SIR JOSEPH WARD

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10589, 22 March 1912, Page 5

SIR JOSEPH WARD

RECEIVES A DEPUTATION.

DECLINES TO RETAIN LEADERSHIP. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) V WELiLIM-irON, Last Night. A deputation of about three hundred, representing the Liberals of Wellington, waited on Sir Joseph Ward at his residence to-day, and presented him w;tih the resolution (published on Wednesday), requesting him to retain the leadership of the Party. Mr J. Reed, who introduced the deputation, referred to the great works performed by Sir Joseph Ward and the Liberal party. Other speakers were Messrs E. Arnold, Gray, A. L. Wilson, C. Hall, Farata, Mesdames Kcay, Brown and Moore.

Sir Joseph Ward, who was cheered on rising t ! o respond, thanked those present for their kind representations and utterances. Though he would ho unable to give effect t-o what they asked, he would always remember their kindly wishes. He could not, in j fairness to himself ol' the country, re-J tain the position he now held. He 1 had made a statement to that effect .in the House. He attributed the present crisis to the "extraordinary and contemptible meanness of the large landowners, provided they were to judge them by their newspapers." These people had directed their efforts to unseat lrim; but the policy lie had pursued'had not been directed against any individual, but in the interests of the whole community. They would find a recoil in their method of doing tlvings. The Libera] I'artv would take everything out of them for what they liad done in the way of keeping people off the land. "Willat had the tradesmen or public generally to . expect from people who, during the financial depression, sent their money out of the country, so as to enable them to j be sitting in and building up proper-1 ty for nothing? He believed the op- J poneivts of the Liberals had taken ad- ■

vantage of the split in the Liberal and Labour ranks shortly after the death of Mr Secklon, and were now endeavouring to press ihe Labour party to their breasts. He said the cry of his political opponents had been, "Put out Ward!" He had been subjected to the mostoutrageous abuse in connection with the five million loan. Ho was i-opeatedly asked for papers which those asking knew li£ did not possess. He would like to yield to the requests made to retain the leadership; but he would not he a bugbear to push the liberal-Labour party out of power. He was proud to say he was leaving office with the country in a financially strong condition. It was sounder and stronger now than ever before. At the end of the year, they would have a- record revenue. The country from end to end was prosperous. The Government he had been the head of had been mo,s*t enterprising. No .such .progressive legislation as they bad passed had over been put through in the world. At the .present time, New Zealand undoubtedly stood higher in

the eyes of the world than ever be- ] f-oi'o. ' Ho pointed out that even the j Opposition had .been compelled. to say ] they would not repeal one Act placed ] on the Statute Book by hi,s Government. If iu future the people of the Dominion showed that they did not believe the scandals the liars of this country had disseminated, lie would be prepared to again assist in the work of the country. He predicted another appeal to the people inside of twelve months, when the Liberals would come back stronger than ever, and there would be no victory on the Speaker's (■■a-'tnifS vote, or a majority of two, Cheers f'»r Joseph and Lady Ward concluded the function.