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OPPOSITION LEADER.

VISIT, TO MARTINBOROUGH. PLEA FOB ME. HORNSBY, QUARREL WHICH WAS MADE UP. [BY teuegbaph.—fbkss association.! • MARTINBOROUOH, Monday. The Leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, had an enthusiastic reception at Martiiiboroogh to-night. In opening hie address he stated that he was there to explain the policy he had placed , before the public of the Dominion, and as a supporter of Mr. J. T. M. Hornsby, tha sitting member for Wairarapa. ■ , There certainly had been a difference of opinion between Mr. Hornsby and himself and other members, not in a,personal [ way, but in connection with acta of the' National Government. At on© time it j looked as if Mr. Hornsby would stand as an Independent. This forced Sir Joseph to look for another candidate, but the differences had happily been righted, and had been made up. That being so, he asked all the supporters of. the original party to support Mr. Hornsby. He denied that he favoured general nationalisation of all industries, but he urged that th coal Mines and hydro-electric power should be nationalised. This would entail no tax on the ratepayers. He urged as imperative the establishment of a great State bank i on the lines of the French State bank and th e German State bank. He wanted to see the revenue now going into the hands of the owners of banks go into the general funds of the people themselves. Sir Joseph referred to the Martinborough railway. The first sod was turned years Ego. There were only nine miles of it,- and it should have been completed in six to nine months from the time the sod was turned. He urged the " speeding-up" of all railway construction work, and the finishing of all authorised railways in the f country within three years. The railways were earning 4£ per cent, and new construction would cost the taxpayers nothing . The main roads should be administered by local bodies and funds supplied by the Government. He. urged that ttie Government should import 500 motor chassis and put them oh the roads to carry men and women to and from the railways in the back blocks. The Government should hold all petrol stocks which came to New Zealand unless the present holders allowed ,the people to have it at a, reasonable ' price. Continuing, he strongly advocated i closer land settlement, and urged an increase in the graduated land tax to force large holdings to be cut up. Referring to the housing scheme for people in receipt of £500 per annum or less, Sir Joseph said the Government should build all the houses within four years, and these should be available for purchase by town or country residents at 10s od per week. Sir Joseph condemned profiteering, and urged the necessity for a reduction in the cost of living. Militarism, as outlined by the Minister, he was against, and he did not desire to perpetuate militarism. He favoured the territorial system and cadet and physical training in schools. He strongly advocated the League of Nations, and explained its working. He expressed himself as wholly against anv local navy, and urged standing by the' British Navy and carrying on the scheme submitted" Lord Jellicoe. He condemned the present system of election. Wheif the second ballot was repealed Mr. Massey promised something better. At present the old system ruled, and the first past the post won. This did not ensure majority rule, but allowed a third party to come in.

AUCKLAND EAST. An attentive hearing, free from interruption, was accorded the Hon. A. M. Myers, Opposition candidate for City East, who last evening addressed a gathering of electors, which comfortably tilled St. Andrew's Hall. Major W. R. Mackesy presided. Touching upon Defence administration during the war, the speaker paid a high compliment to the work of Sir James Allen, often in the face of strong opposition. " Defence has never been a matter of party so far as either- Sir James AJlen or myself are concerned,'' he continued. " The welfare of the inhabitants of the country is far too important to allow party feeling to operate." (Applause.) Passing on to politics, the candidate said, " I want to make brief comment with regard to my opponents in this electorate. One of them is the son of my old chief, who has served his country gallantly." (Applause, and shouts of, Hear, hear!) "and who has suffered severely for his patriotism. But he said recently that notwithstanding the fact that his father was a Liberal, he had seen the error of his father's ways." My other opponent. is Mr. Way, the Labour candidate, and while I have great respect ; for him personally, I disagree utterly with his politics, because, in a word, his principle is the socialisation of everything you can sum it up by saying he wishes first -to destroy everything, and then desires that everyone shall get his or her share of what is left of the wreckage!" (Laughter.) In countering Mr, Mackenzie's thrust at Liberalism, the speaker delivered a vigorous party speech, free from personalities, in which he referred enthusiastically to the record of the Liberal Party from the days of Sir George Grey, and severely 6riticised the Reform Administration for its alleged shortcomings, and long dairyings with regard to important matters of State.

" Instead of seeing the error of my ways' with regard to Liberalism,"'he exclaimed, " I am proud to belong to the party which has done such good and faithful work for this country!" (Loud applause.) Several questions were answered, and a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence passed, with a special vote of thanks from the soldiers for his work as Minister for Munitions, the meeting also pledging itself to use every effort to return the candidate. WAITEMATA. Mr. A. Harris, Government candidate for Waitemata, addressed the electors at the Long Bay School yesterday afternoon. Mr. W. H. Hart, Vho presided, spok* of the valuable assistance which the Waitemata County Council had alwav* received from Mr. Harris. The candidate outlined the Reform Party's platform, and spoke on the lines of previous speeches He promised, in reply to a question, to endeavour to obtain a recreation reserve for the district. On the motion of Captain C. R. C. Smith, Mr. Harris was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and renewed confidence. : - TAURANGA. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN coebespondekt.] TAURANGA. Monday. The Hon. W. H. Herries arrived at noon to-day from Te Aroha, in continual tion of his campaign, and remains in this portion of the electorate until after the election. ,■■■ Mr. B. C. Robbing, Opposition candidate,' addressed a meeting at Omanawa on Saturday night, and was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19191209.2.97

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17338, 9 December 1919, Page 10

Word Count
1,110

OPPOSITION LEADER. New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17338, 9 December 1919, Page 10

OPPOSITION LEADER. New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17338, 9 December 1919, Page 10