THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11938, 27 March 1914, Page 5

THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS.

MR WEBB AT GREYMOUTH

GOYKRNMENT CRITICISED

[By Telegraph—Press Association.]

G X KYMO UTII. Timrsday. Mr P. C. Wel'l-i, M. P. for Grey, addressed ii very large audience in the Town Hall 'to-night. ' The county chairman, Mr J. McCarthy, occupied the chair. Mr Webb began by stating that the party now in power had opposed every social proposal brought liefore them. In dealing with party polities, Mr Webb said the Massey party tried in every way to oppose Sir -Joseph Ward. lie said that Mr Massey "s party had approached Mr Hickey, the '• Red Fed" of Waihi, to induce him to stand against the Liberals, but he refused absolutely. The Second Ballot Act was i lea It with at length by Mr ■Webb. He. advocated the power of recall, and instanced cases where the Liberals had turned over to the Keforui party. Nearly all the land for settlement w;is held under a monopoly, and if the Government were anxious to help the people it should endeavour to put them on the land. The moneylending institutions had had a splendid, time last year. Mr Webb suggested a. heavy tax on unimproved land, so making it impossible to hold large blocks of land. The defence question was the next item, and Mr Webb dealt with it adversely, criticising the present Act. He characterised the local navy as being absurd, and said that contributions to the imperial navy should be inereasJed and the matter of defence allowed "o rest with the Imperial navy. Mr Webb next dealt with the question of unemployment, such as existed nearly all over the Dominion. Prosperity in New Zealand, said. Mr Webb, had never yet extended to the working people, and never would while it rested with the Massey Government. In connection with the recent strike, Mr Webb said that members of the Tory Party in Parliament practically said Sir Joseph "Ward inspired the strike. He gave a lengthy blood-curdling outline of proceedings in Wellington during the time of the riots there, and said he (Mr Webb) had applied for a commission to inquire into the conduct of the specials, but this had been refuse/I by Mr Hordman. Mr Webb congratulated the Opposition on the stone-walling tactics of last session. Mr Massey's policy would lead New Zealand into a state of chaos. At the conclusion of the speech, which lasted over two and a half hours, Mr Webb said that Labour and Liberals must engineer the situation so that the Massey Government must go out, and that this time next year would see Sir Joseph Ward back in office. A motion of confidence in the Social Democratic party was read and carried.