POLITICAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16567, 3 June 1914, Page 10

POLITICAL.

SIR JOSEPH WARD. SPEECH AT HAMILTON. AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. [From Our Correspondent.] HAMILTON, June 2. Sir Joseph Ward has had splendid and enthusiastic meetings wherever he has spoken, but, if exception can be made, perhaps the meeting he addressed at Hamilton to-night has been tho most crowded as well as tho most enthusiastic meeting he has yet addressed in the country districts. Long before eight o'clock the town hall was full. Every available inch of space was utilised, including the stage, and people were content to stand throughout the evening in the passages and alleyways. Throughout tho meeting applause and cheers were frequent. The Mayor, Mr A. E. presided, and introduced the speaker, and alluded amidst applause to the great work Sir Joseph Ward had done not only for New Zealand, but for the Empire. Sir Joseph Ward was greeted with loud applause and cheers. He referred to the great achievements of the Liberal Party in regard to placing the people on the land, by bursting up large estates and abolishing the property taxThese measures were consistently opposed by tho party that was now in power. The Liberal Party had been christened " the seven devils of Socialism " because they had acquired large estates to enable tho people to lie placed on the land. The Liberal Party had been responsible for placing 130,000 people, on the land. They had laid the foundation whereby they had prevented a few men, whom they had nothing against personally, from retaining most of the land of the country. These landholders had looked on horrified at the Government buying land and allowing the people to settle upon it and establish homes for themselves. (Applause.) In referring to the Dreadnought gift, Sir Joseph again prophesied that the increase in tho death duties which had been made to meet the cost of the Dreadnought would pay for the battleship, includiug sinking fund, in a period of ten years from the time of the alteration of tho law. (Applause.) He explained that before' the death duties were altered a person died leaving £BOO,OOO, and so disposed of the estato that no death duty was paid. The law had been altered by his administration so that nothing of the kind could occur again. He reminded his audience that he had been undefeated at the poll and undefeated in the House- He had declined, to go on as leader of tho party because he had recognised tho responsibility devolving upon him, and he was not inclined to go on in an unsatisfactory way and be at the beck.and call of one or two members. (Applause.)^ In replying to an interjection, Sir Joseph said there were mighty few who had got their holdings converted into freehold under the Massey Government Bill, and thoy would not be able to get the freehold until enough money was borrowed to enable them to do so. (Applause.) Sir Joseph spoke for two hours and a half, and received as cordial a hearing as it is possible for a man to get. Ho had the audience with him from the start, and the one or two isolated individuals who attempted to interject in the early stages were so effectively answered by the retorts of the speaker that they very soon collapsed. Sir Joseph was frequently applauded, and when he resumed his scat he was loudly cheered. On the motion of Mr Veitch, a vote of thanks was accorded to Sir Joseph Ward, tho resolution expressing confidence in the Liberal Party and a hope for their success at the polls. This motion was carried with enthusiasm. There were a few " Noes." The Mayor said, "I declare the motion carried almost unanimously." The meeting closed with cheers for Sir Joseph and Lady Ward.

THE LANDHOLDERS. REMARK BY MR MASSEY. MR RUSSELL'S RETORT. [FfiOU OUR CORRKBFI NDENT.} DUNEDIN, June 2. Li the course of his political address at Milton on Monday night, Mr G. W, Russell, M.P., referred to the Prime Minister's statement that he knew a man named Russell who owned 60,000 acres of land in the North Island. It was true that he owned a block of land comprising over 60,000 acres in the backblocks of the North Island, but he emphatically denied that he was blocking settlement. His nearest neighbour was eight miles away, and it cost £7 10s per ton to bring wool to the market. But he knew a man named Massey in the North - Island who owned 1000 acres of land about twenty miles from Auckland which was worth £4O an acre. He would tell them further that when the Liberal Party went out of office there were sixty-three railways under construction- Of these the Government had stopped ten, but a few weeks ago Mr Massey had started a railway in his own district. " I hope it will improve his 1000 acres of land at £4O an acre and increase the value of it," remarked the member for Avon. SOUTHERN MAORI SEAT. Mr W. Mihaka, of the Maori Pa, Temuka. has received advice from Puketeraki to the effect that he has been selected as the Reform condidate to contest the seat at the coming election.