The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 25, 1915. A SENSATION-MONGER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1477, 25 November 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 25, 1915. A SENSATION-MONGER.

It isn't in the nature of things political that Christchurch should give birth to a second Tom Taylor —at least lor a decade or two. Still it has produced politicians who vainly try to imitate what was temperamental in Taylor. Poor imitations of the original ate depicted in Isilt, McCombs and, lastly, Dr Thacker. Not one of them possess in the shadow of a degree Taylor’s subtle and intuitive power to ‘‘see through things.” Anyhow, Dr Thacker is again looking for something sensational, and the Wellington Post bowls him over with the following biick: —“Dr Thacker, member lor Christchurch East, has apparently wearied of the quietness of the recess. When he found the mud at Trentham in mid-winter he roused New Zealand, and we admit frankly that he did some good, though his extravagant language gave the

public an unnecessary ‘scare’ as lo the character of the camp site. This was a joyful time for Dr Thacker, lor he seems lo have some pleasure in startling the public. While he was in the midst of this excitement he looked for other fields to conquer, and found the hospital ship (the Maheno). lie suspected that the suppliers of the bedding might have used cheap and nasty substitutes lor the lilllng of mattresses and pillows. He cut open one article and extracted a specimen ol ‘stuffing.’ He said that his purpose was lo submit the material to a bacteriological examination, a disingenuous remaik which amused the medical profession, for Dr Thacker had exposed the specimen in the ordinary air, he had handled it with bare lingers, and he had stored it in a trouser pocket. This incident rather robbed the medical politician ol some of the credit which he obtained by his run on the Ttentham mud. People who were at first inclined lo believe that this member was acting solely in the public interest, began lo suspect that he was addicted lo ‘sensationalism.’ Therefore, when he made a sudden onset yesterday against the Maymorn camp the disposition ol many a Wellington citizen would have been to wait for other evidence before accepting the impetuous critic’s alarmist statements. Dr Thacker has proved repeatedly in Christchurch that he is uot easily abashed ; he does not seem to be sensitive to ridicule, but it is possible that he may have felt rather uncomfortable —if not a little foolish —after reading General Henderson’s clear and concise reply to the wild charges. Maymorn is only a temporary camp, pending the completion of the great array of buildings, at large expense, near Featherslon, and the rainy weather lately has made some discomfort, but General Henderson states, on the evidence of official figures, that the men’s health is good. It is regrettable, in a way, that Dr. Thacker tried to make so much out of so little. A politician of bis temperament can have his good uses in public life, provided

that be does not exaggerate the results of bis searches and fosslckiugs. Dr Thacker, unfortunately, has a tendency to d ! scouut himself in his Roosevelt role as ‘the man with the muck-rake.’ ”