MR. FIBHER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1375, 28 February 1912, Page 6

MR. FIBHER.

A LIVELY SPEECH. THE DECAY OF WARDISM. Mr. F. M. B. FISHER (Wellington Central) said that never having been a strong party man he could express his cordial agreement with the expressions of regret by Mr. Atmore that a debate that should have been historical had degenerated into a" party wrangle. The Leader of the Government _ having delivered a collection of political gossip had given tho Houso a bad- load. The reason why only about seven Opposition members had spoken in tho debate that had been maintained by twenty-five Ministerialists was simple. Members had come back fresh from a controvert? that extended throughout the length of tho country,'and in tho opinion of the Opposition" there waq no occasi'-n for % lengthy debate. He considered that tho Primo Minister would have been better advised had he ignored the tittle-tattlo of the election, and entered upon a defence of his Administration. Six years ago the Government had entered upon a great inheritance, with a majority in the Houso of forty-eight and to a political niachin? that had velocity. Mr. Fisher dealt in trenchant terms with tho history of the Cabinet changes sinco the Prime Minister assumed the Leadership. Speakin" of the elevation of Sir John Fimllny to tho Legislative Council, he said that the Government had pushed in through the scullery window a man who had been refused admission through tho front door-nml. as soon as he was there, he commenced to appropriate tho best thin"s in the drawing-room. Mr. Fisher said'that, a< the Prime Minister in a democrat!-, country, Sir Joseph Ward had. bv accepting a hereditary title committed aii 'error that had cost him thousands of votes. Undemocratic Actions. Members had demanded over and over again that they should bo taken into the confidence of the Government in all.finani nl transactions, but the Government had 'jke'n refuge from tho demand behind \ pvtv majority. A more undemocratic •nensufo find never bean introduced into I this Houso than the Town Planning Bill of last session. The House voted it down mid Mr. Fowlds, the Minister in charge of tho Bill, decided to resign. Thus another talent faded away from tho party. Mr. Fislicr invited tho Primo Minister to look around him and see tho empty places on the Government benches, and declared that Government supporters defeated at the last election owed their political deaths to the gambling lesislation of tho present Administration. Mr. Fisher developed this theme at some length. Ho was at length interrupted bv the iflaistar fox Railway*, who accused him

of saving to a meeting at Petono: "Put Mr. .Mnssey in and then there,mil bo chaos, out of which Fisher will arise." This caused Mr. Fisher and other members to laugh heartily. Mr. Fisher said that ho remembered very.well what passed at Petono. Ho stated, on that occasion, that if the Government woro turned out of oflieo Uioro would bo chaos. Ho gavo his reason for the statement. The Government following included members of all sorts of oppbfed views. Among them were leaseholders and. freeholders, freetraders and protectionists.

A Warn Exchange. Sir Joseph Ward: And you wanted to join this party at the preceding election 1 Mr. Fisher: I tell tbo Eight Hon. gentleman that that statement is absolutely incorrect! Sir Joseph Ward: No, it is not. Mr. Fisher (scornfully): This is tho hon. gentleman who talks about innuendo and about people in this country listening to rumours. Mr. Lnurenson: No.innuendo thoroi Mr. Fisher: The member for Lyttelton does not know what an innuendo is. Mr. Lnurenson': It is a charge. Mr. Fisher: "If it was a chargo we should know what to do with it." Harking back to the incident at Petone, Mr. Fisher stated that ho said there, "Put Mr. Massey in and there will be chaos in tho Liberal, party." (Government protests.) Tho ingenuity of the Ministerial newspaper, Mr. Fisher added, induced it to leave out the last three words of bis statement. Mr. Fisher next indulged in a series of exchanges with Mr. Millar on the subject of the land question. Ho twitted the Minister with having said that "he would never accept offlco in a Cabinet that would sell a single acre of Crown land, Mr. Millar admitted tho charge, but found an answering taunt in tho remark, "What are you yourself?" Mr. Fisher: I have said that because I am a leaseholder I am not prepared to accept a place in a freehold Cabinet. That is more than tho hon. gentleman ia prepared to say!

