ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2597, 16 March 1923, Page 5

ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

SIR JOSEPH WARD IT TIURUCI.

Sews Of EoHiislisn it WonderEul Neetiog.

Reform Forces Concentrating.

(By Telegraph—Special to the "Times.”)

TAURANGA, Last Night. The Tauranga fight has begun in earnest, and from now until the night of March 28 this contest, the result of which all New Zealand is awaiting, will be strenuously waged. It Avili be strenuous because the electorate is a large one, and in order to cover it bypolling day the candidates will have to do an enormous amount of travelling and speeches will have to be delivered at several places per day. Sir Joseph Ward reached Tauranga. to-day after a somewhat adventurous motor drive from Te Aroha. He has been received all along me line Avith wonderful enthusiasm. He Avas at Morrinsville on Wednesday- and visited the show, and it was clear the people were delighted to see him. At Te Aroha he was entertained at a big public reception, and the enthusiasm there was quite remarkable. The gathering cheered him to the echo, and in unmistakable terms expressed the hope that he would be returned at the head of the poll. From Te Aroha he set out that evening for Tauranga, but motor trouble developed en route, and long delays by the wayside induced him to stop for the night at the township of Katikati. Quite a number of people had heard that he Avould be passing through, and they stayed up till a late hour to cheer him on his way. They gave him a rousing reception, and he had hardly stepped ; out of the car Avhen he Avas met with a request for a new post office. Tauranga was reached early in the afternoon. There was a big crowd waiting and the cheering for Sir Joseph and Lady Ward lasted some time. In thanking the people for their reception, Sir Joseph said that he could not understand why it should be so. It Avas said that he was really a passing stranger. He had come here feeling that Tauranga Avas part of New Zealand, and that he Avas nart of New Zealand, and if Tauranga AA-as part of New Zealand and he was part of New Zealand, how could his opponents put him down as a stranger? (Cheers). Sir Joseph added that he A\-as entering the campaign Avith a light heart, and he hoped to come out of it at the finish with a light heart. (Applause). If he won he Avould shake hands Avith his opponent, and if ho lost he would shake hands with him. (Applause, and cries of "iou Avili beat him easily!”) The enthusiasm for Sir Joseph in Tauranga is unmistakable, and even Reformers express the opinion that the majority their party had at the general election will be changed to a minority. It is gathered here that there is some trouble in the Reform camp owing to many considering that Mr Macmillan is not the chosen candidate of the Reform section of the community, but is foisted upon them. Mr MacMillan is not a good platform man, and has not the personal folloAving of the late Sir Wm. Herries. A striking feature of the campaign so far as it has gone is the personal popularity' of Sir Joseph Ward. An instance Avhich was furnished at Te Aroha Avili serve to illustrate this fact. Both Sir Joseph and Mr Masseyvisited the Te Aroha races, and Avhile the Prime Minister spent the day in comparative loneliness, Sir Joseph was surrounded throughout his stay' at the course by knots of acquaintances and people anxious to meet him. The attention shOAvn to Sir Joseph by so many of those present was a subject of comment for days afterwards. Sir Joseph is in splendid speaking form, and his platform work was never better. He is in excellent health and great though the 'task is he has decided to visit every portion of the electorate between now and polling day. This afternoon an itinerary Avas mapped out, which co\'ers the AA'hoie electorate. While Sir Joseph is shouldering the -whole campaign himself, the Reform candidate is by no means single-handed. The Prime Minister and the Hon. J. G. Coates have been in the electorate for some days, and it is expected that the Reform fighting force Avili be reinforced in the course of a few days. It is veryevident that the full strength of Reform is being concentrated here.

