SIR J. G. WARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5598, 26 May 1905, Page 6

SIR J. G. WARD.

ADDRESS AT ELTHAM. PRESS ASSOCIATION. ELTHAM, May 25. Sir J. G. Ward delivered an address at Eltham to-night before a very large audience. In contradicting the rumours of a quarrel between himself and Mr Seddon he said they had never had a personal quarrel since being associated in tho Ministry. He characterised the progress of Taranaki as a record. No man could truthfully say that the progress of New Zealand had not been the most remarkable in the history of tho world. On© of tho things the colony had to fear was a fictitious value being put on land. Tho tendency to inflate the value of land should be discouraged. Ho dealt exhaustively with the land question, commending the appointment of the Land Commission., They snould sot themselves resolutely against the aggregation of large estates. He believed if approached resolutely and honestly tho land question was capable of satisfactory solution. Personally he was keeping a perfectly open mind. When tho Commission's report came to hand it snould be considered irrespective of party politics. lie did not believe in the nationalisation of land in the sense some people advocated. It might have been right in the time of Captain Cook but vested interests must bo respected. The theory .was next door to impossible, and while single taxers were earnest, he believed they were on an entirely wrong track.

Referring to the rates of freight on butter Sir Joseph said there had recently been an agreement for the conveyance of butter from Australia at rates greatly less than those ruling from New Zealand. Rates of freight from New Zealand should be as cheap as from Australia. A large butter exporter had informed him that under the new agreement butter would be carried from Australia to England at 3s 6d per cwt, whereas from New Zealand it cost 7s per cwt. Unless reduction was made from New Zealand also, it would be a handicap against our butter exporters. He had communicated with the steamship companies some time ago, when a reduction, which proved to be of a temporary nature, had taken place from Australia, but without practical effect; but as this new agreement was reported to bo for five years, ne had again, at the request of some butter exporters, brought the matter under notice of the steamship companies, and he felt sure that in the interests of an important trade they would readjust the rates under their present agreement so as to put New Zealand 1 butter shippers upon as good a footing as those from Australia. The matter was of very great iranortanoe, not only to butter exporters, but to the colony as a whole as it was desirable in connection with all our products'that we should be in a position to compete on equal terms with other colonies. Native land should now bo dealt with effectually.. Speaking for himself he would buy the whole of the native land and then treat the natives in the same way as the West Coast settlement lands were dealt with by Mr Ballance. They would then have all the native land except that actually required by the natives, open for settlement. Personally he favoured taking land for settlement under the old of allowing the owner to state his own valuation, the Government having the right of making the purchase on a 10 per cent, increase. It was proposed to put that system into operation again. Votes of thanks and confidence in the Government were carried unanimously.