The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1919. THE WARD POLICY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16614, 9 December 1919, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1919. THE WARD POLICY.

At Martinhorough on Monday night Sir Joseph Ward enlarged upon some points of the policy he has submitted to the country. In giving consideration to what he said it is necessary to bear in mind that no man living has had equal opportunity to carry out any policy he wished, Lxcopt for a gap of three and a half years, xrom June, 1896, to .December, 1899, Sir J oseph Ward was a Minister of the Crown continuously from February, 1891, to March, 1912. For eighteen and a half years he was in the Liberal Ministries, for nearly six years he was prune Minister and lor about nine years he was Colonial ’treasurer or Minister of Finance and always with such a majority m Laruameut as to enable Ins party to carry out any policy it wished. Now he urges the speeding up of all railway construction. He referred particularly to the Feather-ston-Martinbofough line, the first sod of which he said he turned years ago. There were only nine miles, he continued, and the line should have been completed in six to nine months from the time the sod was turned, inferring that the Reform Government had neglected the work. As a matter of fact the line was not authorised until November, 1912, some months after the Reform Government came into power—-why Sir Joseph Ward turned the first sod

we don’t know. The surrey and estimates were not completed until a year or so later, and a few months afterwards the war broke out and new works of that nature had to be deferred during the war, so that Sir Joseph Ward could not expect the line, which is nearly twelve miles long, not nine, to be completed in “six or nine months.” Let us compare that with the Stratford-Main Trunk line commenced in Siy Joseph’s time. Everyone interested will remember how extremely leisurely was the progress on that work, how it was carried on at times with a handful only of men, equipped with handcarts and wheelbarrows. With no hindrances such as the Reform Government has met with the progress of public works under the Liberal Administrations was so slow as to have caused the country to rise in revolt. But just before the election® of 1911 there was a spurt. The Nanier-Gis-bome line, to name one, was commenced in a creel hurry, merely to eatch votes. It wn® the same with roads. The nee-leet of the back-blocks was a strop n- factor in tbe defeat of Sir Joseph Ward, but now be comes forward with a proposal that be bad the opportunity of putting into effect years ago, but ncnlected. The funds for administering main roads should, ho says, ho supplied bv tbe Government, which should also provide, motor vehicles to carry men and women to and from the railways. Why didn’t he do this when he was in power? Because he hadn’t so much thought and consideration for the backblocks settlers then. Now ho says the Government should build 6000 bouses in four years and let them at 10s 6d a week, using the Post •Office Savings Bank deposits at 31 per cent, for the purpose. But when ho had the power, as we show in another article, he did very little in Hio direction of providing workers’ homes, fie condemns profiteering and urges the necessity of the reduction of the cost of living by the Government, but he was for four years a member of tbe National Government and is equally responsible with Mr. Massey for what was done or left undone in that direction. He advocates nationalisation of the coal mines and the establishment of a State Bank. The former, with a superannuation scheme, would, he- says, overcome any desire to strike. But the State mines have not been free from strikes. His whole policy is a big bid for power, but history shows that he failed, when he hail the power, to carry out many of the reforms he now advocates. Many of his own followers have lost confidence in him and the more independent of them are looking for his early defeat or defection. should he succeed in defeating Mr. Massey, and the advent of a new party, combining the best and most, progressive elements of both sides of the House. At present there are only two likely leaders in sight, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. If Mr. Massoy goes hack with a majority he will have to reconstruct his Ministry and will he able to call to Iris assistance young and progressive men. He is tbe greatest force in Now Zealand politics to-day and the best hopes for the future lie in his hands being strengthened in the direction indicated. The only alternative in sight at present is a Ward Ministry with Labour in the position of being able to make it or break it, a situation which will he disastrous. In the event of neither Mr. Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward beinc able to command a majority independently of extreme Labour a position of extreme uncertainty will arise, and that should be avoided if nnssible. Tim country wants a strong, safe, and progressive Government and this can best be under "Mr. Massey’s leadership.