so long ago sat on opposite sides of i the House of Representatives. He t deeply deplored the death of Sir Wilt liam Herries, who, he remarked, Avas , the first prominent man in New Zea. i land to telegraph an expression of rei gret on the occasion of Sir Joseph’s •" defeat for Awarua. “Noav,” he asked, s “Why am I in the field?”—“Because ■ you are wanted ! ’’ came the answer .. from the back of the hall. (Applause.) —“I could not have given a better >■ answer if I had tried,” said Sir 3 Joseph. He said he had been earn--3 estly requested to stand, and had dei cided to do so. If he was wanted, all t the better. He Avas also told he could 1 not be such a good farmer as his ; opponent, but the fact Avas that his ! Avhole living and business for fort~ J years had been in association Avitu 1 farmers. He AA r as told it was a terrible * thing to be a stranger in the dis- ■ trick Was he a stranger? A voice: No! : Sir Joseph: Certainly not. As a matter of fact there AA'ere on all sides ; in the district monuments to the ■ beneficial work he had been responsible for. Take, for instance, the , Rangitaiki sAA'amp scheme, and the Hauraki Plains schemes. He went on : to say that he started the Tauranga--1 Waihi railway' (cheers). His colleagues by the way, had taken twelve years to push the line along twelve miles. (Laughter.) “This parochialism, this cry' of “not living in the district,” he said, “brush it aside for all time. We don’t look at a person in the street and ask ‘Do you come from Tauranga?’ or ‘Do you come from Stewart Island?’” Referring to an editorial in the Auckland “Herald,” asking Avhere he stood in the matter, and offering certain criticism, he said that he had received from Liberals in Christchurch a message to the effect that the members of the old Liberal Party desired to express a wish that Sir Joseph would score a decisive victory' in Tauranga. His disavoAval of a desire for a dissolution and some Avorking agreement betiveen the two major parties was both sane and right. That, said Sir Joseph. was his A'ieAV. There were most important public affairs that required the gravest consideration by Parliament, and to have another appeal to the country if it could be prevented by the commonsense of the members, would be next door to criminal. It was a bounden duty to try to prevent a dissolution by exercising commonsense. NEW ZEALAND’S FINANCE. Referring to the general position after the Avar, Sir Joseph said that before he left the National GoA-ermnent the amount of money expended by' the Government for the AA'ar was £2y,000,000. That money Avas ad\'ancd by the British Government, and when he Avas m England he arranged that they would not be able to call on us to pay it after the AA'ar, and he got it put into loans in England. At the end of the National Government, he, as Finance Minister, left 17 J million of surpluses, and invested 15 millions of them in British Treasury Bills. He Avas the only Finance Minister Avho was able to say after the Avar that his country did not owe the British Government a penny piece, and at the same time had a surplus of 17J millions. He said that if he wore In office to-day he would put penny' postage into operation in this country Avithin 24 hours, because he considered it would be of general benefit and increase the postal reA'enue. Speaking of the Tourist Department, ■ Sir Joseph said the present mistaken policy should not be pursued. The ■ resorts should be made cheap enough : to get the people to use them. In his i opinion, the great State Departments ; Avhich helped everyone in the course of their business ought to be made 1 attractive for the people to use. The great national sport of racing, which paid very heavily in taxation, should not be asked to pay' more than its share. THE MORATORIUM. “We are suffering from that wretched Moratorium being kept on the Statute Book. How many of us understood the effect of the moratorium? A voice: "A good feAv.” « Sir Joseph; Unhappily that is true. You have no competition among the 4 men Avho have money to lend. They ; cannot let the money go under 8 per c cent., and there are feAv on the land t who can afford to pay that interest. Good men and their Avives on farms during the last few years have been 1 almost strangled to death. Soldiers I are on land at more than tivice its 1 value in some cases, and everybody' £ knows it. £ THE RAILWAYS. [ Sir J. Ward said that he did not c hold the opinion of many people in £ regard to the management of the rail- 1 Avays. He had known the General •* Manager for many years, and regard- s ed him as one of the most capable ' officers who had e\'er filled that position. “But,” he said, “I am going to 1 make a suggestion in connection Avith c proA'iding money for the farmers and c carrying on the railway construction f so that Ave shall have our raihvays 1 finishing Avhile Ave are alive, and I am ( going to suggest hoAv avc can carry our Avater power schemes to a conclusion, v I Avant to draw attention to the general position of the railways in this part of the country, though it is not j very dissimilar to that in other points, f From Mercer to Paeroa there are 39 f miles unmade, and from Taneatua to Opotiki, 25 miles unmade. I have also in my possession a list of rail- * ways in this country that are being 1 carried on like snails. One railway in the North Island has cost £216,000, i and the whole revenue has been £lßl. „ A voice: What about Waiuku? Sir Joseph: That is the one to which n I refer. There are six railways on a which £593,000 has been spent and r

A WORKING AGREEMENT WANTED.

NOT A DISSOLUTION. MEETING AT TAUHANGA. (Special to “Times.”) TAURANGA, Last Night. Long before the time appointed for the commencement of Sir Joseph Ward’s opening meeting at Tauranga to-night the Town Hall was filled to to the doors. This reception was most enthusiastic, and he took the platform amidst cheers which lasted quite a while. He was accompanied by Lady Ward, and the chair was taken by the Mayor, Mr B. Dive. In Introducing Sir Joseph, Mr Dive said he had been the best Postmaster-Gen-eral. and the best Minister for Railways New Zealand had ever had. The absence of Sir Joseph from the political arena had been to the detriment of New Zealand as a whole, and there was a great demand for his re-entry into political life. All were aware that Tauranga had a reputation for having sent a great man to Parliament and it had an opportunity now of perpetuating that reputation by sending to Parliament an ..or great man. By so doing Tauranga would be conferring an honour on itself, and doing New Zealand a great service. Here Mr Dive opened a parcel tK,t had been left on the table and i>“nd that It was a horseshoe. good luck came from all quarters of the hall. There was prolonged cheering when Sir Joseph Ward rose to reply. He said he appreciated the welcome .extended by Mr Dive, as they had not

hardly one of them earning enough to pay for the grease, because they are not completed. It is mighty hard lotanyone to suggest carrying on these undertakings, but they must be carried on unless Ave are going to dry up the country. They can only be carried out if you have a broad policy. I am going to indicate that broad policy, and if the House of Representatives have the courage of mice they will put something of the kind into optration Avithout delay.”. Sir Joseph Ward’s speech lasted less than two hours, and at the conclusion there Avas a unanimous vote of confidence and a demonstration of great enthusiasm. When the cheering had subsided, “For He’s a Jolly Good FelloAv” broke out, and the Na. tional Anthem Avas sung. It was a wonderful meeting.