HON. F. M. B. FISHER.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2317, 26 November 1914, Page 6

HON. F. M. B. FISHER.

ADDRESS AT MOUNT COOK HUNTLY AND BRUNNER In liis characteristic style, the Hon, F. M. B. Fisher, Minister of- Customs and -Marine, addressed a big gathering of the electors of Wellington Central in the Mount Cook School grounds last night and during a period of two hours, during whioh he was bombarded ■ with questions and interjections, he succeeded in wearing .down an organised attempt at interruption, and scored heav- <•••.„, °PP oUcu ts towards the unish._ Ihe address was to have taken place in the schoolroom, but the building was crowded soon after 7 o'clock and hundreds of people were unable to gain admission. When the Minister arrived just before 8 o'clock there must have been upwards of a thousand people present and he acceded to a request to, address the gathering in the open air. Mr. W. J. Thompson acted as chairman. °1 V sir m}° speak, Mr. Fisher was. greeted with'cheers, broken by a coun-ter-demonstration, . and followed bv. cheers for Sir Joseph Ward and the Opposition candidate. Through" all could be heard the shrill voice of a woman who was again and again enjoined by those in the crowd .to go home to her husband. Mr. Fisher said he was gome to address them on some matters which he had not been able to touch upon at his last meeting £. voice-: mat about the sailors? Mr. Fisher: I'll tell you-all about the sailors and anything else you want to know. pother voice: The Huntly disaster. Mr.-Pwher; Yes, I'll start with that. And tie West-• port Harbour Board scandal Mr Fisher: Yes, and that too. . At thw stage there was considerable interruption, which, caused Mr. Fisher that he did not believe that public .opinion in this country was going to encourage a party thafwas going to deny people the right of free speech. J^" 0 L opinion would not tolerate that sort of thing. Dealing with theHunt--ly disaster, and the fact that the Government had been blamed for it, he asked it the English Government was to be accused of the murder of the victims of the recent great colliery disaster in the Old Country? It might just as easily, be blamed for the wreck of the Titanic But to return to New Zealand. In 1896 there occurred the Brunner mine disaster. Following that disaster, the Gov.V ernment appointed a Royal Commission to make recommendations to Parliament. The Commission recommended the appointment of three coal mine inspectors, who would be authorised to introduce at each coal mine special rules as to the nature and description of the lights or lamps to be- used m the mine; the^ description of explosives to '■: ba used, the watering or efficient damping of the mine, and> generally the precautions to be adopted for the rprevention of accidents from inflammable..gas and coal dust. The inspectors were to be given power to-take every step to preserve, human life in the mines.. With that report.before it, the Liberal Government should have taken precautions

The speech at this stage' was evidently unpalatable to the hostile element and they proceeded to count out Mr. Fisher,. who, smiled triumphantly. . Then a voice'shouted: "Never mind Brunner, give us Huntly." Mr. Fisher: "No, I'm going to give you what you don't like. Instead of the Liberal , Government accepting the - report' of- the Cbinniission;'it sat still' for sixteen years and did nothing. How much blame then should be laid on the shoulders of that Government, which sat still over that , period of sixteen years and did not give, effect to the reoommendatione which would have prevented the Hiintly, disaster?.' , (Hear, hear.) • ■■...' . •.; ■ ■ , . ,■ Proceeding, Mr. -Fisher stated .thai the Royal Commission, which sat in 1912, brought forward practically the same recommendations, which the Reform Government had given;, effect to, •and which were the law to-day. In 1918 when the miners': were on strike, any attempt- to give effect' to the recommendations would have led to chaos but in 1914 the Bill was placed on the Statute Book. ; (Hear, hear 1) If the light had been placed on. Tongue Point by - the Liberal Government,, the Penguin.wreck would have been avert-. ed. A,light was now being erected in the vicinity by the Reform Government and would be operating in. two months.'' .-.■.. r ■ A voicej There have been more wrecks in .your time than, previously. Mr. Fisher:.. And there have been more lights placed round the coast in my.time than ever before. > ' The Minister went on to contrast the action of the , . Ward .Government in shelving the Tramway Bill, with the action of the Reform Government in passing it in its first year of office. , Since the passage of the Bill ho believed there-had not been one death! on the .trams in Christchurch or Wei-' lington, as compared with five deaths and 110 other accidents during the preceding, five years. : ; When, the' Government, came in -tSfcy. said the "whole banged lot" of the cars had to be altered to : the centre aisle. (Hear, hear, and loud applause.) Expenditure of loan moneys, tho contract system for public works, the Dominion Museum Eite at Mount Cook, and various other • subjepte were also touched upon by the Minister, who. answered numerous questions.

A motion thanking the Minister for his address, but expressing confidence in Mr. Fletcher as candidate for the seat, was followed by an amendment expressing . confidence in the present Government. Before the chairman had an.opportunity of putting the question to the vote, the meeting broke up with a mixed demonstration, in which the cheers undoubtedly, predominated. •

It- has been thought-in the past that' there was only practically one political organisation in Ohura, but such an idea (the "Ohura- Advocate" states) was easily dispelled, on Tuesday'night last week, when a large and representative meeting was held in the Town Hall for the purpose of forming a branch of the Now Zealand Political Reform League. All present handed'in their names for membership, and the election of officers took place, Mr. Stanley Currie being elected president. A strong and repre6eutetivo committee_ of ladies, and.gentlemen was formed in order to forward the interests of the party at the coining , election. A resolution was. passed by the- meeting expressiun; appreciation and' confidence in Mr. C. K. Wilson as the member for the Taumarunui electorate.. It wao reported that Mr. Wilson's pros-' pects of success are. very bright. "

Audiences at political meetings, whe>ther Government or Opposition in theftsympathies; laugh spontaneously with pure joy whenever Sir- Joseph Ward's advance to babies scheme is mentioned (sa,ys the "Otago Times") . A man at Wyndham on Saturday night caused a lot of fun by asking Mr. W. G. Mehaffey, tho Opposition candidate for Mataura, what steps lie would adopt in tho event of a youthful heir--' of the . State- dying beforo it came, into its property. Would tho Government or thd parents secure the booty P Mr. Mehafiey was unwilling arbitrarily to dispose of tho £5, with its increment, on his own responsibility, and expressed the opinion that Sir Joseph Ward was best ablo to decide this weighty matter. Howover, he would hazard tho opinion that the mother of the child ehould receive tho money. ■.'■-..