MR FISHER'S SPEECH.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XX, Issue 5743, 13 October 1885, Page 2

MR FISHER'S SPEECH.

(POST.) The most important part of Mr Fisher's speech was his attempted justification of his action in supporting Captain Russell's motion for a half-million reduction in the Public Works Estimates. This defence was a disappointing one. We expected something much better, especially as Mr Fisher was evidently under no restraint as to facts. If the real facts suited, well and good ; but if they did not, so mnch the worse for the facts. Hia imagination being thus allowed an unrestricted range, it is disappointing t*> find such a poor result. He was not, it would seem, benefited as much intellectually as might have been expected from the associations already referred to. We do not propose to follow Mr Fisher through all his imaginative statements, but there are one or two which, in the public interest, require to be noticed at once. Others we shall deal with in a future article. He is reported to have said that; the Government had made the reductions in Publio Works, necessitated by Captain hussell'a motion, in unnecessary directions, to avenge themselves on the members who had voted against them, and irrespective of the question whether the reductions would be detrimental to the colony. The Hunterville Be tion of the North Island Trunk Railway, and the Palmerston-Wood-vijle line were mentioned as instances of this, No statement or insinuation could be more untrue. When Captain Russell brought down his motion, the Government, in the plainest possible ttrms, told the House the items on which the reductions would have ■ to be made if made at all. They stated also that if the resolution was carried no new contracts of any magnitude would be entered into this year. The lines mentioned by Mr Fisher were plainly indicated as amongst those which would be doomed by Captain Russell's motion. So far from the Government having, as Mr Fisher would lead his hearers to imply, used the reduction as a means of revenge on those who voted for it, he and others were given clearly to understand beforehand wha'e the effect of their votes would be. They voted with their eyes open, and Mr Fisher, when he followed C-apt Russell into the lobby side by aido with the revengeful East and West Coast Railway contingent, must have known perfectly well that he was voting to stop the Hunterville contract of the trunk line, and to prevent the Manawatu Gorge line being undertaken at present. One more absolute misatatement. He stated that the resolution still left £118,000 to be expend-jdou the North Island Tjurik Kailway this year, that ia.up to the 31st March next. The audaoity of such an assertion is wonderful. Mr Fisher knows perfectly weli that it is not true, and why he should have made it we do not understand, The amount voted is to cover the total cost of the contracts already entered into, as well as the employment of native labour on some sections. One of these contracts extends over a period of two years, and represents £50.000 of the total vote, and therefore only a vary small portion of the sum will become

payable thia year. As against Mr F sher'a assertion that Captain Russell's motion would not affect the Noi'th Island Trunk Line, we may place the simple fact recorded by the Kangitikel Advocate a few days ago, of there being large numbers of me a there vainly waiting for emploj ment, and 50 of them havii>g at last in despvr a^ked the Uni-n Pompauy to grant them passages to Sydney at reduced rates. Th«ru could be no better ai.swer to Mr Fisher's statements, no greater condemnation of the vote which has produced such a result.