Sir Joseph Ward.

Hastings Standard, Volume XIII, Issue 4310, 13 November 1909, Page 8

Sir Joseph Ward.

REPLY TO MR MASSEY.

Christchurch. November 12

Sir Joseph Wnrd, interviewed regarding Mr Mas-sex's criticisms of the Budget, and especially the statement by Mr Massey that the Budget proposals disclose 1 a siute of things calculated to make sane, soberminded peo, le wonder how this wild cat policy would end. said: —"It is to be regretted that Mr Massey does not finish his observations and give facts instead of a generalisation. ''The principd increases of expenditure proposed in the Budget were for naval defer.ee and internal defence, and, for the first time in the history of the Dominion, provision was being made for defence in a direction which the country generally desired to see adopted. "The logical deduction from Mr Massey's observations was that, either the proposed strengthening of the Dominion's defence should be abandoned, or they should dispense with defence altogether. But, if it was believed to be necessary to place defence on a proper basis, it could not be'done without paying something for it If Mr Massey could show how increased expenditure for these purposes could be provided without furnishing ways and means to enable them to be effected, then he would perform a great service, not to the Prime Minister, but to the country at large. Sir Joseph added: "I invite him to do so on suitable and practical lines, and not by resorting to mere defamatory generalisations."

As to the proposal that the principal source of taxation should be from increased death duties, Sir Joseph said that, even had there been no proposed increased expenditure, the proposed alteration in the death duties should be effected, as an examinatien of the present law disclosed, to his mind, an absolutely rotten and indefensible system, which operated unfairly fin its inci dence, being in favour of the vveathier classes