POLITICAL ADDRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2130, 23 April 1914, Page 6

POLITICAL ADDRESS

m m. t. e wilford

ATTENTION TO TMfi REFORM PARTY

The Town Hall was nciuty full last higbt when Mr. T. M. \Vilford, M.P. for HiiH, dcliverwl a political ..tidsJfcOT Oji "Tbo Ways of E'>for : ffl." JLr. T. Wili;on presided) and tead a- letter from Sir Josciih Ward regretting that ha couiel not »o prcscttt. On rising., .Mr. Wilford Was greeted with applause, and was presented with ii. livfgo carclhoard kej. It was praba.hly tl«s key Ui the situation, Iks said, to uiilock tlio door to IWKtuncftt for tito Hutfc at tlio coming Section. (Applause.) j Mr. Wilford aaifl he niado n« apology jji coming fonvwd to deWvej , an address | then on tho political situation. There j were matters rajuirirtE «xpknati.<m, and \ ho. intended to let a li'ttlo light eft "Tho ] Ways of lleform.'' When the time camo J ho was ready, to ta-ko on all opponents for his soa.t. There was a'candidate not yet announced for Iteforw, bat frhsss Mumo lie thought he know, and i;U<e | was talk of payijfg the •exfonses of a i Labour candidate. Mr. Wilford went en-j to refer to tho Harbour Beard, and. said , that llofonn n-ouW mnkft an attempt -it the oiid of Best I7if th'to vripo Mr , . U. ; Flotcter otu. from the chair, becayae Raform ens dcteftinod io shift'eyerybedy opj»osed polJtieaHy to ttein>. aJid jam jii ftoir ©wn political rr.omirtees. Thft ".Hush-up ftess," w.feich was fed with tho gold, of tho idle iffiem-ployed rich.. wxMild imrfir l>o able to stem tho tide of public indignation ';vhieh was rising through tho whole «f the oii tho way tfesy had to darice io tho «pi : flg;.: of tho "Wn famloffJiers., The "fioodHi Pfcss of Jvcsv Zealand," -frhose fsetories of misrep*esontatien and iftsiuwtion had keii woffcirtg oxettimc—iktighMt). —had deterained, the policy tljoj were . goiii|i to pursue towards tb.fi wesj ■ataiWi-' . i«g in tho Liberal jnicreste ai tae nest eketion. ■ The Parly's Position, ■ Mr. iViiford referred at sbjn.a ; Jength to tit* .social system. Ths : po.sitioii «f J the Reform Party was tiat fflcy wefe j bglaAced. on y. razor"? cilge, saved only l>y political ti.jrn-css ; t.s. Fffiiß all part's el &o cotatry came reports of the g : ir<J* ■ ing up sf the Ibing ja tfie JiihuTaf interests. They realised that Tory'rub j meant reactionary govefaroent. The , j ■ Reform Party fra.s the stave of the large | ■ lajidoWfters, the Urg.o iasurance cor&- ' panics, and the wealthy', people of ttej country. Ko wonder no Customs <ffiiie.j j had been tstei of. '. ' Mr. Wilford dealt with 'the speeches delivered ia the T<j«a HaH \>? tli'e Hon. F. M. B, Fisher and the Son. A.'1,.) Herimoß. flio fianper, he ssia, was a j man to tvhom the .problems of life had ' a flippant meaning, It ' teas, j impossible to tell Tfhjs'h way be ■: was headed. Then they had a 'tweet* ■ ins from the JliniS'tcr of jtistifte. (the : Hon. A. IJ. Herdtnaii). vw>at on Mr. Wilford. 'Mr,' β-erdiaan, hs coniinued,. ' had always been a Tory, and tfas elected as a Tory, 'a-ilil had no rigiit- to be ■ tuJ-fied down. JUpSying to s|t-, Herd- ■ man's statements re tlio land .qaes'tio'ii, Jfr. Wj-Iford said this was dQWit at the. bottom of all u.nrert-. -The- iLaiid for Set-tlcmciit Aet was a- br-gono Mter,: There was m way to settle the land question till such a tax was imposed on land as) , 'would raako it in3possil!6 far any large landholder to lite on hislftred and fiiak-e a profit. . (Applause.) He beljeTCd that thoro would cdtte a. tax. on earned and tineaT'ned iiicttffle, vihy did not Mr. Hwdmaii tell-the people, ttb'efl speokijxg abou-t'the largest estates' lie said had bwemo , less, about the in-: creases in the nest two t gradations? Private CDWpa'iiios and individualg hold-; ing unimproved land of tho va'fald Of Vetween £20,000 and £30,000 .had increased by eighty last- year over the : year before. Tho Graduated Land Tas did not affect the jange landholders. They were ioM hy Mr. Hwdman that there was l-.0Q0.f100 acres of Ctom\ land fit for settlement, kit only 100,000 iiftrcs of that was iseasonoWy fit for set- ; tlement. Naval Matters.' Mr. Wilford «xp«Me.d -his' v-iew-s en 'the naval question. 'Any -Gov-criiment-whiclx started to build for -a countrywith a papulation of 1,000,000, a local navy, • wien crtrry battleship cost : £3,000,000, was doing a great wrong.' He believed in aiiiiutttining the Bjitisli' Navy. He ciid not Wieye the Goveruinent when tlwy said they did not in-; tend to maintain battleship's here.,; Tlfey ware getting a naval adv : jser and, i cfaiser, afld if. tho Govornment was i returned i'W ireuld get a n-nvy. Mi. Masscy hrtd said: "i say, as a citizen ; i of New jZeailan-d, tibat V ab-aH raver bo : i siitisfiod., thoug-h it roay W?o years to I bring it iiibomf;. mttti.l'l see A British flaou I in tiio Piicifie'." Ut. Mftssey's ■stuteTnent continued to the -effect- that lio i 4lid not care whether it was com.posed; of Canadian ships, Au-stwl-ian ships, Now Zealand ships, British sliips, or all fa-sir cotriWi i ed, bo long "Sis it was tlierS , for. tho iJcFcnoe of .Mio Pacifie possessions. He (Mr. WrlfeS) nsked the people -to think seriously before sup- j porting a Goveriinwpt' tliAt thought i<jf ] establishing a local nary for sitch.. a ; , sfiia.il couMtff. It u-ouH bo.'siju-ttn.do.r- { ; Efifi tho monej- ef the }«ej>le to purelm-se i £2.000,009 ■bijttkships, .which would le- ■! GCfflo el)s6lcte ttjthm a fen* ytarsi. I

