SIR JOSEPH WARD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12256, 5 June 1914, Page 1

SIR JOSEPH WARD.

SPEECH AT HELENSVILLE. By Telegraph. (Special to Oamarn Mail.) HelensviJie, June 4. Tlie rainy, stormy weather experienced in all parts of the North Island during the last lew weeks has not deterred the people from turning out night after night to hear political addresses by Sir Joseph Ward, who is touring New Zealand at the present time. The weather to-day was the most boisterous, wettest, and coldest that Helensville has experienced for a considerable time, and despite this the Star Theatre was crowded .to-night when the Leader of the Opposition livered a speech. On arrival at Helensville Sir Joseph was welcomed by a largo number of residents of the district and he was! / afterwards entertained at afternoon tea {at the mineral springs. Subsequently j he. was banci acted at the Terminus Hotel.

! When Sir Joseph Ward took his seat on the platform of the Star Theatre he was greeted with a salvo of applause. The chairman of the Town Board. Mr J. M'Leod, presided. In opening Sir Joseph Ward drew attention- to the stiite of affairs thatexisted' before the Liberal Government; came into office in 1891. He said the fanners' and traders were. penalised to mi enormous extent by the property tax introduced years before by a Conservative Government. While the large land-owners escaped taxation on their] laud, the settlers and traders were tax-, 1 edbu everything. The old tax was unjust land inevitable, and the Liberal Government changed this. They taxed the land and burst up the large estates and made it possible for the land, to be settled'; in small • areas, while cheap money was provided to enable the farmers to make improvements. The present Government were deadly opposed to the Land for Settlements Act, the graduated land tax, and the cheap money scheme of the Liberal Government - when-those measures were being placed .on the statute book, and now they had their arms around those Acts and " were hugging , tliem to their bosoms with a colossal and marvellous assumption that the world at large did not know that they had opposed those measures. —(Applause.) In dealing with the Massey Governments—toy navy scheme Sir Joseph Ward ridiculed the idea of having one Bristol cruiser to protect our commerce, our trade routes, and British interests in the Pacific. What rubbish it was! The contribution of £200,000 towards the British navy had been abolished, and thereby our direct connection with the old British Navy had been obliterated. He stood now,.as he had always stood, for one concrete British navy and did "not believe in sectional navies.—(Applause.) At the conclusion of the address, which lasted for two hours and a-half, Mr..D. Donovan moved a vote of thanks to Sir J. Ward for his' address and confidence in him as Leader of the Liberal party. .This was carried nnani- ] mously with great enthusiasm. There J was not even a dissenter.