ELECTORAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 297, 25 May 1915, Page 5

ELECTORAL.

lav of islands campaign. , ; - sir Joseph ward speaks. • ( Special to Daily News.) Rawinn, Lust Night. Sir Joseph AV'avd received a splendid hearing nt Rawine to-night, when h* took the pint form in support of Mr. G. . C Menziex, tli« Liberal candidate. Then was a large attendance, the County Chairman, air. K. (.'. Cochrane, presiding; The audience was most enthusiastic, ant the speech of the Leader of the Oppoatioii was -well punctuated with frequent applause.

.Sir Joseph dwelt at some length with' the statements recently made by tha Minister for Public Works and tins Attorney-! ieneral, in which they affirmed that the Government waa not responsible for the election being held during; the time the Umpire was at war. Ho had never heard more grossly unfair or unjust statements. lie favored tbtt postponement of the general election during the war, and he said so in Parliament before the matter was referral to a conference of six members, three from each side. It was remarkable that, despite the fact that the position ra clearly stated in the manifest delivered by him in November last, the position ho had taken up had never been queetioned by any member of the Covernment until now. He quoted Hansard of September 1 last, where he (Sir Joseph)" is reported as follows:—"He had before expressed the opinion that we ought to* keep clear of party politics at this June-' tuw, and he was of that opinion still, and he had a strong feeling that in the best interests of the country it was desirable to. defer the election's until next year. Mr. Massey interjected: l)o you. mean for a year or for three or six months. Sir Joseph Ward: The time would be a nnttcr ror the consideration of the Prime Minister entirely. He did not want to name any particular period, and so far as the Opposition was concerned they would support whatever the Premier elided upon within •> year from the ordinary date." Continuing, Sir Joseph said the conference had ' met after ho had made that statement in the house. .At the conference hesuggested that power should be. taken, to extend Parliament, that it should lirst adjourn until the end of March, subsequent three, monthly adjournment* to bo made if the war continued at the time. He pointed.out that it would be necessary for Parliament to meet is June to vote supplies. The proposal was turned down, explained Sir Joseph. In his opinion it was the only effective way in Which authority for dealing with the situation could be taken. (Applause.) No one then what magnitude the war would assume, or when it would be likely to end, or what sunplies would be required, and it was only by meeting in June, at the expiration of the second three months, that supplies could be obtained, and a further adjournment could then be made. After the conference had discussed the question, the Prime Minister intimated that he would make a statement in the . House. This he did on September -2nd. AY hen giving his reasons for holding the elections Air. Massey said: It is quite impossible at the present time to fix the date of the general elections, but they are generally held hj» November or early in December, and ire propose that they should be held at t'»e same time during the present year, and cannot help thinking, having given the whole subject serious consideration, and having looked at it from every point " of view, that it is the best possible solution. I need hardly say that the Government has not looked at it from a party point of view; not in the slightest. W« have looked at it from a democratic point of view, from fte point of view of the people, from the constitutional point of view, and from the point of view of what I helieve to he the best interests of the whole country, and thai conclusion we have arrived at is that the elections shall ibe gone on with about the ordinary date." To this Sir Joseph . AVard said he replied as follows: "I am strongly opposed to the elections taiinff place this year. I have not changed the view I expressed in the House about a month ago upon this important point, and I have thought over the matter a very great deal. Now, the first reason I give for expressing similar sentiments to those expressed by me formerly ia that every part of the Empire to-day is involved in a war of unparalleled magnitude, and of unparalleled consequence* to tlie British Empire and to the world as a whole," Sir Joseph stated that he thereafter went on to say that the question of whether the time at which the Prime Minister purposed to have elections held was favorable or unfavorable to either party was entirely, to his mind, outside the question, and he concluded his remarks on that occasion as follows: "I regret the decision arrived at. I will approach the general election with story great regret. I am exceedingly sorry) ' the general election has not been postponed until next year or, if necessary, until the war is over, the Government giving three months notice of when it was to he held, so that we might be free of all internal dissension and stand unitedly for the good of the Empire as a whole." Those views were held by me before I went to the conference, said Sir Joseph AA r ard. I stated them in the House, and the Government had, the sole responsibility of deciding the question. I have telegraphed to both, Mr. AA'ilford and Mr. Russell, who were with me at the. conference, asking them to state the facts, and their wires have borne out what I have stated. I felt at the time, and I feel still, that TO should have got the war behind us before engaging in a general election which has not ended and which, to my mind, is most regrettable. (Applause.) Mr. Menzies was accorded a unaimona vote of thanks and confidence, the meeting pledging itself to do everything in its power to return him at the head of the poll.