POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 645, 21 February 1914, Page 5

POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

- THE OPPOSITION POLICY. SIR JOSEPH WARD AT WINTON. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PBESS ASSOCIATION.! Wellington, This Day. Ie Sir Joseph Ward delivered a policy 1- speech to a packed audience of his # constituents at Winton last night, and :- met with an enthusiastic reception. )■ He declared the Liberal party had d never been defeated at the polls or in >, the House. Mr Massey's party had d no mandate from the people and the 0 position was most unsatisfactory. He considered any member of the Governy ment who became a member of the ■- Cabinet should go before the electors again in order that he might be tested - before hia masters and mistresses. Regarding finance, he said he had been severely criticised by Mr Allen for not raising a loan before leaving office. The fact was he had been bo persistently pursued, from the North Cape to the Bluff, in connection with the details of the last five million loan _ f that when he found the parties in the House so even he considered it better 3 to leave the question of borrowing till 1 the House determined the state of the f parties. If they looked up the records they would find that before j leaving office he arranged for suffici--3 ent money to carry on the of 3 the country. One of the great labours before the Liberal party was to secure cheap money and convert dear loans. His policy of short-dated loans had been criticised, but in the state ■ of the money market at the time it had been a great saving to the country. Up to the time he had left office there had been no financial difficulty. If the Government had been foolish ' enough to give half per cent, more for loans the taxpayers must suffer. The present Minister's idea seemed to be to decry everything anybody else had done. He predicted there would be a smaller surplus this year than last Referring to taxation, the Government's own records showed they had imposed an increase , amounting to 10s 3d per head This ' by a Government which had declared before the election it would reduce taxation. If the Government carried out the present naval policy grave consequences would result to the country. The only satisfactory course was to stand by the British navy. He defended his attitude in connection with the strike and declared the Liberal 1 party always belidved the laws of the ' country must b6 obeyed. Lawless- ' ness, no matter by whom, must be put ' down. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried amidst applause, a s action of the audience singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."