THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

Waikato Times, Issue 12868, 15 May 1914, Page 4

THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

SIR JOSEPH WARD AT MASTERTON. PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION. MARION. Friday. The Leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, was accorded a cordial reception last night. The Town Hall was packed by about 800 people. Sir Joseph made some telling points, especially >n -c-gard to naval defence and the Dreadnought. Dealing with the former, he aid the attempt to make capital out of the fact that his resolution concerning the setting up of an Imperial Conference in 1911 could only he regarded as something of no consequence, be quoted from the report of the conference to .show that he had made it piite clear that the proposals could not he hurriedly given effect to. He told the Imperial Conference that lis sclvme presupposed in the Cnited Kingdom a complete system of local autonomy toi national divisions of the. Kingdom, including England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, each having its <w n Parliament. What had happened since then ? I'ecent cables showed that 200 members of the House of Commons, Unionists and Liberals, had handed together for the purpose of establishing a federal system for the Cni-ted-Kingdom. It was quite apparent that the basis of settlement of the Irish troubles was to lie on federal lines such as he had indicated. Two Ministers, in their recent speeches, had mentioned the work done by him at the Imperial Conference with view to assisting their local navy scheme* but what he <Sir Joseph) had stated would at least show that he was not very far out, when, before a gathering of men representing the Empire, lie had cdvocated an Empire Parliament and a Parliament for each of the national divisions of the British Isles. Such a scheme, it seemed, from present indications, was to save the Homeland from a horrible civil war. PREMIER AT GISBORNE. RURAL LAND SUBDIVISIONS. GISBORNE, Friday. Tn the course of a speech the following interesting figures were quoted by the Prime Minister in connection with the subdivisions of the rural land in Hawke's Kay, as the result of the operation of the increased graduated land tax during the 12 months ended .March 81, l!M 1 :—The total area of 37.."500 acres <>i freehold land was sul>divided and disposed of. The number of subdivisions was :Vd(i. or an average fii 111) acres per subdivision. Mr Masvey vdded that the figure, for the other portions ol the Dominion were not yet available.