SIR JOSEPH WARD AT LEESTON.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16699, 6 December 1919, Page 9

SIR JOSEPH WARD AT LEESTON.

The L'.tl. r of tin' Onpo.it ion, Sir Joseph Ward. addrr.-.-ed a \ery largely attended meeting I;i>? night at Locston, flip centre of the Ki.'< wii. re rl- > cti-ratc The chairman of the Elli-a.ere County <• iijf ii. Mr John Cun;.:nghani, |>ri--si'l'-'i. mi Jo-i'pn, who was warmly received {•ii rt.-ing to .-oral;. said ti.at lw wa> tan-lied tii.it in a tew v, ai>' ;i;r.f wcit, 001, i i;e< -e. ta.li.w, and ot;;rr proUiilli'S iil> nl! ii n lot*, th.-i'i ti.ey u.iv ii t ].!•• M'ul. aim tual the ij :.111; j;y oj • •.\puii., ii..;n .v X.-a-l.'tfl 11 UlLi l!i t.!lf lit .vl Ma ill MS ca ..e,.!'- ' ll.U»t 1.1 llU'iil l-\ i.t H'a.-t -.0 If I , cent. to liu-t !;.«• al. ■:.■ iJ «•«.»:, 11»: 111 o, t.• 11•. 1t <i ( jni . , i..r < jlllj 11111 tha I 1 i.r (on i niii. 'ii i - -o. I.i ;■> lan ■' poll cy » a--. i:ii*iali:i„ prici A n.i-t.ike JKl(| hern lii.iilc. Jn' i :t.;i■ t. <i, 111 it tying lara.- tor Mil III'! -. I iii'iv was <T..y i,lie way in ma Ii tiii-, < >..!iii v Could jiinudt- land for the 'oidiri.s and that «ii s tnat mo la rge lioeicrs must, ru a j>;tir price. I.<- (iiiii[„ lied to cut up '.heir ifi i itnric-, in toe inti.Ti--.ts oi the -oHn-1,-, and tin? civilian. A land liouin, 100. must li,. avoided, ii'iii a r.ra.iuat<"i J iin J las was necc.-sary for that piirp !•<-. .-ir .lo>cpii iii'iit on to speak of the iicfij lor iiuicabid mdiisfrii'.s in New \ Zealand. In the matter of t omnierce, America had deiived tremendous U'ticlit from r ij.- war, and su had .Japan, while spending practically nothing! and flicv were now the greatest commercial 'ppoiii tits of the .Mother Country. 11l tespon:«." to that jKisition, i\«- out here in this glorious young pail of tiio I'.mpire, niu.st trj' und do more to meet < tho now positiou, which coual only bo met in tun other way:—hy increased taxation, or by trebling our pre-war population. l«'n years ago, Sir Joseph continued, ho had wished to snerid £10,(HQ per year on hydro-electrical power, and his opixinonts had stepped him. Tliere was more water power running to waste here than would he provided hy 6CO Niagaras. So far as motor nowcr was. concerned, we wore in n hitter position than any other counttv in tho world in tho way of production. Uofore fifteen years had passed, ono would no unable to find a steam engine on any nf our railways. It was nur bounden duty now to put all our assets in this direction into operation, and „1I tho necessary npnliances for hydro-electric work should bo ordered at onco by tho .nveniment m such a mnnnor that the whole of the works would bo comI»l**to<I wttliin thrre years. Kvcn if that (hit thTn r ° V . O , nUO WOul ' l 1)0 s " ch that tho work would cost the taxpayer en ' n „ti) r' Ch P r" 7"" WC ,la(l h ' c ™ S, j -J ,n '-"K'nnd. Ireland, or aU Lo Prorcediug to tho question of nationalisation, Sir Joseph said that ho bad never advocated anv great nublie tirst studying it, every aspect. In his career of nearly twontv K hnrl V d P .' nced beforo the wuntil ;■ v i aM 0 „" r° n \ trarsf r-rfczZEi 1 1 'citr F te s ""fee Kr r „7L i ;i u ™r, »° «'« urged the neccssitv for nrAriii; n """""i™. f»r «u & i°iS" cl Chl T h » tad.SK.ft mfn tlon ll , nc,or K | '°iind as were nver ? pround. Iforeb?ftir&a- "■» -&r* r'mSfSj, 'h° S'n«vnrn Un r7 Wlla GO OO homes sliort make • b " i,d 6000 hoTne * i°r Ke np tho dcficirncy. What ho K,£ op T d in connexion with the nonsing schemo was not going to cost lie° thought r \f» nC POnnT ' n ° r ,ro,,I(1 't. Wnt ,p tt^tp n o;r S 7ho%o b s7K wJinra B oT k no d oT Sit^ n ' Cre m " inl 7 tI)0 Pcoplo who received less the B mf^f PCr yCar * The P° sit 'on at we end of every year wns that tho Government had over £1.200.000 left in their possession that they had to invent in something. His idea was that tl',s wnße enrners » should iJ'J. " n t' ,at moner spent on them in hons, ng . -In that way, he considered" Sit?/ ho " st,s wo,,!d b ° »i ° y 0 " 1 " an <l a half. necessary labour was Sir Joseph "\Vard went on to spook of fln°nir nCCC H Mt i y I establishing a State Bank. Snch a bank, he saia, was not necessary before the war, but tho war nad changwl the whole aspect of things For the purpose of meeting the rcconRtrncted position in .New Zealand, an institution such a3 ho had mentioned was an absolnto necessity, an institutjo n behind which was tho security of r ;, o which would issue a note, the full value of which one could always bo certain of obtaining. Another scheme which Sir Joseph advocated was tho establishment of fast powerful oil steamers, owned by the government, between the two ends of the railways, in other words, a Stnto rem- semco, so that ono could travel in the State system to whatever place one wished to go. v Tho re-adjustment of tho old nge pension, and the widow's pension, nest received attention from Sir Joseph. Ho was satisfied, he said, that tho Government and tho employers had got to rccogniso that had it not been for tho wngtM'arnors of tho Allies, we would not have won tho war. and tho recognition of the wage-en mors must be put on a much more suitable basis in tho >, ™«re than it had been in the past. ' s°is iiT cd th„ a t thoso who did not realise tho roal relation between the employer and the wage-earner to-dnv wer ® B® ,n ß to create a position that would bo far worse than over before. ■Moderate Labour must undoubtedly be recognised in the future. He himself wa& tho Liberal Party's loader in Now Zealand, and if he were returned to power he would Fee to it that Labour *, M represented in tho administration »j£V COUn V 7 - , That - ho considered, wonld be not only n sound thing, but %, "P.H, to do. Sir Joseph P to men of the calibre of Mr Witch, M.r., and said that siKh men in the Government would cive tremendous strength, and would prove 1 an actual antidote to thu sowing of tho 1 cccds of trouble to which ho had just ' referred. J ( Deajin- with profiteering. Sir Joseph 1 said that he quite agreed that it was 1 necessary for all pcaplo to make profits on their business, but in the case i of the prnSteer who was exploiting the 1 peoplo there should bo no lighter turn- < ishmont tlmn gaol. It was tne'dutv of ; anyone* who knew of extortionate ; chargos being made for food or cloth- I ing immediately to report th<* matter. I ' Incidentally, Sir Joseph strongly urged « that a 50 per cent, surtax should he • placed on tnose countries who bad, at \ dictation of an autocrat, cause* ■ <

