MR. FISHER AT ST. PETERJS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1307, 9 December 1911, Page 6

MR. FISHER AT ST. PETERJS.

THE OTHER PARTY IN CHAOS. Mr. F. M. B. Fisher opened his secondballot campaign last evening, when he addressed a crowded meeting' in St. Peter's Ha 11... A fp.w hostile interjectors were at work during the earlier stages of the meeting, but as a whole Mr. Fisher's auditors responded with enthusiasm to his address. At intervals he was cheered and applauded with great vigour and heartiness. Mr. Fisher said that, from his own point of viow, his performance of tho previous day was the best ho had ever put up in Wellington. (Applause.) Ho had had a very fair fight lyith his opponents, free from bitterness or personalities of any kind whatever. , In his experience of politics, he continued, he had never seen so much money concentrated in one electorate as ho had seen concentrated in Wellington Central on tho previous day. They were told that ttiu Proportional Representation scheme— which they hoped would do away with tho small, parochial, parish-pump politician—would so enlarge districts that poor men would have no chance of getting into •Parliament. Taking tho previous day as an illustration, thero could be no question that tho smaller the': district the more ' the power of money could be felt. Personally, ho was what ho called a platform fighter, and he estimated that his election expenses up to tho present limo were j;i)U. This sum ho estimated was ono-fifth of what had been spent against him on tho-previous day in vehicles in tho-dis-trict. "I was very nearly sufiocated in sovereigns and drowned in beer, said Mr. Fisher, "but I am glad to snv that I am not dead yet. (Hear, hoar.) "Yesterday," ho went on, "tho streets wcro filled with motor-cars aud cabs, and these in turn ivero filled with paid organisers who had been burrowing and tunneling in the district for throe. months. If I died to-mprrow Icould bo happy in» tho knowledge thai, with mv limited expenditure, I had ■been able to' top the poll for Wellington Ccn.tral yesterday." (Loud and continued applause.) ' ■ . A voice: You will float in on top of tncbeer next time. The temper of the people at the present time was, said Mr. Fisher, 1 that the party in power was about-to bo destroyed ami it. was quite time (hat it should be dfstroved. Speaking at Petonc . somo time ago he had said: "Elect Masscy and there will be chaos in tho other party. Those who were in tho Hous> Unerr of the discordant facton in tho other party

which wore tied together by tho power of tho public purso and nothing else. Members had been told that if' they did-not vote as the Government wished no money would bo spent in their districts and that they would lie thrown on tho 6crap heap. A voice: A tale.

Mr. Fisher said •it was a trno talo. (Loud applause.) Speaking at Motueka five days ago thc'..Hon.. E. inCcnzio had told Ins auditors that tho Government were building a railway in their district and that if tho Opposition got into power tho railway would l>o stopped.. Tho Reform parly were goiug into power deter-mined-that at any-cost they would leavo the condition of affairs cleaner than when they went in. The general judgment of the people had declared that this Government was not fit to continue' in power. Ho had not approached tli<> Labour party in any way, but ho hoped to obtain the votes of thoso who hod supported Mr, Younjj. Ho could not enter into any negotiations without disloyalty to his.party and must leavo tho matter bo tho judgment of tho third party. Ho had • voted .in ■ 1400 divisions' in tho House and tho third party perusing thoso divisions could ''seo what courso ho had taken during the past seven years-. Tho "wobbler" had said that it did not liko tho prospect of Mr. Massey being returnod, because ho would sell Crown lands, but Mr. Massey could not well sell Crown lands faster than Ministerial hypocrites were selling them to-day. Mr. Fisher repeated and elaborated a statement' ho has previously made, that in view of his leasehold principles ho could not accept office in' a Keform party Ministry. He knew that, if Mr. Massey went into power to-morrow, tho Minister who would go in for Wclingtou would bo Mr. Herdman, and no one would congratulate him more gladly than tho speaker. (Applause.) Mr. Fisher promised his hearers soma merry fighting in the second ballot campaign.. In tho latter part of his address he explained the principal differences between his platform and. that of his opponent. He stood as a supporter of No-License. Mr. Fletcher waa supported by the other party. In regard to land tenure he concurred with his- opponent. They were clearly divided in regard to party. Having answered several questions, Mr. Fisher was 1 unanimously accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, amid cheering and loud.applause. Not a single voice was raised in dissent.