THE POLITICAL SITUATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15350, 13 January 1912, Page 10

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

VIGOROUS SPEECH BY MR MAJSSKY. (l'£u United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 12. Speaking at a social tendered by Mr Lang, member for .Manukau, to his election conuniWeco, Mr Massoy (Leader of tho Opposition) said ho wan convincixl that the Reform party would gain larger individual and aggregate majorities if it was forced to appeal to tho country again within 12 months. Tho election had involved much hard work, but the fight had been a good one, and though welltried soidiers liad fallen iu tlh) battle, he ho|wd their absence- from Parliamcut wan only temporary.-!/' Hear, hear,") When tho jicoplu had heard the truth they knew, as was shown by the- largo number of Re form candidates elected. However dead tlie. Opposition might, bo, there was no doubt, that tho Reform |«rty was very much alive. With iucrcat-ed numbers the party must assume greater responsibility. It must give effect to tho totornw which it had advocated for many Team, and which were urgently needed. A favourite slander against the party was that if tho Op|Kisition was allowed to become the Government it would immediately rodiuo the wages of the workers, especially of those in the State employ. No Viler slander had ever been uttered, but very won the party would havo an opportunity of showing that the workers and the wage-earners had no better fnemU than tho men who had sat in Opposition for so many years. Ho hoped that in tlw near future it would be able to take measures that would roduco tho cost of living, am | give tho workers access to happiness which had never lioen given to the I)C oplc bv Uwse who called themselves the jJbcral prty.-fApplanso.) "The Reform party is ready for anything that may Vonw along, said Mr Massoy, amidst applaud. We are. ready to do our duty, oven if we are called upon to faco another genera' election. Tho majority of tl, o people !*! lieve that tho watchword of the Reform party is 'Honesty and progress.' Within he next few months all (he people will have subscribed to that opinion. 1 '-! Applause.) ' » OVERTURES TO MR FISHER. .ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. STATEMENT m 7 MR ISITT. IKrom Our Own Cojuiestondent ) CIIRJSTCIIURCII, January 12. Mr I- M. U. FisW, M.P., having returned from a visit to South Canterbury !'"3 evening, opportunity 0 f his presence n Uiristclmrcli was taken by a representative of tJiu Press to ask him reiu-dine; the efTorta said to havo been made hv Goyerninont members to induce him to throw in his lot with tho Government. Regarding the statement that he was oficreda portfolio in tho Ward Ministry for 1912 Mr Fisher said he had , 0 occasion had an offer of a portfolio from the 1 nmo Minister. Who was responsible for tiio statement' ho would not tell. Ho had ncJd interesting conversations with members of the Government |>artv which if published, would prove vastly entertaining to the curious public, but bo did not proposo to entangle himself by publishing his version of private conversations which would be at once deiu'ed or contorted. Tho reporter pressed for further details of tho mcident, and after somo talk Mr J'ulicr said that ho would givo tho text ot the conversation and other details if the reporter would obtain from Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P., his permission to do so. Mr Isitt was spoken to by telephone., and at first appeared to bo rather annoyed at being disturbed iu his own home over tho matter. Ho said that ho could not imagine what conversation was referred to by Mr Fisher. Mr Fisher h;ul toi-i a LytMton Times reporter that Uio runioiired intrigue was empty of fact, and further, he (Mr Isitt) wished the press te understand definitely that for tho future ho would ignore lies which it published concerning him. He repeated that no talk ot the sort suggested had passed bctwseu them, and tho only mention of a Cabinet position made by him to Mr Fisher Imd been made at a public luncheon table at tho tennis courts. That had been by way of a joke and nothing more. 'There were other young men present, and tho talk had been fairly general. .Joking, Mr Fisher said, " And would you give mo a place in tlio Cabinet?" and Mr Isitt. answered " Yes. I would make you Minister of Railways on ono condition." "And that is?" "That yon pay mo 20 per cent, of your salary." A voico asked Mr Isitt whether ho would not do it for 15 per cent., and ho answered, " No, my conscience would not allow mo to ,do it for a penny under 20 per cent." Tho reporter persisted with tho question of whether Mr Jsitt would givo Mr Fisher permission to mako public somo coiiversalion (of what nature tho reporter was ignorant) winch they had had. Mr Isitt asked how ho could give Mr Fisher permission to publish what ho (Mr Fisher) had already told a reporter liad no existence. Eventually ho said, " I will givo you a definite statement." This was taken down and read over to him. .Mr Isitt absolutely denied that ho had ovor said anything to Mr Fisher in private with referereco to his vote on a no-con-fidenco motion or anything that could bo in any way constrned into a suggestion that ho should join the present Ministerial party, either as a supporter or as a member of (he Cabinet. Mr Isitt added that he had nothing further to say. Mr IsiU's statement was shown to Mr Fisher, who said that it was all rather amusing. "If that was tho only confidential talk we had what were wo doing when the photographer of the Weekly Press took the picture of us which has been published? That was in the morning, before tho luncheon incident. It is unfortunate for tho public that instead of a photograph he did not lake a gramapliiiiio record. When I hat photograph was taken we were talking,more interestingly than Mr Isitt. mentioned. 1 am in tho unfortunate |>osilion-of being unable to repeat a conversation without, the explicit permission of the other party, and yon have not obtained that for me. Certainly Mr Isitt never held himself out as an envoy of Sir Joseph Ward."