The Liberal Leader

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 267, 9 April 1914, Page 5

The Liberal Leader

GREAT* RECEPTION AT WELLINGTON. REPLIES TO MINISTERIAL • ADDRESSES, " REFORM " I'XDER A RAKIXG FIRE. Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a crowded meeting in the Town Hall, ovsr four thousand being present, this evening. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., presided. Sir Joseph Ward, who was greeted with prolonged cheers, said that sie in of *very man in this country having tlie "ndoubted right to be heard, 'flip "Reformers" in Parliament denied the representatives of the people

TIJE 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 coaduct. 111 the course of criticism of the Press Association, lie indicated that he had .given his legal advisers instructions, to take action over a short message from Wellington concerning the Wliangarei Advo«ate, in which it appeared that be had an interest in that paper. He in- 1 " dignantly denied that he had any interest in it, or that lie contributed a penny to it.

CRITICISM CRITICISED. He went on to refer to the criticism of the,"Reformers" when in Opposition, and quoted Mr. Maasey as saying previous to tlie general election that in the way of population New Zealand wns hardly holding her own; that she was piling up debt, increasing taxation, and making a state of tilings that \yas a danger to the prosperity of the Dominion.

A BORROWING GOVERNMENT. Before the present Government came into office Mr Massev said that he would decrease borrowing ami decrease expenditure if liis party were returned. What were the facts of the case? They had increased both borrowing and expenditure. They Baid tliey 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 with public buildings, and there were some /members of the "Reform" party who largely owned their seats in the House because they had said he was a wild spender. Upon the Estimates lhst year, declared Sir Joseph, was a vote of £222,000 more than was the icase at the time they weru referring tohim. (Loud cheera). IXSIXCERE "REFORMERS.]' Sir Joseph "repeated his previous criticisms in reference to the reform of the Legislative Oonnsil, taunted the "Reformers" with insincerity. The Lowl Government Bill was a matter of* great importance, according; to the Prime Minister before he was in odiee. They haf done nothing in that matter, and they had done nothing in regard to the promised Town Planning Bill. They were going to reduce the liours of Parliament, but the wish of legislation had gone on as before, and the hours, he I bought, were even worse, or as before. The "Reformers", were going to bring about industrial peace—(loud laughter l—but we had had nothing of industiial peace since the Government had been in power. ELECTION' YEAR PROMISES, Continuing, lie said he was waiting to see the total amount of Parliamentary grants that had been promised by Ministers during their recent tours in this the election year. THE DREAEJXOUGTIT—NO COST. On the question of the Dreadnought, the speaker asked how much his hearers had paid towards its cost. He did not beileve there was one person in that hall who had paid one ■ penny piece. What he alskiyl Parliament to do, and whit Parliament did, was to put the cost of the Dreadnought on the shoulders, hot of the ordinary working man or tfc? small business man. The cost was provided out of taxation on bank note.?, taxing racing clubs, and death duti«B. THE STRIKE. /With regard to the strike, it was circulated that he was responsible for it. Before the strike had been in operation for 24 hours "Reform" women were going about saying that if he had not gone about stopping the tramway strike or the Denniston trouble there would have been no strike here. RIGHT TO STRIKE UPHELD. •■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 hud been maligned and vilified, and their actions had been misrepresented, purely for political purposes. (Cheers'). Xo (ioverumeiit had a right to abdicate its duties in a citizens' committee. Having recounted the suggestions he made in Parliament to terminate the strike, Sir Joseph declared that the Government could have taken such action as would have obviated the necessity for importing "specials" from the country.

then and xow. lie {|iiot('(l from of Ministers to show that for many years tlicy were not in favor of arbitration, wliicb tln> Liberals wcii' advocating, and said that to-day they were loud-mouthed in favor of arbitration. which for 1!> or lti years tlicv bad resolutely condemned. At (lie very outset of tin- strike it should have been conlined to the large local shipping coth]>, my and the men who were directly in trouble with tlie company. (Cheers). > KTOXKWAI.r, .lI'STIFIED. , Sir -Joseph defended the notion of the party ill "stonewalling" ill the Houi-'ft last year, and in this connection he blamed the (iovernmcnt for refusing to tell them, when the Second Ballot Act was being repealed, whether the Government was going to substitute an alternative for it. lie reiterated that the strike was used for political purposes. He quoted statements issued by tile "Reform" party, and denounced as a

''COXTEMFTTBLK, <OWAUDLY, a:u i.viNG"

document a circular >-med hy the Rc- * form organisation. ! Sir -lospiili repeated (he stute»e*t lie... S made in the House i'n . a to tlie, 1 P#st Olliee Square; hwMei.t si Welling- , ton, and quoted the promwi' os tho Primß' V?') Minister thereto. His (the speaker's) /J answer was that on the next day and, j the, following day sueli an incident dill | not occur again. It whs tin: t duty" oi the Government. fo have seen; % that the innocent''mm, >wroMi and | ;

