POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1047, 23 May 1912, Page 3

POLITICAL.

That there will be no dissolution of Parliament this session is the view taken by Mr F. M. B. Fisher, M.P., at present in Auckland, but he anticipates a change of Government. He told a reporter that, as far as the southern members could judge, there seemed to be an assured majority against the present Administration. “But after the experience in the short session of the modern politician’s capacity to alter his views from hour to hour and from minute to minute,” he said, “it is quite unsafe to rely upon a vote until you actually have the man in the lobby.” However, whatever the result of the first division might be, it was practically inevitable that the present Administration must fail. In the first place, the Ministers themselves were almost as much divided upon questions of policy as the party behind them. On the question of a possible dissolution Mr Fisher said he regarded such an event as quite improbable. The tactical advantage rested entirely with the Opposition; for before the Governor would sanction a dissolution he must be assured that the House has exhausted its opportunities to select a stable Ministry. That certainly could not be said until after the defeat of the Mackenzie Ministry and the subsequent defeat of a Massey Ministry.

“So far as my knowledge goes,” added Mr Fisher, “there are very few members of the House who are desirous of seeing a dissolution. There are many who feel that this is their first and last Parliament, and they are anxious that it should last as long as possible. “As far as legislation is concerned, it is not likely that whichever party survives the session will be able to accomplish very much,’’ concluded Mr Fisher.