POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 256, 27 March 1914, Page 5

POLITICAL.

LIBERALS IN THE NORTH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dargav.ille, Last Nifrht. In connection with the northern tour of the Liberal members, Messrs. MacDonald (Bay of Plenty) and Thompson (Wallace) were accorded an enthusiastic reception at Aratapu on Wednesday evening. There were also present Mr. Gordon Coafes, member for Kaipara. and Mr Hoe, the selected Liberal candidate 'for ' ltaipara. Messrs. Mac Donah! and Thompson both delivered able policv spetiohes, severely criticising the present Reform Government. Mr Hoe addressed the meeting, and received an attentive and favorable reception. At the conclusion, votes of thanks and of confidence in Sir Joseph Ward and the. Liberal Party were carried unanimously.

MR. WEBB AT CREYMOUTH. A FIGHTING SPEECH. Greymotith, Last Night. Mr T. 0. Webb, M.P. for Grey, addressed a very large audience in tho Town Hall to-night. The county chairman. Mr. J. McCarthy, occupied the eliair. Mr. Webb began by stating that the party now in power had opposed every social proposal brought before them. In dealing with party politics, Mr. Webb said that the Massey party had tried in every way to oppose Sir J. G. Ward. He said that Mr. Massey's party had approached Mr. Hickey, the Red. Fed. of Waihi, to induce him to stand against the Liberals, but he refused absolutely The Second Ballot Act was dealt with at length by Mr. Webb. Ho*'advocated the power of recall, and instanced cases where Liberals had turned over to tho Reform Party. Nearly all land for settlement was held under monopoly. If the Government were anxious to' help the people, it should endeavor to put them on the land. The money-lending institutions, of which Mr. Massey was leau?T' had a splendid time last year. He suggested a heavy tax on unimproved "land, so junking it impossible to hold large blocks land. The defence questiiW the. next item Mr. Webb dealt w'Hh, adversely criticising the present Act. He characterised the local navy as being absurd. He also said that the contributions to the Imperial Navy should be increased, and let the matter of defence l'tst with the Imperial Navy. Mr. Webb next dealt with the question of unemployment such as existed nearly all over the Dominion. Prosperity in New Zealand, said Mr. Webb, had never yet extended to the working people, and never would while it rested with the Masscv Government, Tn connection with the recent strike, Mr. Webb said that members of tho Tory Party in Parliament practically said that Sir Joseph Ward inspired the strike.. He gave a very lengthy and blood-curdling outline of the proceedings in Wellington during the time of the riots there. _ He said that many specials were criminals just out of gaol, but when it came to shooting down workers "any old thing would do." He (Mr. Webb) bad applied for a commission to enquire into the conduct of the specials, but this had been refused by Mr. Tier dm an. He congratulated the Opposition on the stonewall tactics of last session. The Massey policy would lead, said Mr Webb, New Zealand to a state, of chaos. At tho conclusion of the speech, which lasted over two and a-half hours, he said that Labor and Liberals must engineer the situation so that the Massey Government must go out, and that this time next, year would see Sir Joseph Ward back into office. A motion of confidence in the Social Democratic Party was read and carried.