Sir Joseph Ward.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 92, 9 April 1914, Page 5

Sir Joseph Ward.

SPEECH AT WELLINGTON. LIBERAL LEADER IN FORM, [Pbb Press Association.! Welligton, April 8. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a crowded meeting in the Town Hall, over four thousand being present, this evening. Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., presided. Sir Joseph Ward, who was greeted with prolonged cheers, said that ho was in favor of every man in this country having the undoubted right to he hoard. The “Reformers” in Parliament denied the representatives of the people The Right of Free Speech, which was the bulwark of our public life. Repeatedly at Parnell the “Reformers” had attempted to prevent Sir John Findlay from securing a hearing, and he had never heard of any of the “Reform” representatives protesting against that conduct. Legal Action over Newspaper. In the course of criticism of tho Press Association, Sir Joseph indicated tiiat ho had given his legal advisers instructions to take action over a short message from W ellington concerning the Whangarci Advocate, in which it appeared that he had an interest in that paper. He indignantly denied that he had any interest in it, or that he had ever contributed a penny to it.

Criticism of the “Reformers.”

Before tho present Government came into office Mr Massey said that he would decrease borrowing and decrease expenditure if his party were returned. What wore the facts of tho case? They had increased both borrowing and expenditure. They said they were going to reduce taxation, but they had increased it by £309,600 in one year. The Government when in Opposition said that his was a profligate expenditure in connection wth public buildings, and there were some members of the “Reform” party who largely owned their seats in the House because they iiad said he was a wild spender. Under the Estimates last year, declared Sir Joseph, was a vote of £222,000 more than was the case at the time they were referring to him. (Loud cheers.)

Sir Joseph repeated his previous criticisms in reference to the reform of the Legislative Council, and taunted the “Reformers” with insincerty. The Local Government Bill was a matter of great importance, according to the Prime Minister before he was in office. They had done nothing in that matter, and they had done nothing in regard to the promised Town Planning Bill. They wore going to reduce the hours of Parliament, but the rush of legislation had gone on as before, and the hours, he thought, were even worse, or as before. The “Reformers” were going to bring about industrial peace —(loud laughter)—but wo had had nothing of industrial peace since the Government had been in power. Continuing, he said he was waiting to see the total amount of Parliamentary grants that had been premia, ed by Ministers during their lecent tours in this the election year.

The Dreadnought and the Strike. On the question of the Dreadnought, tho speaker asked how much his hearers had paid towards its cost. He did not believe there was one person in that hall who had paid one penny piece. What ho asked Parliament to do, and what Parliament did, was to put tho cost of Ike Dreadnought on the shoulders, not of the ordinary working man or the small business man. The cost was provided out of taxation on hank notes, taxing racing clubs, and death duties.

With regard to the strike, it was circulated that ho was responsible for it. Before tho strike had been in operation for 21 hours “Reform” women were going about saying that if ho had not gone about stopping the tramway strike or tho DennUton trouble there would have been no strike hero.

“I believe in the right to strike,” exclaimed Sir Joseph, “if people wish to do so. Once you deny the right to strike, deny the right for people to leave their employment on the grounds of hours, environment, or wages, you aim a distinct blow at. the right of individuals to do all in their power to improve their conditions. The Liberal party had been maligned and vilified, and their actions had been misrepresented, purely for political purposes. (Cheers.) No Government had a right to abdicate its duties to a citizens’ committee. Having recounted the suggestions he made in Parliame: t to terminate the strike, Sir Josepu declared that the Cover iment could have taken such action a« would have obviated the necessity for importing “specials” from the country. “Loud-mouthed in Fatfor.” Ho quoted from speeches of Ministers to show that for many years they wore not in favor of arbitration, which the Liberals were advocating, and isaid that to-day they were loud-mouth-ed in favor of arbitration, which for 115 or 16 years ihey had resolutely I condemned. At the very outset of (the strike it should have been eonfined to the large local shipping co nipany and the men who were directly 'in trouble with the company. (Cheers.) Sir Joseph defended the action oi the party in “stonewalling” in the House last rear, and in this connec-

tion he blamed the Government for refusing **to toll them, when the Second Ballot Act was being repealed, whether the Government was going to substitute an alternative for it. He reiterated that the strike was used for political purposes. He quoted statements issued by the ‘Reform party, and denounced as a “contemptible. cowardly, blackguardly and lying” document a circular issued by the Reform organisation.

