A PRESENTATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1503, 27 July 1912, Page 6

A PRESENTATION.

FOETT YEAHS IN THE CIVIL SFjRVICE. At the conclusion of the meeting of tho Wellington Land Board yeste-rdnv, Mr. J. Dawson, the senior member of tiie board, on behalf of the board, nuule-α-prefonfar lion to Mr. Wright, the retiring secretary. Mr. liawson said that he had known .ilr. Wright for a prcat many years, and had always found him to be n. highly courteous, able, and tactful-man. Mr. Wright had been chief clerk.and secretary Ulder a great number of Commissioner?, and had worked with many different Land Bonrds. He thought that in losing the service of Mr. Wriglu the Civil Service, nnd especially the Lands Department verp losing a. man it would bo hard to tfplace... Mr. Daivson then presented lo ii V, ri G nt a handsome silver inkstand, nth the namss of the members eDgmvoa thereon. Mr. Ellingham heartily t-ndevs-«l what sfr. IJawson had said. Mr. beorgetti and Mr. M'Lcnnanalso expressed sincere appreciation of Mr. Wright's son-ices. The chairman (Mr. Brodericlt) stud.that ho could not over-estimate the praise due to Mr. Wright. As a new commissioner, Mr. Wright had como to his assistance and made matters a great deal easier by his, exact personal knowledge of tho transactions itivolved. lie I'cnrtily endorsed all that tho previous speakers had said.

In returning- thanks, Mr. Wright said he woull have liked to have served nU time, out, except for a recent occurrence trat made it undesirable for him to do so. He first joined the Civil Service when ho was 18 years old, entering the Telegraph Department in VX'l. He also sen-ed in tho Treasury Department before entw- '"?, "'?, C T P»*ral Survey Department in 18/7. Altogether he hnd beer: in the Civil StTvice for 10 years, 35 of which hod Wn sjient in tho Lands and Survey Denartn ent. He had been secretary of the Land' JVard for 27 vears .before which h« w-is chief clerk. Fii-c different Commissioners and twenty individual members of tlia loard hiivo sat at tho board since he became con.iectol ivith it. Ho remembßwl "lion lie first joined there were five members of the board, besides tho Commissioner, n.nd not four as at present. In those .lays their remuneration was per day, and not 10s., the present rate. In lfS5 the board liiul to deal with two tentiH'S, and 205 ten.uits, while now tlvre i ere IOQO tenanls and alxmt 18 tamcM. In those days the board did not take two days to .--ettlo their burfness. Mr. Wn>!it recalled olio meeting that had taken i':st I.- minutes. Speaking of the various ten-i-res, he tart tecdmo acquainted with, the l-'C-et in his ..pinion was the perpetual lease as formulated by Mr. l?olle>tou bofore it-was amcritlptl. Mr. Wrisht concludiml in expressing his hfartiest thanks to iJie Commissioner and tho members of the ward f or all the kind words they lia.l honoiircd him with, and for the 'hiw-U fr.mo present they had so kindlv I'ivcn bim.