SIR JOSEPH WARD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7980, 11 December 1911, Page 5

SIR JOSEPH WARD

WILL TRUST THE PEOPLE. SANGUINE CONCERNING THURSDAY’S X’OLLING.

' PEES 3 ASSOCIATION. i TBIAHH, December 9. ' Sir Joseph Ward, who 1 was in, the best ; , i of health and spirits, when asked to-day ;! if he cared to say anything regarding the j statement made hy the leader of the Op- i position in the papers this morning cheerily responded. He there was no i-eason whatever for tho Liberal parly i to be other than hopeful as to the re- ■ ;| salts of the second ballots . throughout : 4 tho country. Ho ;had examined the! re--cords of the voting and found that in tho , J electorates where tho second ballot trials ' i were to fake place, the Opposition had scored 45,182 votes less than tho oandi- ( dates who were opposed to them, and It • remained to bo seen whether that largo ~; . j number of-electors at -tho - second ballot 1 was going to help the-Opposition party ii to corns into power. It was in his opinion as such a combination represented by tho votes at the second bal- - lot would be unnatural. Ho believed * tho people, now that ttyey had realised ,1 tho possibility of being put under Con sorvative rule, would bo roused to the dagger that faced, thorn. "Though Mr Mas- : sey." ho said, "-may find pleasure in ■ ■,i calling the Ministerial party names in the statement ho has made to the paws this morning, tho'fact remains that tho j Liberal party has placed some of the finest ’ legislation in tho world on the statute 1 Kicks —of immense benefit to the people ot Now Zealand, and of enormous advantage to the workers, the farmers, the traders, and to tho women and young children, ’ Besides, there l is , the . ,i magnificent work, as it undoubtedly is, of placing 150,000 persons on the land and the incalculable benefits: of tho . financial aid granted t 6 farmers and ! workers and local bodies, and though j the Government might bo called extravagant by tho loader of the Opposition. • there are to-day many thousands of happv homes that did not exist prior to the Liberal policy being adopted and vigorously prosecuted." Tho record was one that-any party had every reason to bo proud of. - The sham record and spurlonsness was not on tho side of tho Government, but was to bo found on the ; side of the Opposition that had- stronuousiy opposed some of /the most valuable legislation on the statute book, and who were to-day as ever "wolves in sheep’s cloth inv" and were already "crying before they were out of the wood.’- He was quite ready, as ho had always been, to trust the people, and would cheerfully abide by their decision next Thursday.