THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15769, 18 November 1914, Page 4

THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

OPPOSITION CRITICISM.

SIR. J. WARD'S SPEECH. A DVANCF.S DEPARTMENT. COMPARISONS OFFERED. Tin 1 .i nil-, .if tin- report of Sir Joseph \\ .ir I « «|i. e. h at Winton was received ,-n.T l!i" !ll:ii\ir> went to press yesterday '; <■! riir.'j M:s. i- v the position < f the Advances • , ■ IV? jiartrwnt 'lie Leader ot the ■ -.I ii =,nid that lie return laid upon i >,'• if in. House this year showed • • • 1 .' IO.i.KXt had been advanced since . I ii ii hi this Department, a De- ■ , ■ i,i i;; (..•!Mi-.hrd bv himself for the , : ,1. m' . ; a 1; .lining in<ill to let's, ■ ,i i. i , -.!• | 1..r;il authorities at. low , i ■)..?, Muring the Liberals . i, ; ..It;., i !,i.s IVp.M'lment lent nearly ili r>.'.<)(iCHJ .sterling, and in his last two i ...i. . . : ulliii' £o,43!J.itofi was advanced U> ,-i!'i ■as -1-r,,i.ired «ii h £1,915,830 ad'.in <<t ri'irin* Mi- Masses s two years. !«;. j, u - i-.s l;,st two years £951.600 was , .in.. ; to workers, and in Mr. Massey"s ; „. -.ran the tvtal was £,'22,120. During l-,,i two £l.l'J!».6oO was ad•lti'.'i i,i i,„. ; .titli-'i Ities and during v 1-, M-. / in.. ears only £851 • ... !. • • • , i i,... In 'dies. This showed • , ,ii,: nig 1.,.-. ).-»«•; tw.» years £5.587.085 . .i: ;nivnnreil. and in Mr. Massey term :I . ;i i;• • ■.-. as only £3.529.395. Ihe \ ;.lip-, Setll,; - Depttitment was • . , i i . ii tie- >■~;! site Book by the Liberal i . i Mini in. file introduction ot the !;!• ,1.-111.. met i' it(i hostility on the part ■i ihe party in.iv hi ollue. The inslitu- . .-I •>i tin- ehu.ip money scheme had hcon • hi the gi rat est factors in promoting ■he pruspenty el >ew Zealand, it returiud 1,. puwer be proposed to still tur-i tle i-,\t■ 1111 the system. Government's Borrowing. 111,- let.- I >o\ei nment had been charged Willi ii'l'Kles.s tinaiKi 1 . All sorts ot ex- '. n,;g,nit pn hum's were made by the j--.it,. lion in i,thee t.. reduce. borrowing, in l'jio Mr. At.uv.sev called attention to tin- if .-t tapering oil borrowing, but d'li iiil: Hie last two and a halt years borm»ii,. had been carried oil to an extent uiipu.iiilt-ir.eil in tie history oi -New Z,ea--1,.11,i . i »ii Maieii jl. 1912. when the present t m,\ 11 luiieiit came into othce, the net ii.ition.il debt was , 195,000. At the tin I ~i then first vear of office it was ,4:i7'.000. Oil .Man-It 51, 1914, it was X.-J1 .DUii.OOO, being an increase in two _...ii.s •<! £9,49b,Uj0. As a portion of that wtor renewals, he would deal with the present year. Here was the list : Hallways improvement authorisation (Hiley ' loan). £5.200,000; public w..rks loan, £5,000,000; war loan (from British Government), £2,000,000; Stat© advances (settlers), £1,500,000; (workers), £/50,000 (local authorities), £1,000,000; land for settlement, £500,000; aid to water power, £285,000; irrigation, £65,000; Waihou, £50,000; Kangitaiki, £50.000: llauraki, £25,000 — total, £12,425,000. Land Legislation. The land legislation of the present Government had, so far as direct result® were concerned, proved itself a rank failure In 1912 Mr. Massey introduced a Bill and passed it into law, providing for large land owners placing their estates in the hands of the Government before subdivision, but not one* settler had been placed on the land under that Art. It was a striking commentary upon all the past criticism of the late Government's land laws, that the only settlement effected by Mr. Massey and his party bad been made under the Acts passed by the Liberal Government. The Reform Government's estate-bursting graduated tax had proved a farce. Government's Promises. The Massev Government promised to reduce the cost of living, but nothing had been done. On the contrary, taxation had increased, and the burden imposed upon the worker was hoavier than ever. They promised Labour "a square deal," but Labour legislation had been largely ignored, and the only progressive. measures passed in the Lower House this session were ruthlessly thrown out by a majority of the Government nominees in the Legislative Council. They promised a substitute for the second ballot so os to ensure majority rule, but they placed nothing in lis place, despite their public pledges. They blamed the late Government for appointing what they termed " rejects " to the Upper House, they declared for an elective Council, and denounced the nominee system, but they had made 19 appointments out of a total of 38 in the Council, seven of whom were "rejects." Sir Joseph felt certain that the government of the country would at this general election bo placed in the hands of the Opposition, whose legislative records and traditions proved that it had the courage, initiative, and constructive ability to frame and effectively carry out a forward national policy of development and progress suited to the requirements and aspirations of the people of thin young and growing country. ADDRESS AT THE BLUFF. AN EXCELLENT RECEPTION. [bv telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] Blttf, Tuesday. Addressing about 600 people at the Bluff to-night, Sir Joseph Ward referred to the compulsory military training scheme. His opponents, he said, were breaking their necks, twisting their tongues, and distortin;; their bodies to claim credit for introdn< in- a system for which he (Sir Joseph v ' irih was entirely responsible. He was Hi.id against the local navy. He asked li •' Miniu m » whether they thought they • 'ini I have a local navy and still go on ■Mtli I■"i• i!i. works. Could they have the 1.1.1,-nt he;, needed ' They could not. '' ll ' *■" 1 "lit lined under the system ad- - et. -i by Li m. tin-v could have money > ..Hi', on their public works. Joseph was a. pried an excellent •' '■] and a unanimous vote of thanks I ''lifideiK e. MR MASSEY AT TEMUKA, r.'l'.l' i'.N(. i: of the dominion. J"-' ll' f'.kapm —press c ATI ON".] Tmtka, Tuesday. ll.'' I' l .ii" - MinL'p* delivered a political j R.t.li.-s >: I. mtik.i tics evening. The hall v..is (1 i• k p ll. o\ei iOX) j. iph- being present. '■1.. Masrey was in hi. best form, and ei w.lh .hi excellent reception. Long, ' "to.' .1 a | pin use greeted him as he ■i 1 ''ii-'.i d ill, j .la t form. I'i hi-, mlrofr.irtorv remarks V\ Massey ii.d I I tile death of Lord Roberts, "••d i -.'iid that tie mariner of his death ■ 'ii:,l .mpress upon British ]>eople the 1' '''■ <'t Ins life--that the best way to i:- me pi ;"' was to be prepared for war. S|..-aI. .1,% ~f 111.- seeoii.J expeditionary force tent from New Zealand, he said he could i:i»e the assurance that the men were will to-dny and in good spirits. Dealing with naval defence, lie emphasised the necessity for New Zealand doing her share in providing adequate nti.vai defence in the Pacific. and urged that Australia, New Zealand, and other British dependencies in the Pacific were under a dntv to place a flying squadron in the Pacific which would bo able to hold its own. . ' Mr. Mwsey replied in detail to Kir :Jo#oph . Ward's Winton speech, and , "fS 4 Vf f «ture policy of the Reform •' ; vni* nf tv, '-> was. accorded a hearty vo $ of thankg and confidence.