An Inconsistent Autocracy, Ho charged the Government with' having treated the Hon. Mr. Fowlds on his return from South Africa at a cost of £70. He charged the Government with having not attempted to carry out many of tho reforms they promised. The Government 6ido had taunted tho Opposition with being the friends of squatters and wealthy men. They applied every taunt possible, and said that there wore a handful of men owning millions of acres. "Why havo you," ho asked, pointing to tho Ministerial benches, "allowed them to hold millions of acres when you had a majority of fortyp" (Opposition hear, hears.) Then the Government talked about trusts and monopolies, but it encouraged them, and tho Union Company was the worst of them all. While they had their big ma-, jority tho- Government promised reforms, but did not carry them out. Now, when by tho cast of one vote they wero threatened to bo thrown out, they came down with their budget of reform, because they knew that public opinion was roused, and would exact reforms that had been too long delayed. They must have reforms, and he told Mr. Massoy that if'his party was going in under the 6hadow of the hand which was over it in 1890, his party was doomed. (Mr. Massey: Hear, hear.) Mr. Ell: You got reforms every session. You're blind. Mr. Fisher (turning on Mr. Ell): Was lie not the Whip of a party in the last Parliament and in tho last session that brought in a Budget in which it was held out to the people as an inducement that the Government would increase the graduated land tax on estates of £100,000 and oyer, knowing that theTe was not one in the country. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) An hon. member: That is so. Another hon.' member: It's absolutely true. • Mr. Fisher: Ho tells mo I am blind. Well, I, saw that, and he did not. (Laughter.) Mr. Vigor Brown: Why didn't you tell us? Mr. Fisher: We did. A Government member: Wo did not know. Mr. Fisher (flourishing a return dated 1911): Well, here is tho information: You should have known. He went on to show how the Government had stuffed the Legislative Council with its own nominees, and now that there was a possibility of a majority against them, down camo a Governor's Speech for the reform of the Council. Why had the Government not done that last year, with a majority of twenty-four? There had been wasteful expenditure of public money in the interests of tho Liberal party. Evidences of wasteful expenditure might bo found without leaving Parliament Buildings. Tens of thousands of pounds had been wasted in repairs and alterations' to the temporary homo of Parliament. £330,000 had been spent upon tho Hutt road and railway works, and the time occupied in travelling by train to the Hutt had been shortened by two minutes. A contractor offered to build one of the viaducts on tho Main Trunk line for £48,000. It was carried out by day labour, and cost over £100,000. Sir Joseph Ward: Are you criticising this Government? Mr. Fisher said that it was true that ' tho viaduct had been built before the Ward Administration took- office, but, since they appropriated all tho credit for Acts like the Advances to Settlers, they must take the responsibility for ■ things that had been dono which were Dot right.

A Pledge to Resign, But— The Prime Minister had said that he would resign however the ponding divisiou might go. But he had not said that when tho members of his party came to him and said that they could not find a leader Tho Prime Ministor: But you are here. Mr. Fisher: I havo ho doubt that the party would willingly exchango you for' me. (Laughter.) But it is a question 'whether I would accept the lead on the lines laid down in tho Speech. The Primo Minister had given a pledge to resign, and that carried with it the' resignation of all his Ministers. Some of them would never be reappointed. But the" Primo Minister had not promised not to accept the leadership after resigning. In Juno, 1900, the Liberal party camo into power, strong and with a largo majority in the House and in tho country. It was then travelling along at a high velocity, but instead of tho party having been led, it had been misled, and the velocity of the party had been lost. Mr. Ell: No. Mr. Fisher submitted that the proportion of 38-34 indicated some loss of velocity. A majority of 40 had been reduced to a minority of four. Mr. Fisher said that ho hoped to assist the Labour members to bring about somo ,of tho reforms which they desired in common. Referring to a. statement by Mr. Atmoro, ho said that, for his part,'if tho Opposition party camo into power and did not settle Crown and Nativo lands and improvo taxes to break up estates, ho would bo as ready to votothem out as ho now was to vote them in.

A Side Issue. Tho Prime Minister declared that tho return quoted by Mr. Fisher showed the acreage and not the value of the estates. Tho Makohine viaduct mentioned by him was started about 19 years ago. Mr. Lee: It was started then, but only a very small amount of work was done. Sir Joseph Ward repudiated responsibility for this undertaking. Mr. Fisher replied that when a Parliamentary party visited the viaduct in l!Kl.iHon. R. M'Konzie: Why, tho Main Trunk line was opened in 1905. (Laughter.) Mr. Fisher said that the viaduct was not finished then. Only last sossion tho Prime Minister had refused details of the cost of the work. Mr. M'Kenzio: I will give it to you tomorrow. .Mr. Fisher: Of course, you will. You will givo us anything now you are within one voto of the death. Hon. J. A. Millar denied that there was spying in the railway service. He had appointed men to check, what he believed to bo dishonesty, arid by that means an enormous saving had been effected. Subsequently permanent inspectors had been appointed.

MR. HANAN. THE MINISTRY AND TIIE PAKTY. Mr. J. A. HANAN (Invcrcargill) read a return showing that (hero aro seven estates valued above .£IOO,OOO, as high a 6 .£208,705 in one estate..' At Shannon Mr. Allen had expressed tho opinion that the graduated land tax was high enough, and Dr. Newman had also declared t against an increase in the land tax. Br

the substantial manner in which the land tax had been increased the Liberal party deserved the support that was sought by the. party that had no such plank in its platform. No matter what the result of the coming division might )>c, tho Ward Administration would craso to exist. That position had boeu brought about largely by. the presence and the pledges of tho Labour' members. The issue now was whether the Liljeral party should go out of power. Ho could not believe that tho Labour members would put tho Conservative party in power, and thereby deal a blow at tho progressive forces of this couutry. (Ministerial applause.)

THE HON. D. BUDDO. LAST WORDS IN THE DEBATE. Tho Hon. D BUDDO defended tho land administration of the Government, and contended that it was absurd to allege that millions of acres could bo provided for settlement. Only three or four million acres remained available, and this land, was of poor qualify compared with land that hud been already settled. TJict Opposition party favoured tho aggregation of Native leases. lie considered that tho Opposition largely owed their increased majority to misrepresentation. Mr, - Buddo concluded' his speech at five minutes to twelve.