A PEER OF THE REALM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 122, 9 February 1918, Page 7

A PEER OF THE REALM

SIR JOHN FORREST REWARD OF LONG AND SIGNAL SERVICES (Rec. February 8, 9.25 p.m.) London, February 7. The Press Bureau anuounceß that a barony of the United Kingdom has been conferred upon Sir John Forrest lin recognition of his long and distinguished services to the Empire.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Renter. A UNIQUE CAREER. The Hon. Sir John Forrest, K.C.M.G., G.C.M.G., LL.D. Cambridge, F.L.S., F.R.G.S., F.G.0., Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and a leading Australian politician, had sufficient achievements to' perpetuate bis name amongst Australians before ho became 'a politician. He was born in Western Australia— the colony that had tho best part of his services throughout his life—in August, 1847, and was educated at Bishop's School, Perth. In 18G5 he entered the Survey Department of Western Australia, and in 1869 was seleoted to command an exploring expedition into the interior in search of the remains of Dr. Leichardt. In 1870 he commanded an' exploring expedition from Perth to Adelaide along tho South Coast, and proved the practicability of the route for the telegraph line, winch, was afterwards erected. In 1874 he was again in charge of an expedition. This time he proceeded from Champion Bay, on the West Coast, to the overland telegraph between Adelaide and Port Darwin, a journey of nearly 2000 miles without the aid of camels, and with horses only. • For these services he received the thanks of the Governor and the Legislative Council, and was awarded the Gold Medal of tho Royal Geographical Society of London (May 22, 1876), and was also presented by the Imperial Government with a grunt in fee of 5000 acres of laud. In 1876 lie was appointed Deputy Sur-veyor-General of Western Australia. In 1878 and 18S2 Sin John conducted the trigonometical surveys of the Nical Bay district, an 3 tho Gascoyne and Lyons' district in North Western Australia. From September, 1878, to January, 1879, he was ActingC.mmissioncr of Crown ■ Lands and Surveyor-General. He was a Justice of the Peace for Western Australia, and acted as Controller of Convicts from May, 1880, to July, 1881. In January, 1883, he was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands and Sur-veyor-General of Western Australia with a seat in the Executive and Legislative Councils. In March, 1883, ho proceeded to the Kimberley district, .North-Western Australia, on behalf of the Government,' to specially report on its character and possibilities. Sir John about this timo wrote "Explorations in Australia, 1876," and "Notes on Western Australia, 1884-7." In 1874, such was his reputation as an explorer that tho Governor of Western Australia, Sir Frederick Weld, in writing to Lord Carnarvon, said that his expedition had bridged the gap that separated Western Australia from the other colonies, had led to settlement on the shores of the Great Bight and to the connection of the colony "with the outer world by electric telegraph. "I never doubted," wrote Sir Frederick, "the future of Western Australia from the day news of the success of Mr. Forrest's expedition reached Perth."

In 1876 Sir John was created by King Victor Emmanuel. Chevalier of the. Order of the Crown of Italy. He • was also made a Fellow of the Italian Geographical Society, and of the Imperial Geographical Societies of Vienna and St. Petersburg. He was created C.M.G. in 1882; he proceeded, to Cambridge Gulf in 1886, and selected tho site of tho town of Wyndham. In tho same year he was mainly responsible for the Land Act passed by tho Legislative Council, rendering alienation conditional on improvements.- Ho was a member of the local Commission for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886, and was cne of the delegates of Western Australia to the Colonial Conference held in London in 1887. In December, 1890, Sir John was returned unopposed to the first Legislative' Assembly for Bunbury, and became first Premier and Treasurer ,'of Western Australia under responsible Government. In March, 1891, he represented the colony at Sydney Federal Convention, and in June of the same year was created K.C.M.G. To public life Sir John brought many gifts of the explorer. He was a practical man who saw faces as they were. Like Sir George Turner, he was plodcling, persistent, never idle, yet never in a hurry; a man who trudged through the journey of to-day and would trudge as tirelessly to-morrow, until he got to his goal. He was of the heavier, the more silent, enduring type. He was not a scholar, but ho was by no means an uneducated man.

