THE SURVEYOR=GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 504, 11 May 1909, Page 7

THE SURVEYOR=GENERAL.

•' : RETIREMENT.//.OF MR, T. HUMPHRIES. INTERESTING SPEECHES. v. Mr.* Thomas Humphries, Surveyor-General, ' who is-retiring from tho Public Sorvico nnder thio 'Superannuation Act,' after a long i> .■.:■■■ career in tho Lands and Survey. Department, i. " was. yestorday: presonted by tho officers of . •' that; Department ■ throughout tho. Dominion » ■(■'.; with: a a■: substantial amount, as : a token ,of their esteem. Tho presentation was mado.by the-Prime Minister. There ■ wero.also present:—Ron. Dr. Findlay, Minister for Justice; Hon. . D. Buddo, Minister »%• for Internal Affairs; and Hon. T. Mackenzie, s/ "Minister, for Industries , .and-., Commerce; Messrs. W. C. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Lands; J. M'Kcrrow,/'J. W. A. Mari chant,: ex-Surveyor-Gene^als; A. Barron, ox-. "v y Acting-Surveyor-General; I l '. -T.-i .0 Neill,Chief Clerk, Lands Department; Col. Col- ••. lins, Secretary of /the Treasury; J- -^■ Ic"y>.v'vfen2id/:Commissioner:'of/Croton ,Lands;, and A; • a ■ large number of. officers' of the : Lands and • • S.urvoy Department. ~ '' . .. , ' Rt: Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, Prune Minister, /Vfr////;Biud\the/pleasured upon him i-■' / of 'proposing the health •of Mr. Humphries. •/'..- .That gentleman, 'joined tho Service of.- the ■ .country l in the "tifties"; of' the ,lust; century, ;and '.ho : had; occupied. 'many ,important posi.tions,' both irndor.the..Provincial and Gene- ; * ral : Government, having .risen from; a; cadet-; ship . to. .tho 'important , oifice of SurveyorGeneral. Mr., had tho unique './>•;./distinction of Saving been the .first. Survcytir- ; - .General' since NcwZealand- had attained to. •.the, dignity of ,a Dominion.: In. the "sixties" - . / . ..he' did his duty as 'a vohmteor during the| i;'./: "Maori war. In many ways.he v was a/splendid example to the young men now in tho / Seirice.":;. Speaking '.onVbehalf 'of; the < Govern- -/;:■: / ment,',, the Priine,;, Minister expressed '.'deep rcgrot'at/Mr.. Humphries's retirement;'and. . at the causes'which necessitated tho-changes which were taking place. -The..Government recognised : the faitiful sorvico which Mr. . . Humphrifes' had given under tho past and :' present/Administrations. '-/-.0n.; behalf i/of. '.all..1 present; ho-wished Mr. Humphries long life, • i ' j.'i i-; ;" : :Rnd prosperity .'v On boHalf of the . "/ "/' 'officers of :t!ie/Lancl and Surrey Department ■ throughout 1 Now /Zealand,/ Sir, Joseph Ward: then handed Mr; Humphries-a cheque for.a. ;' / / t • / substantial amount,. jwith '/which;. to purchaso i ; a memento of the estcbin of his / fellow, offi-iy^*".-(ie^.../;V: -/// Z/vMr/, T.r Humphries sincerely >,thanked - those '- /■/. present, for, tho lieartymanner.in which they , ;t; hiul drunk his health. / It/was '.gratifying to ::U- him .that tho Prime Minister, and/other /mem-/ . bers/of-the Government had done him the 'atten^g-^at 1 that "firewell'; gather-; . • ing. - He thanked Sir Joseph Ward for tho i' . kindly remarks hp had made in. reference to | . . his career in tho Lands and Survey Dopartt. j.' ment.; He claimed that that Department wasI' / ;.second to.nono in ita loyalty .to<t-ho powers '. • . .that, bo. Even when at times they'did. not ~ s<ie eye to eyo with the Government on'mat- • ters of policy, still' thoy had always dono their / / best to carry out tho policy of the Govern- .; ..ment..; When ho joined ..the Department in ;v": 1857, there were then in the New Plymouth office;three youths, who called- each ■ other Percy,' Wilson,; and .T&i- - - Those, young ;men- ' . were. now . knoTO, as.'. Messrs. : Perdy Smith, : Wilson Hnrstbtfuso, and Thomas Humphries. •He had served.under.four provincial supcrin-, ; ' :' tehdents/and therehad changes. ■ ,in the General Government. Ho paid a triH% butb.of.'.praia>'to Sir Joseph AVard for hav- .'(~-. vi"' ing iipassed;»'the -Public/'Service/Superiinnua:'/:/i'^'':. tion Act^, With the present they had given/ him, lie would purchase something ' that ho could hand oh to his children —something that ' would show* them that. hehad earned the goodwill of Lis fellow-officers. '/■-//' ; / / : Itt-proposing the.;t6ast, 'Sir Joseph Ward 'A;-'-;intl.^he' .the ;3lini.stry," Mra W^; - . C.'-Kensington, TJnder : Sccretary. for Lands, - : remarked that this waa the first occasion on; ;.'// , ' v'wEich/iho .Prime Jlinister of the country had /.;/..'."held : tho portfolio of Lands. I '' Tho Lands Department tried to be thoroughly up-to-date, aii'd. .'CH a) :;ob jectof //':■::/:. carry .out the .wishes of the Ministry. ; ; Sir. . Joseph Ward had iirgcd upon'him that abovo Zf-:/ all njust -push on the 'settlement, f //:/'-;of^tialand;^?'As^eye^ ! : ; Ws ;be3t/j he was/sure tho Minister would be pleased: ;■/V ; ' with .'their ■efforts.'^The.Department'had'noW/| ' ■ . ; > : ' charge' of "the I survey of : Native: lands, -and in' ■■ carrying out the policy ,'of the : ' Government in 1 1 this respect thero would shbrtly/bo/plonty.'.pf'l ...: land thrown open for settlement. '. '.?'/■'/"/'// In'reply, Sir Joseph AVard' alluded' to the ' circumstances, which led him to think that . • ». the'best course would be thationo who had .' not before held the portfolio /-.of Lands '■■ shfiuld; be given that oiEco; and,- in passing ' ori„ lie stated that tho most'successful railway manager in Great Britain was a man who before.he was given that-important office- had • never been connected with railways, and ' .' there .were similar instances \in connection with the. management 1 of other de'Dartments . and businesses; And so", in the aaniinistration of tin? Lands Department, ho felt sura . that with the. ablo assistance of Mr/ Kehsing-

