SIR JOSEPH WARD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2017, 26 March 1914, Page 7

SIR JOSEPH WARD.

AT AUCKLAND.

REFUSES TO DISCLOSE POLICY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, March" 25. The Town Hall was full to-night when Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of tlio Opposition, delivered a political adur'ess. Tho Mayor (Mr. 0. J. Parr) presided. ■ Sir Joseph Ward, who was greeted with loud arid continued cheering; expressed his pleasure at addressing such' a magnificent audience—tho largest whicli lib" had had tho pleasure of addressing in tho Dominion. Ho was not surei that tho Dominion: had such a clean Press as formerly. yThero had been days when a man could rely upon fair and • non-misrepresented reports, but now. tho largo landholders werei buying. out papers, so that only one side of things could bo presented. On the whole, however, ho had .been given fair treatment. The party how in power represented oiily a third of the electors who went to the poll at last election. Tho Primo Minister and the Minister of Finance for years had said that he was wrong in his viows, moro especially, about finance, but now these same gentlemen were admitting that ho was right. It' followed naturally that they .were wrong. To prove his statement ho referred to the authoritative statement issued by the Government tHroiigh tho Commissioner in connection' with tho' floating of the £3,500,000 loan, and tho last loan, in Fobruair, wherein all the contentions' ho had made wore used. They admitted,. in this prosperity, that an ed record of progress, solidarity, and advance had been the rulo during tho time that'the Liberal party had been in power. During the period from 1905 to 1912 tho payment of factory hand's had gone .up from £4,457,000 to £5,572,000 —an increase 6f 25 per cent., while there wero other similar increases. Could anyone deny that there had been a shortness of money since Mr. Massey cam© to power?. This was due to two reasons: The London-money market, had been against him, and the. Post Office Savings Bank had hot a balance to keep him going,

The Old Liberal Regime. Wliat had the .Liberal Government done? It had given the pooplo a State Fire, Insiiranco, • saving them; over £1,000,000, Customs concessions amounting to £6,000,000, railway concessions to £2,000.-000, prosit aii<d\ telegraph concesaidiis to £450,000, saving (with other, concessions) the people some £22,000,000. The Liberals had mado the. business of usurer impossible, thereby saving tho people, pounds and pounds in interest. ■ The policy of the Liberals had been to put taxation, upon the. shoulders of men who. could afford to. hear, it. Referring to advances to settlers, ivhich the present • Government Press had opposed when first started, ho said that some £14,000,OOOhad been advanced and. not £10()0 lost. He then. referred to loans to local bodies, saying that these bodies how had to go on. the, market, and pay ,7 to 8 per cent., whereas he had given'them all thbv wanted at 4 to 5 per cbnt. The Liberals' superannuation scliomb.'.had been .of wonderful benefit for some i2OO railwaymeu, as well as,for. post and teler graph officials, teachers, , and , other Public Servants. Other works of the Liberal pirty were'widbws' pensions, and a national .'provident schemo.

■Fleet and Forces. R-eferring..tg v the Navy,, he agreed - that/ as far s. should be kept out of tnb arena of,party. politics, but .he held that such a small ■country .could;, not afford, tho, risk of, yoing in... ifor. a; — local Navy, l ; The .Australian scheme -would ,cost thb; Commonwealth Government £34,000,000, while, it, was/estimated, that, in a lewyears, Australia would bp called upon to foot a bill of ,£10,000,000 per an-, 'nuni for naval matters. Naturally. Australia waited New Zealand to go on tho <same lines,.for Australia could, not bear the expenditure and wanted someonp else to assist bear the. burden. When lib was at Home he liad arranged for two' Bristol cruisers, three-de-stroyers, and two submarines,'but what had they now P A few wretched things of practically no use. He considered New. Zealand would be much safer in continuing its contributions to the Home Navy alia by allowing thb Admiralty authorities to have.control. The inter-' nal defence ojf the Dominion was cost-: ing £505,000 yedrly, and, with tho cost of the Navy, it .would be over £800,000,while, for /llie nest year, it would be nearly- a \hiillion, and .in . foiir years £1,500,000, or more than the total cost, of the educational. system. '

the Strike. Following Sir Joseph Ward's .mention of the strike there, was some uproar, mainly,; directed ' against. .Mr. ;Pan-, the Major of Auckland. Sir Joseph .Ward'said that thcro had been statements made that ho could characterise as nothing more thaii odious lies. Some had even said that he was the man wljo had precipitated tliii strike, while a Reform man had gone through his owii electorate spreading misrepresentation about his actions. Ho would undertake to say.'that, without' asking for the farmers to borne to towii or doing. anything unusual,' he could have settled .the striko in two days (Loud applause.) He believed that 'ii<i WySSfi® ol # representing the people had the right to hand over to a citizens' committee the duties that it should havo performed itself. Personally'-, ho believed that the parties to aiiy disputo should be brought together, with the promise 'cf early legislation. All tlio misrepresentation about his actions had been for thfe purpose of winning over the farmers, who formed a powerful fadtor at elections. Ho defended his action in the Hotisb in regard to'tlio Post Office' Square incident, remarking that ho did not go to Pai-lifimelit to bo a dummy. Quotiiig from- Hansard,, lie said that •Mi-. Allen had said, during th 6 strike, of 1890,' that th(S Houso should take up' a position of iicutfality, but ho oiio could-, say that tho present Govcriimont' ■had done-so iii tho present case. He challenged anyone to point to one instance when tho Liberal Party had not beeii on tho sido of law aiitl order.

The Stonewalls. Ho alluded to tlio stonewall of tho Second Ballot' Repeal Bill,' arid read a letter, : said to have been sent out by tho Reform League'at AVelliiigton, suggesting to certain people the advisability of passing a resolution condemning the Opposition for. its. attitude. Tho lcttor was to be treated as confidential, tho object being to.make it ajjpear that the Opposition was stonewalling to help the strike, . but ho wished , to remind that ho hud told tho Premier weeks before that tho Bill would bo opposed unless a substitute for tho second ballot was provided.' The lottcr had liover been repudiated by thoso who were responsible for tho man who had issued it. Other Matters. Dealing with tho amendment to tho Arbitration Act brought down by tho Government ho stated that, when the Liberal Government had wanted to carry such a proposal, tho present Cabinet Ministers lud opposed it. Tho ■Government was going to reduce borrowing, but .already it had borrowed £12,000,000. ■ A voice: How much did you borrow? Sir Joseph Ward: More, but my Cabinet, had! six years to do it in, , and tho Government has had two. The Government (he continued) had increased taxation by £30.9,600 in one year, while the cost of Jiving had gone up, Customs duties having increased b.v 3.93 p?r cent, in one year. .The Liberal Party had reduced the cost of living j

from 20 per cent, to 4.3 per cent, of tho population, There had been moro industrial unrest in tko' last two years ■than, in tlio wholo of the rest of . tho lifetimo of the Dominion. Policy A Secret, •Ho was not going at present- to suggest policies, for tlio Reformers would simply collar them, and use tlicni for their own purposes. That was how .tho last Government policy was obtained. Referring" to loans lie defended the-short-dated loans secured by tho Liberals during the time that money was dear. Ho had been challenged to discloso his. policy, but what an infernal ass ho would bo to do sol Why, tlio Reform Party had been in. Opposition for 20 years, but never had it enunciated a policy, having in tho end to steal that of the Liberals. A motion thanking Sir Joseph Ward for his address and convoying to him the meeting's unswerving loyalty and Undivided support was carried by a large majority after an amendment, that could not be heard, had been moved. Throughout, Sir Joseph Ward was given an enthusiastic reception.