| the loss of millions of lives, and tha j that t .x should bp kept on until the; > h.i'l suffered sufficiently. j Although ho was responsible for tin iritr dirt ; nn of th«? Territorial system I Sir Joe; h Ward continued, he did ncl i want to «-cv in pence tiiro any spirit o] i miiit.ir or jingoism introduced intt 1 t'.i( untry. He strongly tb< j !.<■ i irnr* of Nat : ons. the formation o: • which he considered the finest thinj. . ;u-hievc'l at the Peace Confernec. ant explained how the IxMiciio.would ensnr< ' a pro'o-crd pea re on land. In >viow oi I the fiCa'.ii'-M power. and of what th( • | Kd (''ii-'trv. America, and other cona . trios ha-I Hone in the way of redu'/ : nf | tl. 'ir armies. ho ?aw r.o reason fiv- th< | • ■.Viof t-vo montlis' militan i tr.". : rtin'r in New Z-cnlnnd. or linv siri • | prfv ; - ; on = . t'-'uerb tho Territorial sys- , j f - J. •!!"'!''! ho ns before. II . ! a vo'y different matter, however ' u-i •' Nivy was concerned, pro I 0.-o-'cl r»' r J'<-" , r>h. who of th< | tiiMliv n:ivr>l i-'n-rtanco of the Pacific ; a" l «fr" n :;'y supported, not a ' | "avy hut str'-t >to the Rri. . t ; ~Ti Navy. T.«rd s*"*<re c f ; ir ! n* a ■'onadron of the British Navy foi i Wr, /"aland. uit'i a \ow Zealand shir in it. was h« considered, an excellenl i one. and ho stro*<irly ureed the need foi I a!' ti'f'li'c boin** piren tc • t!io Navy, in which lay Britain's suI pr r n.,T-v. n-'frerinjr to tho National Onronimont. Sir Jo«">h si'd he had hovo"d all f|oo>-tion kept Iris compact n< to the drnininc for the war period oi ii-irty p-lit'-s. Tt had l)cen atrrofvl thai when the war terminnted the National fjnvi-rnrrent should ppsipp and when owe came. he n n d other members <ol j lii« partv in t'-e Vibinet. after consulI tat'on, had left the National Govern- ' nv-nt. He rould iot honourably have dene otherwise. _ TTe was elected as n Ijor of a nart'pn'ar party, and if ht had remained in 'hit Cabinet as the Milmrdinato of the T/vW of nariv. he would have boon acting dis '■onriurahly t" those who 'had elcoted him. He had whon he camo out of Hie National Government, left behind I'im. a'oono'st other things, -a surplus of £1") 000 000. ire had. in every way, como out with an unsullied reputation. Fir Joseph concluded «->»h 'a brief summary of big entire platform. expressing the hope Mr Harclav and tho whole Liberal >Party. which had a irront record, tho finest in the history of tho country, would be returned to power. A hearty vote of thanks and confidence. with a hope thnt the Liberal Party would be victorious nt f the coming noil, was, on the motion of Mr J. C. Free, passed to Sir Joseph.