NEW YEAR HONOURS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3002, 13 February 1917, Page 6

NEW YEAR HONOURS

MPIRE SERVICES RECOGNISED SIR JAMES ALLEN, K.C.B. OTHER N.Z. HONOURS - His Excellency the Governor has received a telegram from the Right Honourable the- Secretary of State for the Colonies announcing that His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to confer' the following New Year honours:— Tho Most Honourable Order of the ..Bath— -.:' K.O.B.—The Honourable Colonel James Allen, M.P., Minister of Defence. C.B.—Colonel Robert Logan, A.D.C., Administrator of Samoa. Knight Baeholor— His Honour Mr. Justico J. E. Denniston, Judge of tho Supromo Court of New Zealand. Tho Most Distinguished Order of St. ifiohacl and St .George— G.M.G.—The Honourable Colonel ■W. R Collins', M.8., Jl-R-CS., Member of tho Legislative Council of Now Zealand. Further, His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to confer a Brarttt Lieut'onant-Coloneloy upon Major C. R. Macdonald, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Chief Infantry Instructor of the Dominion Forces. SIR JAMES ALLEN.

Tho Hon. Sir James Allen, M.A., lias' been a member of the- New Zealand House of Representatives for nearly thirty years, having entered it in 1887 as member for Dunecffn East. In 1891 ho was returned as member for Bruce, and he has represented the district continuously sinco that time. .TVhon Mr. Massey formed his Ministry m 1912 he ehoso as his first lieutenant Mr. James Allen, entrusting him ivith tho portfolios of Finance, and ©iuoation. Tho years since then have been very strenuous years for Sir James Allen. "When New Zealand's war effort grew, the work of tho. Defence Minister grew with it very rapidly, and in 1915 he handed over to colleagues tho portfolios of Finance and Education, retaining onjy Defence. Since tho departure of Mr. Massey on ■his visit to England, he has been Act-ing-Prime .Minister. His work-as Defence Minister has been exacting, and his energy and steadfastness in carrying it through has' ever been iinfailin 8- ,

' Sir James Allen has lived practically all his life in New Zealand, for his family came to this country from Australia in 1858,, when he was but three years old. He was educated in England, at Clefton College, at Cambridge "University (St. John's College), and at the Royal School of Mines. At Cambridge he was a senior scholar,, and took tho degree of Master of Arts.' He also represented tho "University at Rugby football.

Outside of politics Sjr James Allen's chief interests have been in education and defence matters. He is a life member of the Council of the University of Otago, and at tho time he became a Minister he was Chancellor. This position he relinquished then because of his other public duties. He was for very many years a volunteer officer, holding the command of the Otago Division j N.Z.- Garrison Artillery, with the rank of licutenant-oolonel, and when General Godley introduced his Territorial defence scheme, Sir James Allen was made the first Coast Defenco Commander of the Otago Military District, with the rank of colonel. He had always been a _ consistent advocate of compulsory military training, and he was associated with tho late Dr. M'Nab in a notable campaign throughout the country in favour of the soheme, shortly, before the present Defence Act was introduced and passed into law. COLONEL LOCAN. Colonel Robert Logan, N.Z.S.C, was born in New Zealand in 1881; he became a sheep-farmer in Otago, being pne. of the.fiist settlers on the Maniototo plains. In 1900 he formed the Maniopoto Mounted Rifles Corps, and in 1914 rose to the rank of major. Later he joined the New Zealand Staff Corps, and was commanding the Auckland Military District at the outbreak of ' war. He was appointed to the command of the Samoan Expeditionary .Force when it left New Zealand on its hazardous; voyage, and since the occupation of the territory he has been Administrator.

SIR JOHN DENNISTON. ( His Honour Sir. John E. Denniston ■was born at.Bishopston, Scotland, .. iu 1845. Ho was educated at Greenock. •Academy, at Blairlodge, and at Glasgow University. In 1874 be Was admitted to the New 'Zealand Bar, and he practised his profession in Dtmedin. In 1889 he was appointed a Judge of the Supremo Court, so that lie is now the senior Judge of the New Zealand Bench. ':■.;; COLONEL" W.E. COLLINS. :„Colonel Collins was before the war ■one of tho best knowp. surgeons iu Wellington. He was educated at Ohel 7 fenham College and London University, taking his medical degrees et the latter institution. .He was always interested in ■ tho medical side of military work, and he was senior offer of the New Zealand Forces. When the hospital ship Maheno was first commissioned he was appointed to tho command. He is now in command of the New Zealand hospital ship Maramrv. LIEUT.-COLONEL C. R. MAC- . DONALD. . Lieut.-Colonel 0. It. MacdonaM is one of tho very few officers of tho Im- . perial Army who have been responsible for the training of successive drafts of Reinforcements from New Zealand. He is perhaps tho best known, officer in the camps, and he is universally popular. He is also universally Tespected, although when he is not in hearing officers and n.c.o.'s who have, come through his hands do call him "Colonel Mac." Tho new rank will not affect his rating horo, because he already held tho local rank of lieut.-colonel. In the South African war Colonel Macdonald served in-the years 1900-02 in the operations in tho Orange River Colony. Ho has the Queen's medal / with three cla3ps and the King's medal with two clasps. He also saw service on "The North-West frontier of India in 1897-8, for which campaigns he holds the medal with clasp.