PARTY POLITICS LIBERALS AND LABOUR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1914, Page 3

PARTY POLITICS LIBERALS AND LABOUR

MR. P. C. WEBB. M.P.. SPEAKS AT , GREYMOUTH. (BI KUSORirH.— PRBSS 4SSOCIATION.) ~""~"~ GREYMOUTH, 26th March. Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P. for Grey, addressed a very large audience at the Town Hall to-night. The county chairman, Mr. J. M'Carthy, occupied the chair. Mr. Webb began by etating that the party now in power opposed every social proposal brought before tFfem. In dealing with party politics. Mr. Webb said that the Government' tried in every way to oppose Sir Joseph Ward. Mt. Mas&ey's> party had approached Mr. Hickey, the Red Fed., of Waihi, to induce him f to stand against the Liberals, but he (Mr. Hickey) refused absolutely. The Second Ballot Act wae dealt with at length by Mr. Webb. He adocated the power of recall, and instanced casewhere Liberals had. turned over to the- i Reform Party. Nearly all the land for settlement wa6 .held under a monopoly. If the Government was anxious to help the people it should endeavour to put them on the land. The money-lending institutions of which he said Mr. Mas-se-y is a leader had a splendid time last year. He suggested a heavy tax on the unimproved land so making it impossible to hold large blocks. Mr. Webb dealt adversely with the defence question, criticising the present Act. He characterised the local navy as being absurd. He aleo said that the contributions to an Imperial Navy should be increased and co let the matter of defence rest with the Imperial Navy. Mr. Webb next deajt with the question of unemployment, such as existed nearly all over the Dominion. Prosperity in New Zealand, he said, had 'never yet extended to. the working people and never would while it rested with the Maesey Government. In connection with the recent strike, Mr. Webb eaid that members of the Tory Party in Parliament practically said Sir Joseph Ward had inspired the strike. He gave a very lengthy blood-curdling outline of the proceedings in Wellington during thetime of the riots there. He said that niany of the specials were criminal"?, just out of gaol, but when it came to Bhooting down workers any old thing would do. He (Mr. Webb) had applied for a commission to enquire into the conduct of the specials, but thifi had been refused by Mr. Herdman. He congratulated the Opposition on the stone-walling tactics of last session. Mr. Webb said that Mr. Mae6ey's policy would lead New Zealand to a state of chaos. At the conclusion of the speech, which laeted over two hours and a-half, he said that Labour and Liberals must engineer the situation so that the Massey Government must go out a.nd that this time next year would see Sir Joseph Ward, back in office. A motion of confidence m the Social Democratic Party was carried.