[children were cleared til!' tee Square ! when a conflict wan likely to arise tof >f jfi tween the strikers and the "special*." 'Jj FARMERS AND' IJIiEIU'.ISM. j || The "Reform" party w ere going about i|| the country trying to stir up ;i'agonif>in ; $ bettveen the" farmers and Hie Liberal | party, hut the answer was (hat the ,* farmers had given him and th. members' MB tjf tlie party enthusiatsiA welcomes, ?jS Vhile a number of prominent farmers were coming out as Liberal candidates. ;i ! ; STRENGTH OF PARTI RS. ,;J All this talk about the farmers was to his mind very misleading. The Prime 7*J Mmist«r had said that there were only ; to be two parties in this count rv, 'the "Reformers" and the "Red Feds," " At the last election there were 214,500 -'M electors who voted for the Want candid-' *^2 ates, 22.35!) vpted for Independent Lfc-' V, orala, 7010 for Independent a who were pleged to no party, 3C,TS;» for Liberal i k and independent Liberals, and 7013 for ;*{ Socialists. # , For the Masseyitcs and Independent Mfcsseyitts therei voted 178,;51, so tUfct $ if Mr. Massey )md all the votes outside . ,A those who voted for the Waid candid- ■:> ates and. (he Independent. r,ii>-ral«, be would still have been 1 in a minority.

MR. MASSEY AND TIIK liKI) FEDS. I Now, because he had ouarrelied with •V* the Red Feds., Mr. Masscy wanted to « a.nnex the Liberal party, which was the most powerful party at the lust general election) As fa'r as the Liberal party ' were concerned, tliey Were out to carry out the Liberal policy in the general in- > terests of the people of this- country. Ho did not pretend that Ihe Lib. nil party • could' meet the views of an extreme m> tioii in the country, bcctuise they knew '* i: they could not;,neither could ihey perform those duties if tlu-y had attached * to them the extremes belonging to th« Tory party. The Liberals had on thefir ' J side the mass of the peojlc. f • 'g " THE PUBLIC SERVICE. *' $ ■ ... ■ . On the question of the public service, Sir Joseph u;lid 'that the government ' ' were on the horns of a dilemma. II they could not trust themselves to govern certain branched of ,the public service, , how could they expect the publie to f trust them to govern other branches ol the-pubiie service? WJ The question of railways next occupied 'i'C the attention of the .right lion. gentleman, who maintained tlmt 'the Liberal .-'J Government had always interested themselves in the welfare of the railwaymen. ■ .. Now the Government it.-ul gone out at its way to appoint a general manager from outside tlio countVy. *ln addition, A freights'were to raised!'while hone of the long-promised reforms had been introduced. THE "TOY" NAVY. ] On the question 'of the Xavy, Sir Jo* J r suph ridiculed argume.nU m fin or ol ft', '' .rja local "toy" navy, and ssked how one / •k" 1, cruiser was going to''protect the trade ' routes from this country. Unless /they . i. had an ellii ient jocal r.avy there was J-.jj only one sltvruative,- arid' that wu to /'-V stand by the British Navy. He be- *• lieved the ('overnmcnt policv was «n- "i tirely opposed to the wMuSs of the peopie. Bo fur as. the Liberal party wa* concerned, they were Jgainsts a local ljav.y, but were in favor of continuing a subsidy. If any untoward trouble occurred mound J.hc Jftitish Isles, they be- < i ■ lieved it would alVepr Xew Zealand just as disastrously as if It occurred around our coasts. Till? LIHERAT.'S\ KKCOUD. In conclusion. Sir' Joseph said that en enormous transformation had bjen curried out in Ibis countr.v during.thc last • » 21 years. When lie heard people talking about tin' farmer, the small business man, the workman and the proiossional man, he asked anyone to recollect whnt bad been done by tile Liberal admin- 'i istrntioifs. They had wiped away un/just taxation *nd introduced yie most beneficial legislation, which the Tory party had persistently attacked, None, of them pretended that tljcy could pleaso every one. I 'll ly claimed that New JJffo- fi lain'! was far ahead-, of other countries, ' $ and ius a mi'iiibiir of the Liberal party he w.'is proud to haw lieen responsible i fur I lie legislation tlia'. the party had" piis-ed. and which .-hud made <Uia state 'of «.i,,gs possible. , A resolution I hanking Sir Joseph <t Ward for his' "dear, u'-le. and straight- t forward speech; 1 ' and, ' 'ishing mho Liberal party success at t! a next e'.eetiona, was carried ' amid ae iilamatio.), only nine persnns voting- it/frinst it The meeting dosed with cheers foi Sir Joseph Ward. • , ■