NO CONFIDENCE AMENDMENT.

Grey River Argus, 1 July 1914, Page 3

NO CONFIDENCE AMENDMENT.

Sir Joenh Ward replying, said that he proposed to make an amendment: "That the House has no confidence in the Government because its policy and administration are not in the interests of the masses of the community." He twitted Mr Lep with knowing nothing about the effect of the Public Service Act, whicfi had not resulted in' a saving but in an increase of ey penditure from £741,000 to £744,000. It was equally idle for the Member for Mastertori to say that Kis party would approve of the increase of. the 1 , graduated tax when the Minister for j Finance, whom he followed, h.ad' pub- 1 licly declared that there was to be no further increase. Tho Government was not entitled to the confidence of the people, because of their method'' of dealing with the naval question. They had withdrawn the subsidy from the British navy, and committed themselves to a local navy. They had been weak, vacillating, and uncertain on this question all through. Tic quoted, -an interview given by Mr Allen to show that he rTad clearly declared in favour of a local navy. The appointment of a Naval Advisor was a step toward that end, otherwise what was tho adviser to advise upon. He denied that he had told the Admiralty that he was in favour of a local fleet and quoted the speech of the, First .Lord of the Admiralty in sup port of his view. The idea of New Zealand looking after the interests cf the Pacific with one Bristol cruiser t was absurd. The First Lord of the j Admiralty had declared that three dreadnoughts would bo useless as a defence of the Pacific. What then' would be the position of a single Bris tol cruiser? At* present we had only the Philomel under bur control. Was I then the Nayal Adviser being brought to advise upon this vessel, which could not live five minute within five 'miles of a modern battleship? 1 Continuing after tho supper adjournment Sir Joseph Ward, referriing to the Legislative Council severely criticised the postponement of the Beform. ! of the Council in face of the good declnration that it must bo reformed. He deprecated the manner in which settlors, local bodies and workers were being treated, quoting the advances mode to show that tho Liberal party hod treated these branches of the com miinity more generously, in spite of the fact that the Government had an . abundance of money in the particular

Departments. At Blenheim the Hon. T. Allen had stated that he could have proved, the figures uacd in the prospectus iHSiU'd in connection with the. Government loan wore erroneous, but had he done so he would have been cutting his own throat. That statement had to' be explained. Either tho figures were correct, and if so they wore a tribute to the Liberal .Government. If the figures were erroneous then was ho honest with the London investors. Tbe Government had, when in oppoeution, denounced everything dono by the Liberal Government wlron laying down foundations of that policy which undoubtedly hod contributed to the prosperity they bad heard so much of that night. Ministers had been touring the country during* the last few months promising all sorts of concessions to tho people. When in opposition they called this bribing the people with their own money. Concluding, Sir Joseph Ward accused the Government of want, of courage in.--iißmueh as they had not brought in bills in the wage question as Party measures. Private members we're put up. t o ' bring in legislation which the 'Government ought to have faced. Thoy had failed to carry' out the 1 greater part of their pledges, and were therefore not worthy of the confidence of the people.