded to criticisms of deceased politicians. He said the speech referred to was a biHer speech, but when he recalled it now be marveled at its moderation. The party that was then in Opposition made a bitter, cowardlly, secret, malicious attack on him through his business, and they provided money and paid a man who did the work for them for the purpose of trying to ruin a political opponent. He had more than once said that he regretted that portion of the speech in which he referred to a man who had passed away. He (the speaker) had been subjected during the last 14 years to a great amount of malicious and often secretly-inspired abuse. He had never raised this subject before, and he only did so now because it had been referred to by a previous speaker. He regretted exceedingly that it had become necessary to refer to his personal affairs at the time in question. He had been at the head of one of the largest businesses in the country, and it was the easiest thing in the. world for people to put that business down, and it was put down. It was the easiest thing in the world to ruin him personally, and he was ruined personally. He took the present opportunity of making some statements on the matter, because he had never had an opportunity of being heard in his own defence. That privilege which would have been afforded to the humblest person in the country —to a Chinaman even— had been denied to him. It was said that the business had been carried on recklessly, and yet under liquidation—which was accompanied by a wholesale slaughter of the stock in-trade —it realised £88,345. Statements of reckless trading had been made in reference to an advance oE £2OOO without security to a contractor for the building of a bridge, but everybody who knew the contractor knew that he could pay, and he did so before the process was served on him. Six thousand farmers, small and large, did business with the Ward Association, and not one of them filed his schedule or lost a shilling over it. One of the assets that was officially put on record as valueless was bought back by himself with the assistance of two or th-.ic friends, and in a short time he had netted £9200 on it, and he used the proceeds to pay some of the English and New Zealand creditors of the association. Within six months another asset fetched £45,000 in cash. Though ic had previosuly been regarded as almost valueless, it now paid handsomely, but neither he nor any member of his family had since had any interest in it. What was known as his own personal estate, which was purchased by him with the assistance of a few friendß afer it had been declared next door to valueless, was netting £4OOO three weeks after it came into his possession, and was now netting £6OOO. Side by side with the liquidation process his ordinary business was carried on and was making more in profits than would have paid all the liabilities, losses and debits of the Ward Association at that time., One of the first things he did in connection with that business was to see that the whole of the creditors were paid 20s in the £. (Applause.) It was one without difficulty, and he returned sums of money which had been voluntarily placed at his disposal by friends in different parts of the Dominion. THE COLONIAL BANK.

Some people, proceeded Sir Joseph Ward, bad industriously circulated statements that he was responsible for certain things connected with the Colonial Bank. He was never a party to the sale of that bank to the Bank of New Zeaalnd. He was never a shareholder in the Colonial Bank, and he never received any concession for it. The people who made the allegations about the Colonial Bank and himself were worse than slanderers. (Hear, hear.) He possessed a record of all the losses and writings off of the Colonial Bank, as also of the Bank of New Zealand, and he had obtained them fairly and legitimately. The losses of the Colonial Bank outside of anything concerning himself, ran to half a million sterling, and those of the Bank of New Zealand to two millions, and hqw did his slanderers stand in connection with th°Se losses? He knew every one of them. Where were those slanderers now?

Sir Joseph Ward went on to refer to what he described as a mysterious pamphlet circulated by a Russian or Roumanian Nihilist, and stated that the writer of part of this production was an Oppositionist, whom he could name, but who was not now in Parliament. Anybody who went down to (Southland and spoke to the farmers with Whom ho had had business relations, or to the directors or secretary of the old Southland Frozen ftleatQornpany, would not find one who would, say that he (Sir Joseph) had ever in all his life attempted to do a dishonourable thing. (Applause.) The only people who imputed evil to him were hirelings paid for the purpose, who never had anything to do with him directly or indirectly. "IN CONNECTION WITH OATS." The suggestion, continued Sir Jospeh Ward, had been more than once made that he was connected with what they called a swindle in connection with oats sold by tha Ward Associa£jpn. He had never been directly or indirectly connected with any awindic either in that" m?t£e? or any other. The cost of the liquidation of the Ward Association was about #IB,OOO, though a leading firm offered to do it for £IOOO. He finally purchased th,remaining debts of the association for the purpose of getting the books into his own hands. He Had had them now for a considerable time.

He found that within three months of the liquidator taking charge there came in considerably more than the alleged shortage of sacks of grain. He had held for some time a letter from the manager of the hank at that time informing him that he ought to have stated before that the warrants then held by the bank were for grain "in store and to arrive." That was a very common procedure.

A HIGHER HAND. Referring again to the Colonial Bank, Sir Joseph Ward said that out of all the people who were carrying on business with the bank notone was given less than 10 years to make the necessary adjustments excepting himself and the. business he was connected with. He was given only three months, which those resonsible must have known was an impossible period to do it in. He had never in his life gone cap in hand to anybody in times of difficulty, nor asked anyone to lift a finger to help him. He had a paper showing the' fate which had overtaken 14 of the people who were most active against him at the time. He would not make it. public, but looking at what had happened to those people he believed that a Higher Hand had been looking after those who, while professing to act the part of impartial men, had been doing a base injustice. He had never tried to injure any of them, but he believed that a Higher Hand had taken care that at least a little of the troubles of this world should afflict them. He believed that his family and himsdf were better off than any one of them. He had been connected with many leading men in different parts of the world, and not one had withdrawn business from him, and that was one of the strongest answers that could be given to his slanderers and malingerers. THAT PAMPHLET AGAIN.

