SIR W. BUCHANAN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1640, 6 January 1913, Page 7

SIR W. BUCHANAN.

_—_♦ , SOME TRIBUTES. • FROM NEW ZEALAND PRESS. Writing on the subject of the knighthood conferred upon Sir Walter C. Buchanan. M.P., the "Timaru-Herald" said editorially:— The recipients of the New Year honours which the King' is pleased to bestow are, of course, recommended by the Governments of tile countries among which they are distributed. .' The Massey Government, it will bo seen, has sought no honours, for itself. A Government which includes no titles may seem a little. 6trangeafter the glittering, decorations with which so largo d proportion of the members of tho Liberal Ministry of Sir Joseph Ward were adorned. No doubt Mr. Massey might have been Sir William Massey —honours have been awarded to the Premiers of Newfoundland and Ontario—but the members of the New Zealand Government have preferred to request them for a veteran politician who is not in. the Ministry, and a Civil Servant with nearly, fifty years' service- to. his credit, rather than for., themselves.' Sir .Walter Buchanan hits dono good work in tho House as inembir for Wairarapa, with. the ex-. ception of two Parliaments in which he did not'sit, since 1881. He is now (jho Father: of Sir Arthur Guinness, who vies with him in long- service, having entered it in 188-1, and the late Sir William Steward, to whom the'distiitc-. lion formerly belonged, in 1871.;. Sir Walter Buchanan, having, borne the heat and burden of the Opposition fight for more years even than Jlr. llassey, asked that he should not be inoluded in 1 the Cabinet which was formed when the Reform' Party at last came into power. Ho would not allow the Government s strength to. bo diminished bv his inolusion. in, a Ministry which might exercise more vigour if it was composed of younger, men. But the honour of the lowest grade of Knighthood, the same as that conferred on the late Sir William Steward, was not earned by Sir Walter Buohanan's political services or.sslf-abnegatioif mOTe than by the splendid Zealand generosity he has shown in aiding the agricultural And other development of the Wairarapa.' He has given largo sums for a dairy school, for hospital needs, and ether oojects of popular advahtngo. No man in New Zealand has devoted hard-earned Wealth more unstintedly toV.th© advanconvent of : tho district which had the good fortune to possess.him as a resident. -No one will griidge Sir, Walter Buchanan his welld&servfid distinction, and if Mr. Masisey, after eighteen years' : strenuous Parliamentary sorvice, which has led him to tho, highest position in the Dominion's gift, is still plain Mr. Massey, possibly, like Mr. Seddoh, he prefers to have .it so. ! . Thb Christchurch "Press"- says i."People Of all patties will unite m .con-, gratnlating Sir Walter Buchanan on; tho honour of knighthood that has been' conferred on him in the New Year Honours. Sir Walter Buchanan is alvery. fine type of piineer-colonist, whoso energy,capacity, ; publio spirit, devotion to principle, kindly' disposition, and political unselfishness, are a model to the rising generation. When he cam 6' to "New Zealand he had nothing but his strength ind his brains to help him along, bat he made sncli good use of his opportunities that he became a leading pastoralist. ; To men like Mr . - Buchanan, who broke in * the wilderness and built up . our .export trade, tho Dominion owes • a great deal, and it is. very l,fitting that a representative of the class 'should bo 'honoured. But Mr. Buchanan has other claims to;. distinction. He has .been actively .interested, for many years in public affairs, a keen Worker in the.education world for thirty years, and anjnntiring and most useful member of Parliament, whilo his .benefactions, about . Which, as our iParliamentary' correspondent says,, the publio knows nothing;, have ■ been on a very liberal scale.: As a publio .irian htejchief characteris.ttohave,.lk?l). 'hishprSCtly'ttnd unsCmshhess; ..Ofi tti>v4e, sought office and no one has ever accused him of havine an hie to' grind. Sir Walter Buchanan.is very vigorous in. his eld ago—in this respect he.renvinds,one of Mr." Bryce—and every one will wish liim many years of enjoyment .of his ; welldeserved honour." , A letter has 'been forwarded 'to Sir. Walter Buchanan, M.P., ; from the local branch of-the- Navy League,'congratulating \h{m on the high honour conferred" upon him, by his Majesty the King, and expressing the.hope that ho may live long t6 enj6y: tlie esteem in which ho is held. Sir Walter Buchanan is one Df tho "only two life members of the branch, arid has been -a vice-president- since the inception of tho league in Wellington. ■