NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2305, 12 November 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Mb. Robert Fletcher put in a weary hour or two in the Concert Chamber of the_ Town Hall last evening, entertaining his friends with what wa-s announced as a political speech. It would be doing Me. Fletoher an injustice to take his little effort seriously, though he himself was evidently convinced that it should be taken very seriously indeed. It is one of thiß amiable candidate's most engaging characteristics that he is an unconscious humorist, and his stage "business" is I on that account all the more effecI tive in adding to the public stock'of harmless pleasure.' ,Whero politics are concerned Mr. Fletcher apparently has had recourse to Wardist speeches which he has not yet adequately digested, and in consequence his presentation of facts and figures is open'to a good deal of improvement. Still it was not a critical audience last evening, and he may improve as the election progresses. He has a nice little ready-mado platform to which no one will take any particular objection, and he is in favour of practically anything that will please the people who assemble to witness his performances. The Massey Government, in his diverting variations upon political facts, is a Garganoiian monster which has broken every promise it over made, and is intent only upon despoiling the democracy. The license accorded tq an unconscious humorist must explain Mr. Fletcher's statement that the present Government had borrowed j £27,000,000 in three years, and his accommodating reduction of the I amount soon afterwards to £10,000,0111). PPMlbb* sonw R f the flr,op!n who wont to hear En. Fletcher last j

night expected him to say something about his performance as chairman of the Harbour Board at the time of the big strike, but apart from some humorous exchanges with a section of his auditors on the subject of batons he did not raise the question. If Mr. Fisher could induce the electors of Wellington Central to roll up to Mr. . Fletcher's meetings and could then persuade them to stay and listen to the end of his machine-made discourse on current questions, then assuredly tho Minister for Customs would not require to do anything more to win the seat.

Nelson appears to have been fortunate on the occasion of the present General Election in securing a candidate capable of doing it credit in Parliament. After the cheap and flashy outbursts of extravagant invective which constitute so large a part of the sitting member's political stock-in-trade, it is a pleasing change to note the vigorous common sense and the sane and moderate examination of public affairs disclosed in the recent speech of Mr. T. A. H. Field. Mr. Atmore's only' political assets appear to be a glib tongue and a capacity for saying unpleasant things about his opponents, but he discounts even these slight claims to recognition by a quite unnecessary bitterness. A respite from political strife might enable him to better realise his very obvious limitations, and he might mellow a little. A strong point made by Mr. Field, and one of the most "disquieting for the Wardists to face, is the fact that the present Ministry is a Ministry that does things both in the way of legislation and administration, and not merely talks about what it intends to do. The'repeated failures of Sir Joseph Ward as a political Leader are another sore point with them. As Mr. Field told his' audience at Nelson, the party has been crumbling to pieceß ever since Mr. Seddou passed away and Sir Joseph Ward took the Leadership. It is quite evident that Mr. Field, who is an ex-Mayor of Nelson and a business man_ of long standing in the community, has a very excellent grasp of the political quostions of tho hour in New Zealand, and iB a keen and capable student of public affairs.

It must be confessed that the Opposition Party is infusing remarkably little life and spirit into its election campaign. ' In contrast with the surging mast of criticism which heralded the, advent to power of tho Reform Government tho attack now being organised " threatens to di«' away in mere dullness and ineptitude. The recognised leaders of the Opposition forces are for the most part resting on their oars, apparently mistrustful of their ability to maintain a sustained assault, or conscious of the necessity of quietly and assiduously nursing their own constituencies; while the rank and file members of the, party, new and old, though tbey are industriously grinding out speeches, are certainly not producing anything calculated to inspire a wave-of public feeling in their favour. Most of them appear to have been fairly well drilled in the commonplaces and of party warfare. Tho Anti-Reform newspapers appear to be in as bad case as the candidates whom they_ support. Some of them are reverting to tho gentle art of mare's-nesting with which they used to beguile the dog days between periods of activity, and others are simply pushing along palpably at a loss for material with which to back the claims of their party. One of their number recently appealed to the electors to-return a strong Opposition. The aspiration is laudable, but it must be confessed that the electors who attempt to meet it have an uphill task-before them. "Strong" is about the last word that would be applied to the present Opposition by those- who have followed its activities during the last threo sessions. It was by turns or simultaneously fretful, petty, and abusive, but never strong.

Mb. E. H. Grabb, "Liberal" candidate for Palnierston, Beemß to be having some difficulty in discovering just where ho is politically. In his address at Terrace End on Monday he found fault with Labour proposals, declared Me. Massey's industrial programme to be barren, and finally added, that Sir Joseph Ward's did not go far enough. In dealing with the land question he declared that the country had gone back in population and" the towns had increased in size. It is an undoubted fact that the census taken at the end of Sir Joseph Ward's term of office showed that for the first time in the history of New Zealand there were fewer people in the rural districts than in the cities. And Mr. Orabb's remedy for this state of things is to put the Wardist party'back in office!