THE OPPOSITION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 103, 2 May 1914, Page 9

THE OPPOSITION

SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH WARD COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE, PEESS. (Bt TELEGRAPH— PRRSS ASSOCIATION.) DUNEDIN, Ist May. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a large meeting at Mosgiel to-night, and was accorded a very good hearing. Sir Joseph, referring to his recent addresses at Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Glenorchy, said that although he had spoken to a good many hundreds of people hardly one word referring to the fact that he had been there had been published in the journal that people in the country relied upon for information concerning the events of the day. The Liberals were the strongest party in New Zealand by many thousands, and he said that leading men of that party had the right to ask, but because a great journal practically monopolising a large portion of this part of the country happened to be on the side of the present Government there was no earthly reason why the people should not know what their , leaders were doing. They only wanted fair play, and he mentioned it in order to impress upon, the Liberals present not to rely upon a journal opposing the Liberal Party. ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS. He had read the reports) in that journal, sent by its Wellington correspondent, which conveyed erroneous impressions. One thing was that some of the members of the party who were opposed to certain representatives of the Government . in Wellington were not going to have the slightest chance because of their association by the Liberals with Red Feds., which' would prevent them from being returned in the City of Wellington. On the day before that a statement was telegraphed down to this 1 journal that ai leading "Red Fedist." was addressing a large number of people and he urged them to vote for one of the Ministers of the present Government, at the General Election. He was not present to say what the Liberals were going .to do at the next General Election. A progressive Government and a progres-' sive party would not attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the people or to create an erroneous impression as to what the Liberal Party was going to do. They had a record of twenty years, and there had never been anything equal to it in the history of the country, or in any other country. (Applause.) Various sections of the people in New Zealand, individually and collectively, were bound to exercise their free and independent judgment when the time for the General Election came round. Ho objected, as leader of the Liberal Party, to any attempt by their opponents to say what they were doing or that there was an alliance between the party and any other body, when they knew nothing whatever about the party's affairs. He had alluded to this only for the purpose of saying that possibly betwen now and the General Election they would hear and see all sorts of statements made about the- Liberal Party by their opponents. He did not blame them for working together. That was what the Liberal Party ought to do, and were (he was pleased to say) doing to-day far better than they had for the past fifteen years. He objected to endeavours to create a wrong impression of their party by the party to which they were opposed. (Applause.) BURST UP'tLARGE ESTATES. He only wanted to carry them back .to what the Liberal Party had had to face. The late Sir George' Grey was one of the foremost men in advocating the interests of the people, though from beginning to end he was fought by tne party now known as the Retorm Party because he was on the side of the people. (Applause.) The late John Ballance, while he lived, was fought with equal determination by exactly the same party as were represented by their opponents to-day. The late Mr. Seddon had met with similar opposition, and it was only natural that the present Leader of the Opposition should have to contend with the same thing. But what were, the Liberal Party contending for when they came into otnee in 1891/ They had been working consistently towavds one recognised goal, and that was to ensure that the large landed areas in New Zealand which were held by powerful men and supported by the financial institutions who were not allied with but who stood in the way of progress, should be broken up. The policy of the Liberal. Party had been, to burst up the large estates and to see, that men and women were put on tho land. , "THE SEVEN DEVILS OF SOCIALISM." How many people would contradict the statement that there was never a party in this country who had fought so hard against progress as the Consei vativesV When the Liberal Government commenced breaking up the large estates they were labelled all over the world as the "Seven Devils of Socialism." This was the cry when Sir John M'Kenzie brought in his land proposals which, they would remember, had been responsible for settling thousands of people oil' the land. (Applause.) They would all remember that the late Government had introduced the cheap money scheme, and 'some would remember that the same Conservative press was upon the side of the money-lenders and was fighting against the proposal to give the people cheap money. The late Government had placed 130,000 souls upon the land. What would have been the use of doing that if the Government had not provided the people with money at a cheap rate so that they could be supported on the land? (Applause.) Sir Josepn Teferred to the time when he had sought a seat on tfie Bluff Harbour Board. The same experience with regard to the Opposition had been met with, aud eveu Chinese had been, carried to the polling booth in motor-cars. Those who represented the Liberal Party and were endeavouring to oring abont a better condition of things twenty years ago were to-day being fought by the same class, which went to the extent of using unfortunate Chinese and setting them to exercise their votes against a Britisher simply because he had done his duty. (Applause.) ADVANCES AT CHEAP RATES. Th« Liberal Party had lent £14,000,000 to settlers and workers in this country, and its opponents in 1893 and 1804 declared in the» House first that the party could not borrow the money in London, secondly that it could not lend it, and thirdly that it would lose it if it did. The Liberal Party did borrow tho money and did lend it, and had only lost £1000 on land — (applause) — and the Department had earhed in. profits upwards of £300.000. The people had got the money at 4 and 4£ per cent. There were thousands of workers who had benefited by the scheme-, and it was a remarkable thing that there were a few men who were on tho lowest rung of the ladder at the time this financial ochemo was started who had made fortunes and were now nping the aristocrats and were in front of the Reformers. BOUGHT UP BY THE SQUATTER. The Liberal Party had about 80 pw ceijj*. of the press against 'it, and -a good

many o? them had been bought up by the squatters and men who had done well on the land. But the platform was stronger than tho press if the Liberal Party had the co-operation of the people ahd tho people spread the doctrines among the people that the Liberals were not receiving fair play from their opponents from the point of view of the dissemination of their views. After references by Sir Joseph to defence matters and the cost of living (reported under separate headings), Mr. J. T. Johnson moved: — "That a. very hearty vote of thanks be accorded Sir Joseph Ward for his able address, and this meeting of Chalmers electors expresses its continued confidence in him in the matter of the administration of the affairs of this country." Mr. Seddon seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.