LATE MR MASSEY.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18419, 27 June 1925, Page 15

LATE MR MASSEY.

PARLIAMENT'S TRIBUTE.

APPRECIATION AND SYMPATHY.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.)

WELLINGTON, June 26.

As soon as formal business had been disposed of in the House of Representatives this afternoon, the Prime Minister (ti// Hon. J. G. Coates) moved:

That this House desires to place on record its high sense of the devoted and distinguished services rendered to New Zealand and to the Empire by the lato Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. William Ferguson Massey, P. 0., LL.D., and of the great loss tho Dominion has sustained by his death, and respectfully tenders to Mrs Massey and her family an assuranco of its sincere sympathy with .them in their bereavement.

In asking the House to agree to the motion, he briefly sketched the early career of tho lato Prime Minister before and after his arrival in tho Dominion. He referred to his political developments through the medium of local •. bodies, and finally to his entry into Parliament, where he became not only Prime Minister, but a statesman of Imperial standing. Continuing, Mr Coates said: "In Mr Mas'sey's death the Dominion of New Zealand has lost its most honoured statosman and the Empire one of its most devoted sons. Each of us will bear in grateful memory his manly, straightforward, unselfish course of conduct in public- lifo and his contempt for mean practices and devious ways. His career, if it reflects anything at all, gives an annihilating answer to those trickyminded people with tho demoralising gospel that wiliness and artifico aro the, soundest passports to public confidence. From the day ho entered Parliament till ho died, no suspicion of betrayal of public interest over attached to his ramc. Ho leaves behind Him an unblemished record as a plain, simple man who saw his duty clearly and did it fearlessly. Ho was as fre'o from exultation in success as ho had been undaunted by adversity, and so he gained and kept to tho end tho complete, trust and confidence of all his followers. "He had firm faith in God and the British Empire, and was an Imperialist through and through. In tho timq of tho Empire's greatest danger ho hud thoßO invaluable qualities, immovable principles and unshakable determination to see it through, and an iron will. Ho believed that it was more vital for tho Empire to be one than for the* Dominions to bo independent nations, and ho said so at a timo when it required courage to say it. Tho Empire will long cherish his memory, and will miss Ins firmness and faith in Parliament. We shall always remember our' personal association with the cheerful, happy, unassuming life of that great and kindly man; a staunch friend to his friends and without-malice against his opponents. Among the thousands of messages received on tho occasion of his demise, may I place on record that whictt came from tho Primo Minister of Groat Britain, Mr Stanley Baldwin:— " 'As Primo Minister, Mr Massey guided the destinies of New Zealand through twelve most troublous" and critical years. Of his groat service in fostering tho growth and expansion of tho Dominion, others are more qualified than I to speak, but those who, like myself, have had the opportunity and privilego of watching his work for the Empire, know how much wo all havo owed in these momentous years to his whole-hearted caro for its honour, safety and well-being. We gratefully Temomber his fortitude in every crisis of war; his determination that New Zealand should play a part worthy of her destiny in helping tho cause of tho Allies; his own unsparing, efforts in that cause and the success which they achieved at tho Imperial War Cabinet of 1017 and 1918, and at tho Paris Peaco ' Conference ho rendered conspicuous service, and successive Imperial Conferences since that time have profited by his wide human sympathy, his ripo experience in affairs, and his sagacity in counsel. Mr Massey's death will not bo a loss to New Zealand only. The whole Empire \vi}l mourn him to-day, both as 1 a man and as a statesman, and many of us here will long cherish a memory of a most genuine and lovable personality.' "This is neither the time nor tho place to attempt to review the splendid record of Mr Massey's public service. We may have no misgivings that the historic of the f uturo will assign to our late departed leader a true appraisement of the- magnificent work performed by him during the stressful years of his Premiership. His courageous and virile leadership of the Dominion -throughout tho critical days of tho Great War, his capable handling of the many difficult problems of the postwar period, and tho innumerable samples of humanitarian and social legislation which our Statute Book so "eloquently bears testimony to, will all -stand to the manliness and human side of this great' man's nature. As a 'Parliamentarian ho .was probably un- • equalled in our time, and his death has left a gap in our official lire that will > he hard to fill. . ;" . ! "fcet us look for inspiration in the ' performance of our public, duty to the 'high and lofty principles that ever • actuated him who has gone, and may • -they always servo as a guide for the clean, honest conduct of our public affairs. We, who to-day feel his loss so " acutely, extend to his bereaved widow 'and family who aro suffering heavier personal grief, our heartfelt sympathy "in their sorrow. His virtues aro well , described and sung by the poet:

