SIR JOSEPH WARD’S POSITION

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 52, 24 November 1928, Page 11

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S POSITION

(To the Editor.) Sir, —You published a letter to-day from a correspondent, Jus Tertii, and I can well understand where he has been hurt from the remarks he makes. I will let the silly remarks about twaddle and not the least offender being Sir Joseph Ward go, but the statement about Sir Joseph Ward coveting and jumping into the position I most emphatically challenge. What is coming to pass both Sir Joseph Ward and his family did their utmost to avoid. I can assure your correspondent of that from my personal knowledge of what took place 18 months ngo, whep there was an insistent, demand from every corner of the Dominion _to Sir Joseph Ward and the Dominion Liberal executive in Wellington; and I would also like to assure Jus Tertii that he certainly does not know the desire of the country, which is clearly expressed in the Invercargill and the Dominion victory by the ratio of the votes, which will probably end np something nke United Liberal 300.000, Labour 215.000, and Reform 200,000. The outburst against Sir Joseph Ward forming a Cabinet without an ahsoluU majority is amusing, seeing that Reform has only held office by the tinkering with the people’s rights by the repeal of the second ballot. Why should Jus Tertn worry? There is nothing to stop Mr. Coates advising the King that he does not know what the electors meant him to do and suggesting another We Liberals have been tickled to death over all the talk about dead Liberalism and can only say Wait and see.”—l am, etc., A DIGGER. Napier, November 22.