"THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1221, 1 September 1911, Page 6

"THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE."

FORTY YEARS' SERVICE. SIR W. J. STEWARD RETIRING. Yesterday morning the approaching retirement of Sir William Steward, the father of the House, who for mans' years has represented the district of Waitaki in the House of Representatives, was announced. Sir William, to use his own words, does not want to fight any more elections, as he is not so young as he was. lie will take up his residence in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington. Tho probabilities arc that he will be given a seat ill the Legislative Council. Sir William Steward first entered the House in 1870 as member for Waitaki. In those, years there were five-year Parliaments, and he remained in the House till 1875. During Unit Parliament—which was known as tho ' Abolition Parliament, *be carried through (he North Otago Pul/.ic Works Bill which provided for tho setting aside of .£70,000 for public works in North Otago.

It _ was (luring that session that Sir lVilliam Steward was asked by ex-Premier Waterhousc to take charge of his Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, which Waterhouse had in 1871 introduced iji the Council and lost. Sir William Steward agreed to father tho Bill, and ho brought it forward in four successive years. During those years lie came to bo known in the Parliamentary precincts as "Deceased Wife's Sister Bill." At the next election he was defeated, and it was left to Dr. Hodgkinson to get the Bill on tho Statute Book. The reason of Sir William Steward's defeat at that election was that he had succeeded in getting two representatives for the Waitaki electorate. lie was, bowever, unable to carry the other Liberal member on his back, so to speak, and Messrs. Shrimski and Ilislop won the two seats. lie was elected Mayor of Oamaru I during tluco successive yiars, until lie left for Waima.te, and his former constituents ' I'rcsenfed Jiim with two hui'.drcd guinea-i yn a silver salver.

In tho general election of 1881 he was again' elected for Waitaki, and ho won tho seat at ten successive general elections, so that altogether he has a score of five years in Parliament during his first innings, and thirty in his second innings-. During all that time he only misstd one session—the short "Dreadnought session," owing to the breakdown of a steamer by which he had to travel. During all these years lie attended every session—except the one mentioned—to the end, and he does not think that lie has been once reported absent in forty sessions. He was Whip to the Liberal party at the time the' Stafford Ministry was turned out of office.

Sir Win. Steward has, it is stated, brought forward, and carried more Bills than any private member in the New Zealand Legislature. Amongst the measures that ho lias succecssfully fathered arc:—The Shearers' Accommodation Bill, the Small Birds' Nuisance Bill, the Mortgages Bill, the Compilation of Statutes Bill, and various other measures which, in language of the auction, are almost too numerous to mention. It was on Sir William's motion that a want of confidence was carried on behalf of the Liberal party, of which Jlr., Montgomery was then leader, against the Atkinson Government, which was then replaced by the Stout-Vogel Government. Sir William (then Major Steward) was elccted Speaker in 1891, and held the offico till 18!)3. Ho was subsequently knighted in consequence of his political services and of his holding this position. During his Parliamentary career ho has done a great deal of committee work in the House, and has seTved on jnany Royal Commissions. He acted as chairman of the well-remembered Tariff Commission. He has been chairman of tho Reporting Debates Committee for about thirty years. He has also taken a keen interest in volunteering. He started the City Guards in Christchurch, the Hampden Rifles, and the Otepopo Rifles, and reformed the Oamaru Rifles Company. When a battery of artillery was established in Oamaru he was gazetted major ' in command. Altogether Sir William lias been on interesting figure in the Lower House, and his tall, sparo figure will be much missed next session.