DISTINGUISHED VISITORS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 62, 6 December 1907, Page 7

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS.

♦.■:," , MAJOR KARRI WEALING. TON!-'?*"' i ''<■& A RISMARKABLfi CAREER. :'-Major Karri Davis and ; lfrs' father;--'\Mr. M. 'CLJJavis, of Western Australia, are-visitors ,to Wellington. Major Dayis;will be'.remembered as having playetFatrimportant , part in the late South African! war, for. which campaign lie raised the : Imperial Light Horse in Natal. .He was shut up in Ladysmith.during that notable; period when the .town was invested by the- Boer forces;-'Hβ tooklpart in the famous-sortie on Gun...Hill (luring the siege, and still i has in i)is*"ppssossion the breech-bolt of; the 6-inch gun so gallantly captured on that occasion. Major Davis was in Johannesburg on thei'ocbasion ■of'-the Jamieson withV'over a hundred others, was imprisoned. ■ -He and Colonel Wools-Sampson (now Sir. A'; WoolbSampson, K.C.8.) were the only two of' those thrown into prison who refused to sign a documont giving them parole on certain)'conditions, and asXH.lie result'Mjjj-'jtliat -'refusal -he was kept jir 5 &aol fb')- i ..' ; ntteeu months. ' ' *"" Major Davis, who declined to be inter,yiew|d,on matters of policy.,.wont as->far as to ,say that he believed.'filicre wero hotter times ahead for South Africa, and ;tlie;: Uhity of all the South African States was nearer than most people- supposed. Referring briefly to the new Zulu outbreak on the hinterland of Natal, he said that if a war did break out, it would be a factor in ■achieving that desirable:'result. ' <;-'-'V- : lie has been in Australia since December kp£,,\ under/ instructions':;to re.pprt.to,..the Gape Govcrnm'cnt, on the Land Bank'"and ..Closer, Settlement questions.. Not knowing that ho would be visiting • New Zealand, he communicated with- Sir Joseph: Ward some ■time ago on the matter of closer settlement in this country,' and was courteously supplied with the desired information. His presence in Now Zealand was attributable to his father's health, which had of late not been robust. Mr;" Davis, Senior, a gentleman over seventy'•■ly.qars of age, was one of the pioneers of, AYcs'tern Australia, and it was ho who introduced karri and 'jarrah timber to the world; Sand initiated the "timber export industry Hint has sinccT'doveloped so enormously. He hns a large estate in' tho south-west corner of the Western State, and it was Mr. Davis who erected tho Leuwiii Lighthouso, which hns played (in important part in connection -with the .navigation of the West Australian; .coast. Major Davis and his*; father leave for Auckland and Rotorua to-day, hut Way. return south Inter on. Neither have visited No* Zealand before. - x ■ ' ■ - r ; ;;