ELECTIONEERING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1230, 12 September 1911, Page 4

ELECTIONEERING.

REMARKS BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. Sir Joseph Ward talked electioneering to a sympathetic audience at the West Coasters' social last evening, shortly before midnight. He said: "In connection with the proposals of the Government now before tho people of the country, what fort of criticism aro wo subject to and going to be subject to during tho" next few months? \Vc put forward a policy that means helping the poor man—(hear, hear)—a policy (hat means helping tho middle-class man, that means helping thousands who aro honestly endeavouring to carve out homes for themselves, and .we find this miserable, wretched subterfuge suggested by those who are opposed to the Administration that it is a policy intended for electioneering. (A voice: "Rot.") Let me ask you to realise what those who say this would do, if they had tho power of initiative, which they have never yet slio.vn. Would they not place beforo (lie people of tho country what they believed right and good for the people as a wholeV Tho Prime Minister added that there was not a proposal in tho Budget that, given the opportunity, would not be placed on the Statute Book in the general interests of the people of New Zealand. It was wondorful, ho continued, how some people tried to creato wrong impressions. They had been heard to say in connection with the coming election that "Ward was going to have the run of his lifo in Awarua." He would say that if there was an Oppositionist in tho country as'safe and certain of his seat as he was, lie would not lose a moment's sleep over it. Ho had nothing to fear from a good and faithful people, ail intelligent people as his people were—otherwise they would not havo him. (Laughter and applause.) The Opposition, who did not know tho people there as well as he did, had got two men out against him. Their idea wns that one would split tho Labour vote and tho other would'catch tho farmers._ As a matter of fact he would get a majority of both. Supposing the people of Awarua were foolish enough to return one of those other candidates, lie would go down to tho West Coast and stand there. (Applause.) "You can b't your bottom dollar," he added, "that they can't keep meout of Parliament."