Days of Political Giants

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22822, 17 December 1948, Page 4

Days of Political Giants

“In the days when Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, a member of your club, entered politics there were some real political giants,” said Mrs. Hilda Ross, M.P., in ar. address to the Rotorua Rotary Club.

“Politicians in those days built their reputations under different conditions—probably more kindly conditions. In those days, of course, Parliament was not broadcast. Politicians won a fame, which was in part, perhaps legendary. People judged them in the main by newspaper reports of their speeches. "Only on rare occasions did the people actually hear them. Even men like Secidon were probably never heard by tens of thousands throughout their whole political career.” continued Mrs Roses. Today the voices of even the least and most unimpressive of members of Parliament are familiar to the occupants of every home in the country Mr. Doidge. M.P., then a young journalist in the Press Gallery, is able to make comparisons from actual knowledge. He thinks that the standard of debate in those days was higher than is the case today."