r result.:wduld'be;satisr factory.:. He complimented ■ the staff- on the - * •*• thorough*, and. satisfactory'-maiiner* in which ,' they -, submitted the business, of the Depart- . . ' niont to ; him as Minister, in charge. I ; ; ' ■ ' The Hon. Dr. Findlay,; Minister .for Jus-; .yi,' :'tice, v also .responded'.^ ■ /v;,;r>:.en& -'hadibeen that'the meat were very; difficult to move—they theirfduty ; to the ; country" .'.-1'..; (Laughter.) Whilst the -responsibility and burdens. of; a Ministry were: great,tho. cares -v. and. burdens that lia'd to be borno by tho ."•"v Primo Minister were' enormous. ~ . .-; i. ■; f -Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister' for Industries arid; Commerce,, also/responded to the'-toast. • He was: a cadet in the 'Survey. Department, : ; ; ; under Mr. James /M'Korrow; whoso kindly > : r.intorest in his officers was well known. . He ■ endorsed .what Mr. Kensington had said as ')). ttf the. desire of;the Prime, Minister, to' ! settle ' . : .tho lands, and.to do overything that could ..ppssibly' be . done, to; increase the. productive'-, >ness, of the country. , _ ' ~ The , Prime Minister, in.'-proposing - tho "■ toast "Tho Ex-Surveyor-Generals, Messrs. : . James :M'l£onw, Percy Smith, J.. -W. ■A. . vMarchantj and A. Barron (Acting-Survcyor-|General)''.:eulogis9d';tho; services! rendered. to- .'" the'country by those gentlemen. ::; '{Me,-James M'Kefrow,:in responding, spoke ; : in'-'high'.terms .praise of Mr.-Humphhesls y ; . 'ability ;'and attainments in •' " his .profession, . particularly'instancing his .knowledge in 1 , the ; . | -J;.' astronomical, branch,. and his - painstaking cant in all his work. : Mr.vJ. -W.: A. Marchant. said Mr. Humphries had in a marked degreo always shown ; ' , zea| and devotion to his work, and ho was an' officer of great capacity. . Mr.'' A. Barron . briefly . repliod to- tho '.O..V:; : :• : ...if... .' v i :: ' :V 'f'-Tho;Ladies '.' '-was proposed by . Sir' Joseph Ward;'.and; responded to .by-the Hon. G. F. Richardson.' In proposing the health of Mr. W. C. . . - Kensington, Under-Secretary '. for ' Crown • Lands, -Sir.-.Joseph 'Ward described that offi.'cer,.'as;-" alert, -vigilant, .conciliatory,". intelli- . - gelit to a high' degree, "and always- anxious . to do what was right." • - In returning thanks, Mr. W. C. Kensing- , , ton said-he hoped to remain long.ejiough in • his- office to see all Maori land occupied, either by the. Natives themselves or by Europeans; also,_ to see the Hauraki and Piako swamps drained and,settled. After -that he . . would bo quito content to ret-iro. . ;'.■■ v, 'Songs were contributed by Messrs. F. Twiss. ' ii-nd Parkcs. and tho .gathering, dispersed . after singing " Auld Lang Syno.' -