OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1651, 18 January 1913, Page 6

OBITUARY.

THE HON. JOHN BRYCE. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, B» Tele«u>ii-EroJi As JaMaUon-Cobyilßhl " . ; VVanoanui, January 17. . The Hon. John Bryce, a one-time notable figure in New. Zealand politics, died at his residenco iii Giiyton Street, this afternoon, at the ripe old age of %$ years. - A NOTABLE CAREER. • The' Hon. John Bryce was one of the oldest settlers in New Zealand, having arrived here as a child in 1810, and in his manhood he had to undergo his share of the hardships which befel'nll tho pioneers alike; With'most of tho other adult men of his day, he carried arms in the wars which had to be waged in order to hold New Zealand for tho white men. But it was as a publio niau that ho becamo really, well and honourably known.' He entered Parliament in 1866 as member for Wanganui.nnd in 1879 he joined Sir-John Hall's Government as Native Minister, and later he took also the portfolio 'of -Defence.' In Sir ■ Frederick Whitaker's ■ Ministry, -which succeeded the- Hall Government •he wis also- Minister- for Native Affairs, nnd again in the • third -Atkinson Cabinet he held both portfolios for the one year of the- Government's short '■ tenure of office until it was defeated by,the Stout-Vogel combination. .'■'. After three- years in opposition, Mr.' Bryce again contested his former seat of Waitotara in 1887,.but was defeated by Sir. George Hutchison.. Three years, later,; 1 however, he re-ontered the ilouso as member of Waikato, .but he stayed in Parliament only one yejir. .' A Dramatic Incident. His ' retirement .'from Parliament and from public life was a-somewhat dramaI tio one. Ke had made use of a very mild and fully justified expression in debate 'which was 1 made .the ground of; a vote 'of censure passed up-' on him by the Honse because, it was alleged,*, they 'reflected upon the conduct of the Premier, the Hon. John.Ballanco. Following is a brief extract from Hansard ,of the'day:— ... V •; , ■ Mr. Bryce: ; The- Hon. the Premier .'ought to be ashamed of himself— — ■■" ■ '-Mr. Ballance: I shall ask the'honourable gentleman to withdraw, thoso words. Ho has no right. to' uso .those, words in ■ tlie. House:.', '■ -'7. ■''•'-.-;.. ';'■"' .'. . .Mr.-Bryco: I shall not withdraw them; and -I; shall take the consequences. The galleries were cleared, and a long and' acrimonious'-'debate; ended in a motion that -'/was in effect one of censure oil Mr.' Bryce being' carried by 33' votes to 24-na party division. ' Mr. Bryce. returned to the Chamber, and, in the course of an eloquent (speech, repeated the-sentence in full which the' - Pre-', -mier had .out- short:—"The" honourable igentleman should be'ashamed' of. himself in'relying,upon a technicality to prevent an inquiry .into ■ a' disgraceful charge against this House." ;Hb concluded-with the following'sentences:—"The House ha 3 don© what; it has thought right, tinder the scourge.-, of the Government whip, After I sleep upon this matter I shall consider my own position. I regard the censure of '.the-''House as a most grave .ono to, 1 me, ; and I ; shall, 1 , with your per-mission,-now leave'the House... Whether I enter,it again will be a matter for my" own consideration.". ■v, ;_ . • . The wrangle went on for another day, not in his jpla'ce, and [he'.'did not .return.-to it, resigning .his seat by. telegram. '-..,', '•",'.,, ..':." ;■■••.

■v "'j The Parihaka Troubie. ..-' As a. Minister; Mr.- Bryce-was-distinv guished for some force of character, and no .'had a, reputation, .for,' being, '.most straightforward,' which '/ivon him general respect. ;He was a member,' 1 of .the Hall Government! at ■ the time „of ~the.(Pnrihakti trouble,''.when IV "Whiti'.sought .to>'niTesv, tho spread of .theVhifc inan's. settlenient,. Ho i dtt'Wi!aMUterh.'^ieylK«^.tß^'dlipi^l^ins', : To'iWlifti, But "lie found.himself "uhsup-' ported by his'colleagues,, and ho left the Government. Ho joined it under a. new leader some nino ntbnths later,' howevor, and ho led the famous exposition of Armed ' Constabulary,; and...' Volunteers which' ended.in the.occupation "of Parihaka and tho arrest of To Whiti on November 5, 1881i;/By 'this bold 'stroke,' and by legis-' -latib'n" which r he afterwards introduced as .Native Minister, the mana' of Tc "Whiti 'wa's,-to!sened.:and.'.'nriallyY.destroyed, . and, •what, threatened to develop ..into a'serious' disturbance was quelled.- '.-■:■. ■■;'■'.. ■ '.y;-'" .'-■•''■'• ■•"'."' ■•'-, '' ■■'. '■:•"' ;?'.'1;,.. A Celebrated Libel Action. .

~ -'One ,6f ■ the most celebrated of libel actions was ;• instituted by Mr. Bryce W.'Eusdfcn, who published a 1 ihistory'Of,'.Now Zealand in the-. year. flßß3.">,fn this book it was, alleged, that •Mr." Bryce, when a lieutenant of cavalry 'in..tho Maori "War, had been guilty of cruel'butchery'of'non-combatant . women and children at the time of theiHau Hau insurrection. . Following,; is the libellous sentence:—'. .' ./.'..'..'-".- ; \. : ,- ■. '•'■'.\'.. , ,"lieutenant,ißryce, who was in after ' years 'a Native , 'Minister,... distinguished himself. Sorao : wonieri and young children emerged from a pa to hunt'pig's.. Lieutenant Bryce and Sergeant Maxwell, -of 'the Kai-Iwi Cavalry,,dashed' upon them and : cut:. them down gleefully and with ease.'-' ■''■■■'■■■■:■',•'■ : -v. ' ..'.

! "It'was''f6und that the charge so made■ baseless," and Mr. Bryce. oV tairied judgment'for the full amount, he had claimed, v£5001).",1n actual fact, as' 'it was proved in' evidence; there were 110 'women near ; 'tho 'affray at all) which was really" a.'sortie rby • the. troops against '.Maoris who. were looting farm buildings.; ' 'Mivßryco was elected to the Wellington Provincial Council in 18G2, and twice subsequently.. Ho was elected, to the Houso 'of Eepreseritatives as member for Wanganui; nfterwards becoming for Waitotara/ His electorate "extended from ■ Tnrhkina to' Paten; ; . After 'retiring from polities/he resumed farming pursuits an his property at Brunswick, reven miles frorri Wanganui, .and continued there v till 'about 'ten ycajs : ..ago,! : whe.n he came to live in town.; Though.no longer alive in' politics, .his,-'influence ,with his, own Jpa'rty ■ remained, considerable, and his advice was often 'sought by on political .matters. The greater ' part of the evening' ,df !,'his. life '.was spent,'!, however, with hi 3.: books and; at/.ches3,. in which he was'a; notable exponent; while in sum.mer''he never failed,in his'dnily nppear'arice on'the bowling green.' The.Hon. .R. H. Rhodes, Postmaster•;General and' Acting-Minister.for Defence, Kvilli-represerit' the-Government at the funeral of the Hon. John Bryce a£ Wanganui on Sunday. The funeral leaves Wanganui at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday for Brunswick Cemetery, about nine miles out ■of..tpwn. ,