Referring again to the "mysterious Sir Joseph Ward said that the man who had been circulating it, though professing to be as poor as a church mouse, and uunable to pay a £5 fine that was inflicted on him, had travelled from end to end of the country delivering the pamphlet free from door to door. It had an addendum suggesting that the people should turn him (Sir Jospeh) out at the next election. .In reply to an interjection by Mr Massey, the Prime Minister said, "I am not suggesting anything against you." He would like, to ask Mr Allen if by any chance some person printed a letter about a member of his family, and by the merest chance it came into his (Sir Joseph's) hands.and he carried it about, produced it on trains, and gave it to people to read, what would Mr. Allen think of him? He would look upon him as a blackguard and a skunk, and he would deserve it. Pie would ask Mr Allen if he had not done that? He would ask Mr Herries what he had would think of him if his (Mr Herries') mother were written about and he (Sir Joseph) handed copies of it to anyone else? Mr Herries would say he was a skunk and a cur, and the remark wouli be well deserved. He would ask Mr Massey if his (the Prime Minister's) organiser carried a pamphlet, from which pamphlet a question had been compiled, through this country prior to an election, what would he (Mr Massey) think of him allowing it to be done? Mr Massey knew that his organiser (Mr Martin) carried it round. He knew who prepared the greater portion of the pamphlet. Mr Massey: You ought to name them.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONERSHIP. Sir Joseph Ward said he knew the name of the woman who prepared a portion of the second pamphlet, and he wanted to say that he held in his possession a letter, written from the same quarter that a number had come from during the last eight months in the north of New Zealand, telling him what was to be done to him. Among other things a large number of these pamphlets were to be sent to London and be distributed there. He held letters from numbers of the leading men of London, saying that those packets were posted wholesale. The writers were not only disgusted with it, but offered to do anything in their power to show their hatred of an unBritish action. He also held letters from people in Australia which spoke of wholesale parcels having been distributed there. He took that opportunity of giving the suggestion that he was hankering after the High Commmissionership or any other position outside of Nc Zealand, an unqualified denial. Had he been disposed to do so the circulation of this pamphlet would have determined him to stay in New Zealand, and meet tlye people'in the highways and byways and cities and town:? prior to the next election, where this filthy pamphlet had been circulated with the idea of injuring him. (Loud hears, hears.) In doing it there had even been introduced the name of his dead mother and the name of his wife. He knew of nothing more despicable. When the first copy of the pamphlet came to him in the same hand-writing that gave him advice from time to time, he handed it to his lawyers for advice. It was an extraordinary thing to-day that no man in his position could legally do anything to protect himself under circumstances of the kind. A LIBERAL DEMONSTRATION. The conclusion of Sir Jospeh Ward's speech was received with remarkable enthusiasm by the members of the Liberal Tarty, who rose and gave three cheers for their leader. THE OPPOSITION AND THE

; PAMPHLET. ! Mr Massey, Leader of the Onposi- ' tion, remarked that he believed he ; was entitled to a personal explanation.. i First of all he. would deal with the ' : references to the Opposition organiser. i T!]i3 Prime Minister would eorv.ec^ \ himself if wrong, l.ii|t he believed >}\U\ho .said Mr Martin was in possession of the pamphlet and handed'it round. (Sir Joseph: No; the pamphlet from which the other was compiled.) Mr I Massey went on to explain that his I paroy's organiser was travelling in

Southland, and someone, who claimed to be an acquaintance of the Prime Minister handed him the book to read then. He saw it for the first time, read it and got into conversation with some other people, and the book was discussed. The instant he (Mr Massey) heard of the book ho told Mr Martin he was not to carry it or use it in any way whatever, and lie knew his instructions were carried out. "In perfectly good faith," continued Mr Mrssey, "I make this offer, that if the Prime Minister can prove I had anything to do with the production of that pamphlet directly or indirectly, or that I knew of its production prior to its being sold in the streets, I am willing to hand in my resignation to the Speaker and retire from politics for all time." The Prime Minister had referred to some Oppositionist who had written the greater part of the pamphlet. He (Mr Massey) did not know the name, but the Prime Minister should say whether he was still in the House. (Sir Joseph: He is not in the present House.) Mr Massey urged that the name should be given, as inuendoes were unfair. He quite sympathised with the Prime Minister. He knew what it was to be attacked, though not to the same extent. So far as the man Black was concerned he did not think he could recognise him if he saw him. He hud been informed that the pamphlet could be produced for three farthings; it was sold at sixpence, so that he was right in saying it was issued for commercial purposes.

MR ALLEN'S EXPLANNATION. Mr Jas. Alien stated that it was quite true he did get a copy of the pamphlet He glanced at it when it was last given to him, but he never knew it contained any references to the Prime Minister. On one occasion he did show it to one of the Prime Minister's own supporters in the train. (Mr Witty: To how many more?) Mr Allen: That is all I have done.