Post Office Square Incident. Sir Joseph repeated the statement he made in the House in regard to the Post Office Square incident at Wellington, and quoted the promise of the Prime Minister thereto. His (the speaker’s) answer was that on the next day and the following daj such an incident did not occur again. It was the bounden duty of the Government to have seen that the innocent men, women and children were cleared off the Square when a conflict was likely to arise between the strikers and the “specials.” The Two Parties. The “Reform” party were going about the country trying to stii up antagonism between the farmers and the Liberal party, but the answer was that the farmers had given him and the members of the party enthusiastic welcomes, while a number of prominent farmers wore coming out as Liberal candidates. All this talk about the farmers was to his mind very misleading. The Prime Minister had said that there were only to be two parties in this country, the “Reformers” and the “Red Feds.” At the last election there were 214,500 electors who voted for the Ward candidates, 22,359 voted for Independent Liberals, 7010 for Independents who were pledged to no party, 36,739 for Liberal and Independent Liberals, and 7013 for Socialists. For the Masseyites and Independent Masseyites there voted 178,751, so that if Mr Massey had all the votes outside those who voted for the Ward candidates and the Independent Liberals, be would still have been in a minority. Because Mr Massey had Quarrelled. with Red Feds, ho wanted to annex the Liberal party, which was the most powerful party at the last general election. As far as the Liberal party were concerned, they were out to carry out the Liberal policy in the general interests of the people of this country. He did not pretend that the Liberal party could meet the views of an extreme section in the country, because they knew they could not; neither could they perform those duties if they had attached to them the extremes belonging to the Tory party. The Liberals had on their side the mass of the people.

The Public Service. Sir Joseph said that the Government were on the horns-of a dilemma. If they could not trust themselves to govern certain branches of the public service, how could they expect the public to rust them to govern other branches of the public service? The question of railways next occupied the attention of the right hon. gentleman, who maintained that the Liberal Government had always interested themselves in the welfare of the railwayman. Now the Government had gone out of its way to appoint a general manager from outside the country. In addition, freights were to be raised, while none of the .long-promised reforms had been in--1 Itrodnced. i On the Question of the Navy, Sir Joseph ridiculed arguments in favor of a local “toy” navy, and asked how one cruiser was going to protect the trade routes from this country. Unless they had an efficient local navy there was only one alternative, and that was to stand by the British Navy. He believed the Government policy was entirely opposed to the wishes of the people. So far as the Liberal party was concerned,

they were against a local navy, but were in favor of continuing a subsidy. If any untoward trouble occurred around the British Isles, they believed it would affect Now Zealand just as disastrously as if it occurred around our coasts. In Conclusion, Sir Joseph said that an enormous transformation had been carried out in this country during the last 21 years. When he heard people talking about the farmer, the small business man, the workman and the professional man, he asked anyone to recollect what had been done by the Liberal administrations. They had 'wiped away unjust taxation and introduced the most beneficial legislated!, which the Tory party had persistently attacked. None of them pretended that they could please everyone,, but he claimed that New Zealand was far ahead of other countries, and as a member of the Liberal party lie was proud to have been responsible for the legislation that the party had passed, and which had made this state of things possible. A resolution thanking Sir Joseph Ward for his “clear, able and straight-forward speech/’ and wishing The Liberal party success at the next elections, was carried amid acclamation, only nine persons voting aganst |it. r ihe meeting closed with cheers for Sir Joseph Ward.