THE REFORM CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1142, 1 June 1911, Page 4

THE REFORM CAMPAIGN.

The speech of the member for Wellington Central at St. Peter's Schoolroom last evening was one of the best that has been delivered during the present campaign of the Reform party. It was fresh, and bright and vigorous, and there was a great, deal of solid material in it that well deserves the wider circulation which MR. i'lsnEit will no doubt give it when he goes on tour in other parts of the Dominion. The challenge which is so constantly hurled at the Reform party to name the Acts passed by the Liberal Government which should

be repealed was taken up by Mr. Fisher last evening, and although he disclaimed the right to speak for the party as to all the Acts named by him, there can be little doubt that he would have been quite safe in taking that liberty. But he did something more than take up this challenge. He showed what he would substitute for the Acts repealed and put forward a constructive legislative policy supplementary of these. Let anyone take the Acts condemned by Mr. Fisheu and ask himself whether or not that step would be a wise one. There can be only one answer. Even those who, on sentimental grounds, might be inclined to shirk the idea of a total abandonment of the Arbitration Act, should find their few remaining scruples removed by the fact that in its place would be substituted a new form of arbitration—the Wages Board system which has met with a large measure of success in Victoria as a medium of settling differences between employers and employees, and which possesses the merit of having achieved these results with a minimum of friction. The figures quoted by Mr. Fisher respecting the relative positions of Victoria and New Zealand were somewhat hurriedly presented and the speaker might, with advantage, have gone more exhaustively into these. No doubt figures are difficult to follow at public meetings and are usually voted as "dry," but a close examination of the comparisons instituted by Mr. Fisher in regard to the borrowing, taxation, revenue, expenditure, and productiveness of the two countries should leave no room for doubt in the minds of anyone as to the reckless plunging and shameless waste that exists under the name of financial administration in this country. The member for Wellington Central dealt very boldly with the question of special payments by the Government to Judges, and the view of the public on this most important principle of public policy was demonstrated in a manner that should carry conviction to any who may have doubts on the subject. Mr. Fishsr's denunciations of the grossly improper action of the Government in making the payments' to Sir Robert Stout met with a most enthusiastic endorsement from the large audience; as did also his more casual reference to the Macdonald case. It is to be deplored that, before the close of his address, Mr. Fisher found it necessary to deal with and expose a cowardly and despicable slander set in circulation -in an endeavour to injure his candidature. It is not a pleasant thing to find that there are in this community people mean and cowardly enough to descend to the contemptible device of attacking a man's private reputation and besmirching his name by circulating, in an underhand way, baseless rumours designed to injure him politically. Mr. Fisher fortunately got on to the track of the slanders immediately after his return from Australia and his prompt and convincing exposure of the despicable tactics adopted towards him will, no doubt, in the end assist, rather than retard, his candidature. The sympathy and support extended to the member for AVcllington Central by the large and enthusiastic meeting of citizens at St. Peter's Schoolroom last evening will be heartily endorsed by every honest and _ fair-minded person in the community.