Other Matters. Tlio GoTOrtinjeiit's atiitudo Wvgrds tho ArWfeatiijn Ast ivas tho jicst point ■ taken up by Mr, ilia Wrty, ho said, lied been fought on every oMst* sioa th«y attempt-pi to put .trbttratimi ■ on'tli.9 statiitcß.. 'Mi\. fesseyandJMiv Hcrdman had Wh opposed tho Arhitra*' tion Act; a»d spoke, a'gaius.fc compulsory arbitration. Now tlity s\vot& fty ittlic reason why the Post Offioo depo-s- ---- had geflo up, for wlitfch the Reform Party eteirned credit-, wae because, tho Govstnmeut had raised tho rate of ii'»terest. Tho ÜbovkV Party liad fo.rc«fl them to raise it. "Nort-, it want to s3io* you wltai ftteke tßey are; I wmit to slioif vvlmfc weak fiiiiks tjifcy at«," 'on Mr. WilforfJ, ami displayed.an order j paper of the closing days of tho-'sfts-sioii. in wlifch fifiiy rpiui'nß were a-Sfecd W.'ow, by Jfr. Wjiforfl, aslvtn-e ; .tonv] niiirh Iwrifi had ten done by t:ho Uo-v--! criiment to tlic Stato Firo Offi«o. The! ofßco liad OTOSDcred, he said,' dwshito: tlte tool ttvO Govortmcufi liasl tried to do it. %a pofey in brintilne ont Professor lMnco t« Veporf • on t-lto fishins i»(Tii:str.v. and tho .liitof-: r.al Affairs Deivart-mmvt's a.e-ihn ..i»' re- : . pard to the state of the, (jell fit -Taupo, we;ro fiH-tieismL This Pepartme-iit, ho; said; 'w1 w« eilssaged at Sliisyw. ,6)1. tiro WA.ito Bivcr, tntdiinij slirimfyt. : nnd scadifl? ihmw t<j 'Botoftiß. where; tlioy v>~m<i lint m liske Twvpo t<i m^iso : tho' thin iisls ffst. t'l/iviiirhter-.) B was : lia-i-dly belteval-iW. hni H-*4s.trti<y Tile • .•H)Do3ntißcnt of Mr. %.Vtt Garlick As Director of t'hvsieal isdwcat ; io:n *as rcfrrrevd to. It ImA tiftr-noci out n. 6-tetim'■ in dis-'iiiso, for tfiWto the nnpointmeVit : at .fSfltl a year, seffijwc far mi- i plioants, w'ns wi*licsJ, it had had the effect of raisJuß the pav rtf ev.ftfy tcaclier i« tte Dominion. Sfr. lyilffitd eo.nelucl.ed Ijv .wfcfriiiK .to "tli.o htoknn proniififts of tho Goveruwehi" M' 9. fowa-stsd a i'road palioy io I*!> introtew hy the Op()ositi<Mi in a tes* months , time.. : fho Mlott'fe.!* wsSolntioß, ftjw'cd Ijt 3li\ .7. J. M'Tiv-ath, was earrieil uiittni' , i'.iousl.y: "Tlififc this fcrge. and re.prftsep,tntivn mitta'lni* ft? Wcltiiigten ci&ens tiiant; Mr. WiK-ord for hist. e»pabi»,' intaresrfeimr, and ins(*ii«t}yo addriese., ii.nd wishes tlm OppoSflwit Partf, liftfe Sir Joseph Ward, a vintojrv at the, fovthconviim , Geaaral Eledwij.'" ■ . Chncrs' f*i-r i\ti ! , Wilfowl flint Sh' Joseph Warrt concluded Ura' i»oAt ; iiip...