' A man whom the lust of office did not kill; 13 t A man whom spoils of office could not -'. buy.»» v I* OTHER SPEAKERS. fc% Mr T. M. Wilford, Leader of tho Oppositiott, in seconding the motion, said that during the 25 years in which he had sat in tho House in opposition to Mr Massoy, he had had many oppor* tunities of bearing out what the Prime v - Minister had said in moving tho motion. Oa the day after Mr Mnssey's death he RMr Wilford) had written his tribute to f<the. lata leader of tho Government* .■wljich had been published by most ot 'the papers throughout the Dominion, <and he felt he could do nothing better " on this occasion than to again place on Record what he then wrote, as he could i add nothing further to it now. Mr H. B. Holland, Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party in supporting the motion, said that ho wished , l to join with the Prime Minister and the ' Leader of the Opposition in extending r-to the relatives of the late rnme Mimshis personal sympathy and that or Party of which he was leader, and . VyWwd to repeat what ho had said in -'his telegram to Sir Francis Bell at the -tiwo or air Massey'a death, and again to.ethphasiso the fact that once the late f -?lfine Minister had given his word, 1 -.tMro was never any departure from it.

at foot of next column.)

Although ho was always uncompromisingly the opponent of what Labour stood for, and although' politically thoy were as wide, as the poles asunder, they had reached that stage iu the conduct of Parliamentary business when tßoy could roly on the word of Mr Massey absolutely, and for that groat virtue they valued him.' Time, like an ever rolling stone, bears all its sons away and standing as it wero at his open grave, they wished to join with all other sections of the community in extending to the relatives of the late Mr Massey heartfelt sympathy with them in the hour of their affliction. The Hon. W. Nosworthy, senior Cabinot Minister, in the course of a brief eulogy of Mr Massey, said that tho lato Prime Minister had come into Parliament with clean hands and he had gone out of it %vith clean hauds. JIo was fearless in the dischargo of his duties and followed tho simple courso of simple -honesty, so that no one could suggest that corruption came - into his conduct of puiblic affairs. His unfailing optimism during tho dark clays of tho Great War, and during the commercial slump which followed, was an inspiration to all. His faith in his God was unshaken, while his Imperial statesmanship was direc-ffd to building up and binding lOgithcr the Empire so th^ f - no moth or rust should enter into and no enemy brenK through and destroy it. It would bo difficult to lind any ono to fill adequately the void which his death causeta, but it was their duty to follow in his stops and aspire to his great, ideals. "Peace -be to his ashes." Mr T. K. Sidey, in supporting what tho previous speakers had said, referred to Mr Massey's lengthy political services his earlv battles as Leader of tho Opposition, and his subsequent attain* ment to the post of Prime Minister. It was well-known that members did not carry their political differences beyond tho Chamber and no one was njoro liberal in the application of this principle than Mr Massey. His great breadth of mind was well illustrated by the wide sympathy shown in moving or seconding similar motions to that now before the Houso during the twentytwo years in which ho was either Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition. The following members also paid their tribute to the memory of the late Prime Minister: Sir John Luke, Horu D. Buddo. the Hon. A. T. Ngata, Messrs A Harris. H. Atmore, G. R, Sykes. »'. A. Wright, L. M. Isitt and E. D. MeLennan. ■ The motion was agreed to. In connexion with the deaths of the Inte Hon. Oliver Samuel, the Hon. J. Grimmond, the late Mr Edward WaKefield and tho late Mr Aparima Kapa Maori District), on the motion of the Prime Minister the Houso Zl at 5 ; p.m. till 7.30 p.m. on Monday as a mark of .respect to the memories of the deceased.'