SIR JOSEPH WARD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8355, 15 February 1913, Page 5

SIR JOSEPH WARD

“A COMPLETE FAILURE” AS A POLITICAL LEADER. MB FISHER COMPLAINS OF INACCURATE REPORT. Some remarks concerning Sir Joseph Ward, reported as having been made by the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher at Hokitika recently led to much lively criticism of the Minister of Marine and reference was made to the subject by a “Times” representative in conversation with Mr Fisher yesterday. “I notice from newspaper reports which I have seen,” remarked Mr Fisher, “that considerable exception was taken to some statements that 1 am alleged to have made at Hokitika, which detracted from the merits of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward as a political leader. 1 have just had an opportunity of seeing tho Press Association report, which was not by any means accurate. lam t}iat even the warmest friends of Sir Joseph Ward who were present at the meeting could have taken no exception to what I said. The tenor of my remarks was as follows: That one redeeming feature about our political life was the fact that however widely wo may differ in politics, men were ablo to retain for each other the warmeat friendship, and whilst I "was politically opposed to Sir Joseph ward in tho House, I, like many others, had tho greatest admiration for a man who had begun life as a telegraph messenger, and had risen to tho position of Prime Minister; and I reminded those of my hearers in the audience who were young Now Zealanders that Sir Joseph Ward’s career was an ex ample to them, and that the high posx tion and the honours which ho had attained were within tho reach of any young New Zealander present. I went on to say that, although Sir Joseph Ward had risen to great eminence, X looked upon him as the worst political leader that tho Liberal party had ever had. In fact, as a leader, the right honourable gentleman was a complete failure, and in a remarkably short space of time since taking command of the party, with an absolute majority of forty-eight in the House, he had —in the short period of six years rushed the Liberals over a precipice, and absolutely destroped the heritage which had come to him from the late Mr Beddon. Further, I. said that Sir Joseph Ward had committed a long series of blunders which had landed him in the cold shades of Opposition, and whilst, one must give him credit as a most excellent administrator, especially in his-capacity as PostmasterGeneral, he was, without any doubt, a bad leader of men. That is my summing up of Sir Joseph Ward as a leader- I have made precisely the same statements in the House, within Sir Joseph Ward’s hearing, and I should make them without any hesitation again as often as I please. <<lf criticisms of public men are to he based upon abbreviated telegraphic reports of newspaper correspondents who are rushing through their work in order to catch tho telegraph office, then the fault does not rest with me. Had any newspapers which had been so sharp in their criticism "taken the trouble to ascertain at first hand exactly what was said, they would have discovered the facts to he as 1 have narrated.