LEADER OF OPPOSITION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11937, 26 March 1914, Page 4

LEADER OF OPPOSITION.

SPEECH AT AUCKLAND.

NO POLICCY MEASURES. [By Telegraph —Press Association.] AUCKLAND, Wednesday. What he described as one of the largest, audiences he had addressed in the Dominion met Sir Joseph Ward in th» Toavu Hall to-night, and accorded an attentive hearing Avhile the leader of the Opposition replied at length to recent Ministerial utterances.

Sir Joseph Ward suggested no policy measures,* saying he would be at this stage an infernal ass to giA'e the Reformers policy measures to steal. He said that the influential newspapers were passing into the hands of the Avealthy land-oAvncrs, and the press was not-as fair as it used to bo. He contended that the recent actions of the Government proA*ed that the Ministry now admitted the financial policy of the Liberals was a right one. He referred at length to the various progressive liberal and humanitarian measures of the Liberal Government. • He condemned the local navy proposal as too expensive.

The local navy Avas already costing Australia £10,000,"000 per annum & Australia wanted New Zealand to help her bear the burden. Internal defence was costing Ncav Zealand already half a million. With the cost of naval defence, the total came to £800,000. Ifc would be a million next year, and a million and a half after that. He said, that he could have settled the strike in two days, and he alleged that the Goternment had been anything but impartial in handling the strike situation. The Arbitration Act Amendment of session was proposed by 7 Liberal Min-w isters, but had been strongly opposed . by the present Reform Ministers. He alleged that he had been bitterly and unfairly attacked in connection with the Opposition stonewall on the Second Ballot Repeal Bill. The Reform organisation had not repudiated the objectionable circular sent out in connection with that.stonewall by one of ite officials. The GoA'ernment, which had promised a decrease of borrowing and taxation, had already borroAved tweLre millions, and increased the annual taxation by £301,600.