POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 1, 30 November 1914, Page 6

POLITICAL.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S CAMPAIGN. GREAT MEETING AT AUCKLAND. IN A FIGHTING MOOD.; Sir Joseph Ward addressed an overflowing meeting at the Auckland Town Hall on Friday night.

THE PARTIES COMPARED. At the outset of his remarks Sir Joseph said lie was there as the leader of the Liberal Party—(applause)—which had enacted laws for the good, peace and happiness of the people of this glorious country. The methods of some opponents of the party which represented the true majority of the people of New Zealand were deprecated. The electoral laws had been altered by the socalled "Reform" Party—(ironical laughter) —by the repealing of the second ballot. That party, which only represented a minority, was facing a precarious position, which on the morning of December 11 would result in a lesson that should serve them for the rest of their political lives. (Applause.) The Government had failed to keep its promise to provide a substitute for the second ballot.

VOTERS DISFRANCHISED. Many electors were dissatisfied at this election by finding their names struck off the electoral roll. In Otaki the Reform Party had shown its resentment of the interference of the Government in the electoral rights of the people. He was informed that 220 men at the forts at Pevonport were to be removed, and would find themselves out of the electorate without the right of an absentee vote. At a time when the guns of the forts ought to be manned there was to be a shifting of these men on the eve of an election. This was a matter calling for explanation.

Another matter lie wished to refer to ■was tliat prior to leaving Wellington lie liad learned that there were two Ministers there with adjoining electorates. It was said that a number of men not in one Minister's electorate had been provided with absent commercial travellers' rights to vote. As the leader of the Opposition lie felt himself entitled to mention this matter. (A voice: Question.) The Liberal party wanted the names of all entitled to vote put on the rolls.

MARVELLOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS. He wished to remove some misconception due to the continuous sequence of marvellous misrepresentations which seemed to be one of the principal assets possessed by his opponents. Sir James Carroll was reported in certain papers to have strongly condemned him (Sir Joseph) in connection with the gift of the Dreadnought to Britain. He was further reported to have said that if lie got in he would see that the £2,000,001) was spent on roads and bridges. He had wired Sir James, who was a good chap, and it transpired that he had been ''a long way from Tipperary." He had not | heen in the town where tin; speech quoted I had been made by Sir James' opponent. (Laughter and applause.) Sir Joseph denied a statement by Mr Lang that lie had been responsible for the loan spoken of in connection with the "ostrich farm" matter. The . Mayor of Auckland, Mr C. J. Barr, bad said there could be no Ministry which would do justice to the North island if i the Liberal Party were returned. This ! idea he ridiculed. There were a number | of fine men standing in the north at the present election—(applause)—and lie promised that when be had to advise the Governor after December 10th to approve a new Liberal Ministry, half that Ministry should represent the North Island.

GRANTS FOR AUCKLAND DISTRICT. When the present Government came into office they stopped the Wailii railway and a number of public works. (A Voice: They started the Waiuku railway. Laughter.) Sir Joseph: Yes, and seven others, four of which were iji the districts of Ministers of the Crown. In Sir Joseph's nineteen years of office he never had a railway started in a district he represented. In the Auckland district in the year 1913—1914, the Masscy Government put £140,100 on the estimates for roads and bridges, and they spent £55,000 during election year. This year the Government, having spent £55,000 of that vote, had put £178,000 on the estimates for roads and bridges in the Auckland district. The Liberal Party, when in office, spent more in the north than the present Government had done. Never in the history of New Zealand had so much money been devoted to the making of railways in New Zealand as during the speaker's term of oflice.

BRAZEN-FACED SUPERIORITY. One of the most extraordinary characteristics of the present Government was their political brazen-faced assumption of superiority over everybody else who had governed New Zealand in the past. He deprecated what he characterised as the unfair methods of his opponents, who, he said, were prolific in their circulation of literature.

RETROGRADE FINANCE. Sir Joseph asserted that when his Government went out of office they loft the Minister for Finance the largest amount in consolidated revenue that had over been so left, namely, £807,270, yet, at the end of the present Government's second year the Minister for Finance had gone back till there was only £376,000 to the credit of the country. In other words, the present Government had allowed the ordinaiy revenue to go back to the extent of nearly £450,000; yet, to-day, it would be found that there would be some so enamoured of the opponents of the Liberals that they would not take the trouble to look at the drift that was going on in this country. At present this drift was appalling, and if it was allowed to go on it would mean imposing a very heavy taxation on the people of New Zealand. The country was going backward at a greater ratio than for years past.

REFORM BORROWING. The Massey Government was trying maintain an'unnatural position in declaring tlioy had not broken their pledges, and that all was well. Practically all the tax payers in New Zealand had been called upon to pay more in taxation since the Government came into power than they had been called upon to pay by the preceding Liberal Governments. (Applause.) In a speech he had made in July, 1911, Mr Massey had declared that the borrowing of his predecessors was too large, and the taxation was ±OO hjgh; In the face of that, said Sir Joseph, taxation now amounted io 13a ld per head, which was £654,000 per year more than it' waa when Mr Maggey said,