POLITICAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 84, 15 May 1914, Page 5

POLITICAL.

OPPOSITION LEADER. CAMPAIGN CONTINUED. Press Association. '' MARTON, May 14. Sir Joseph Ward . .received a great reception in the. Town Hall to-night. The building was pa'dked!/ 'abditt 800 people being present.' " Si'if "'Jos&pli' received with cheers on entering the hall. He received a splendid* hearing, applause being "frequent and prolonged. The Mayor (Mr J. H; Miles) presided. Sir Joseph Ward made' some telling points, especially in regard 'to naval defence and the Dreadiiought. The attempt to make capita! out of the fact that his resolution Concerning the setting ■' tip of an Imperial. Parliament of Defence was not carried at the Imperial .Conference. in .1911, could, only be regarded as something of' no consequence. He quoted from the report of the conference to show that He made it quite dear that the proposals could not be hurriedly, given effect to. He told the conference that his scheme presiipposed in' the United Kingdom a complete system of local autonomy, each of the national divisions of the Kingdom, including England,. Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, having its own Parliament. What had happened since then?-' 1 Recent, cable messages showed that 200 members .of the House of Commons, Unionists and Liberals, had banded together for the purpose of establishing a Fedbral ! dyst&n for the United Kingdom. If was quite apparent that the basis of a settlement of the Irish troubles/was.to be on Federal lines, such as .he had indicated. Two Ministers, in their recent speeches, had mentioned the workdone by him at the Imperial Conference, With a view to burying their local naVal scheme, but what he (Sir Joseph) had stated would at least show that he was not very far out when, before a gathering of men representing the Empire, he had advocated an Empire Parliament and , a Parliament f or- each - of . the national divisions of the British Isles.

Such a scheme, it seemed from present indications, was to save the , Home ; land from a horrible .-civil-, war.) Ministers could jibe at him- and- misrepresent; him and endeavour to belittle him as much as they liked on the question of a local navy, but nothing could persuade him that we could stop at one Bristol cruiser. He had no desire to draw defence into party,- this hacl been done by the Reform ;Goverttmenty:- who had - forced a scheme through £farlia- ♦ meat without any authority from the people. He characterised, Mr Massey's statement at Gisborrte in regard to the' Dreadnought as a contortion of the facjts. The battleship had been provided by New Zealand and paid for. He[ had arranged the payment, so that it would not press on the working man and .nobody could deny that. (Applause). Mr W. 11, Gomez moved a vote of thanks to Sir Joseph Ward, expressing confidence in the Liberal Party, and the hope that they would top .the polls at the next election. / , , This was carried with applause, there being no dissentient. : Sir Joseph was presented with a bouquet, and the meeting . closed with Cheers for the Leader of the Opposition.