FISHER STORIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2186, 7 October 1920, Page 3

FISHER STORIES.

KEEN SENSE GE lILMGER. LONDON, -July 15. |oi::-.pm a little man v. ith a Block of white hair, which had n< ver been brushed except once-when he win, pliologi iplied in full-dress uniform —black cyeb; ows. a. f ;ee the colour of faded parchment, bre.p.it eves. abrupt, vigorous and a pi-i'irnnieiit sneer which looks as it it- bid lu-eii stamped on him by the evil om-, nod yon have Lord Eisher oJ kiiverslone befoi e 7 - inr ryes (erit.es a - frond). He _ wore , ti?>ll<•>. r.i a miiiiicai cm, bm <lie!i k< (I 11 iif. »,•.11 - - perhaps hecatisc. iho::;.Ii in the -we.- ot the nnivi r-s- lie was the t\ pica I sea dog, he had. in fact, been smee the eighties a shore-going sailor. 1 .or.l Fi.-in r had f w i nr■mios despile his i hxrm-teri.-lieally bhml and xigor.m* Hi~ ctilieism war always to the point. He feared (Lid and no man. do him rhe N;iv.v ii'.us: 1 hi l i)i*e.‘:m:-iii'.;hl ; b-tth -Idii-crui- r; rapid d-weiopmenl. of the moir-ler gun; oil-fed deJ no or; Hard

ea.-lie long-rangi l toi]iedo. His reforms in lie' Naw w-r sinpi mlon-. He doubled ii ; -I i il<ill;poiwr by cliangiiig its distribution; he ciiminaled all inellicienl sliips ; it’d roduecil tin all lng gim t \ ]x 1 of bat tie i ship and irnis-r. and !i; ..I< ih ot n.ielens crew.-; |mt (he ediiealion of ,ihe na.val odieer on a new basis; improved mobilisation : bi gan aerial navigation; adapted •.lirelns.- telegraph;,' for Admiralty puipo-e.-; and in i-ores ot oilier ways advanced the ekiciency of the Scrvie l ' The mi n of (he lower deck had the most . np’i.iie faith in llm man they spok of a? Kishi a. A mu 1 of iron will, it is ivlrt-'d llial when he accepted the (aisl ot Eirsl Sea Lord In k- pi his cab at Fn door rerdv io ('-i\e away if lie- list ol r- tonus

v.libh be had drawn r.p v..s not accepted whole- le. Soineom asked ’inn to which i c he Leioi-ged. ; ini he !'■ ohe ;- - ‘g-worn In n i pally, of no seel am T— i can’t, be silent, and I will not lie !” C HUM A NY’S MOST DANGKROI’D MXKAIV., Lord Fisher claimed lo be the discoverer of Kcapa JTow. “Looking at a einir; in my '(’clndecl room at the Ailmirahy in 1905, hi' said, "I saw a large inland hind-loeked .-bee! ol water unsurveyed and nameless. It was Heapa blow. One hour alter i thus gazed on ilie eiiart an Admiralty .surveying vi»-; 1 w.i■- en mute there.” it was io him we owed it Dial .-eallered -quadron.s were concern rated m the .North Sea and based on Rosyth. Jm-l before Ihe war broke on), {lie Kai-ir is reported lo have said lo an American financier: “Kisher is the most dangerous enemy (<ermany has.'' . , Gilo of the fa ton rite quo! al ions oi i.ord Fisher. who was a poor man ad Ins life, and the son of a. poor man, was irom Dean Dwift : “If you want to know what God thinks of riches--look at tin' people He give,- Ihem to.” When In' was a I’eace delegates at ihe Hague in 1899 he was known a- the dancing admiral. He used to dance all night- and work all dav as hard as a nigger, and seem all the hetier for it. He was then ahold 60. and everyone marvelled greatly and wondered how it ua- done. ith t licit hand- behind Rem hem bn the Grand Duchess Olga and he did the “Merry Widow waltz, and then, in response |o Royal and lmpen.il commands, he danced a hornpipe, and so brought down the house. RF.COGNITK.tN (If' MEL 1.1.

lie was ever ready to recognise merit and reward it. Seniority counted a- nothing ,vi;h him when he lonnd a man ahei his own heart low down on the ladder. “Favouritism is the secret, o! ellieicney, he once wrote, in the visitors hook at l ho Portsmouth Torpedo School. "Jacky, said a friend. “1 ean imagine nol lung more (ietrimemal to discipline than lavoiiritism. “Neither can 1. - ' replied Fisher, "U you choose ihe wrong lavoiirites.. ’ lie had the gift of shrewd olnervalice of men. One oi his oilier' -aid "Mum; _“( onfoimd him, 1 believe he knows oxacily lunv manv cocktails 1 drink every time i go ashore. land Fisher freelv expressed sueli political opinions as he had at all rimes. “1 am told von are a Socialist. ’ said a great p-r; -.image to him on one occasion. M cil he ropliid. “I never hehevei! Jimf ail life lira-ins went with a. while shirt. I’ lll, . um are so violent.” “The Kingdom of Heaven -mfereth vioh'nte," he replied—he qnoleil Scripture like a Puritan divine— and the violent man takes it hy storm. ,u Vi°'i don't look at at! sides. ' Mi.v ,-hould \v;i>te my time looking at ail frilly uIl Oi) 1 know my side is the light Mile. _ Udeverpst man we ever had at the Admiralty was Go.-elum. and he was the worst lathin' of all. He was always looking at all sides, and we never got anything done. , “THE UPUFR Oh 1 Hl'. I.OOL He has often keen blamed lor the Hard:.in lies expedition. When l.ord Kitchener lii ,-I proposed it to him. he bursi out v. nh the words that it w-i» “mad. II “( m ■ fatal meeting of tin- War (VTiiiet where ike decision’ lo send the ixpednion was )i ath d he did nol . xpoHnlaie, 11 was lwe.m.si he had already told Mr As.|mth rnd M r ( Inn chill ins mm i. When the order for u was given, '.ery late at nh-rhl. he rom anil went top;- ladle lo v, rid his irsignai ion. Lord Kitchener asked him wln.i he was doing. He said no was going to resign. Kitchener plied him ivhh entn a tier to remain. saving t.iat h;s aeti.ni would wreck the Alii, d cau-e and (hat such resistance was v.iong win n the order for the “gamble” has been given, KeinHanlly. as he star s m Ins Memoirs, \)i' -rj-v?. v;;tv; 1 > ll l lie tokl ft fviLiid tluil to (!,,,"j- v of hi' death he should regret his '’'iler signed on May 14th. 1915. when the Governin' id, against hi-; wish's. insisted on keeping nr the Dardanelles Mop-- seen athe Oneen Elizabeth, winch 1"' held to he inpM-ativelv needed in tile Norfu J*ca. r i'h;>i;'*h he said often that “prudence is pusillanimity. caution i■ _ eowa rdiec he v-onld nol puvalvso rhe t.runu Fleet a I a time, when the Germans v.vre expected to come our. He said afterwards. ‘Lord Kitchener got tin Order of the Writer ,lor hoiir*’ ViToiiLT about ilio Dsivdnm lo>, \\hiio I "E. « P ! 1 *n L f-.i l-wsli nr lilivlkl O