Sir John retained tlie Premiership of Western Australia from the time of his election, to his resignation to join the Federal Executive. In die latter he took the portfolio of PostmasterGeneral. On the death of Sir James Dickson, n few days later, the portfolio of Defcnco was assigned to Sir John, while the Postmaster-General-ship was transferred to Mr. J. G. Drake, who had held a similar office in the Queensland Government. Mr.' Kingston retired from ;the portfolio of Trade and Customs on July 24. 1903, and in the rearrangement that followed Sir John Forrest assumed tie direction _ of the Department of Home Affairs. In September of tho same year Sir Edmund Barton, Prime Minister, tendered his resignation, and Mr. Deakin was given the task of rearranging tne Ministry. Sir John Forrest continued as Rome Minister. The Deakin.Government went out of office on April 21. In the Reid-M'Lean coalition that succeeded it, Sir John Forrest., like Mr. Deakin, did not hold office, though he. was one of the foremost promoters of tho coalition. On its fall in July, li)0o, when so much indignation was expressed by the Ministry at Mr. Deakin's famous Ballarat speech and his subsequent motion hostile to the Government, Sir John Forrest succeeded to the Premiership in Mr. Deakin's' Cabinet. Sir John on that occasion was the only one of Mr. Deakin's i'riei.ds who supported him. (His critics termed him unreliable and irresponsible.' On July 30, 1907, Sir John startled the country by suddenly resigning from office. He was a bitter enemy to Socialists, and_ in his statement to the House ho said he had always intended to resign if the Government continued to rely for support on the Labour Party. He made it abundantly clear that bo had no right to sit with Mr. Deakin and submit to Labour domination after his election pledges. On several occasions he had smarted severely from Labour's jibes and taunts.. Ho, had also been frequently • reminded that those members whose return he had fought for were really in opposition to himself. It was believed at the time that the Labour members had great antipathy to him, and that the position of the Government, which dopended largely for support on Labour, was weakened by his presence. Sir John, who sat henceforth with the Opposition, betrayed considerable: feeling during the incident.

During his connection with Mr. Denkin's first Cabinet, Sir John introduced the system of giving free grants of 160 acres of land to persons willing to reside upon it and make substantial

—— .uj improvements. He was also respon» ! sible for the system of making State advances to agriculturists for improving their cultivations. During his ad- ■ ministration also he is to he credited with the construction of the great harbour at Fremantle and for the scheme for conveying 6,000,000 gallons' of water from North Coast to the Coolgardio goldlields. j He represented Western Australia at Queen Victoria's second jubilee, and attended by invitation tho Coronation of King Edward in 1902. At present Sir John Forrest is Fed- ; eral Treasurer in the National Government. .

PALESTINE AND* ARABIA

BRITISH'PLANES AND ARAB ALLIES TURKS SEVERELY HANDLED (Ilec. February 8, 10.10 p.m.) . London, February 7. An official dispatch from Palestine states:—"Our aeroplanes on Sunday; bombed the enemy's camp at Miskeh, tewing l'orty-seven direct hits. On Monday Ihey bombed the 6ani6 objectives, securing thirty-seven direct hits.' AH the machines returned. _ "The Arabs at El Hejaz routed eleven battalions of the Turks.eleven miles nortli of Tafile, on January 26, killing 400 and capturing 300 men, two mountain guns, eighteen machine-guns,' and 800 rifles. The Arabs on January 28 successfully attacked a Turkish post on the eastern- shore of the Dead Sea. Only forty Turks escaped. SixtyTurks wero capture;—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

RUSSIA AND JAPAN

BARGAINING OVER CHINA'S INTERVENTION (Rec. February 8, 7.40 p.m.) London, February 8. The "Manchester Guardian," publishing the Russian Foreign Office archives, gives tho text of dispatches' from M. Krupensky, the Russian Am-'" bassador at Tokio.- M. Krupenskymentions a conversation-lie had with . Baron Motono, Japanese Foreign Minister, in February, 1917, relative to; [China's proposed intervention in the ' war. Baron Motono pointed out that it would bo necessary to safeguard' Japan's interests at tho peace con-• | ferenco and secure the Allies' support" for Japanese aspirations in Shantung ■ and the Pacific Islands. Baron Motono said that Japan desired all the rights and' privileges hitherto possessed by Germany in the Shantung province, and also the acquisition of the Pacific Islands north of the Equator then occupied by Japan. He added: "Recent Japanese and British relations have justified tho Burmise that the London Cabinet; would not object." ■■.... ■ •■ ■ M. Krupensky, in a dispatch dated March 1, stated that Japan _ desired the earliest assurance of Russia's sup-port.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ■ POISON GAS ON THE BATTLEi FRONTS A RED CROSS APPEAL. Ceneva, February 7. The International Red Cross Association is appealing to the belligerents to abolish the use of poisonous gas.— \,,., Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. NAVY PRIZE FUND 121 MILLIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED London, February' 7. The Government, will shortly distribute a Navy prize fund of £12,500,000, derived from tho sale of captured enemy ships and stores. The fund is sufficient to give every seaman £30. The fund ia distinct from the prize bounties awarded for tho sinking of hostile vessels.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. OBITUARY THE MARQUIS OF DUFFERIN. . London, February 7. .. The death is announced from pneumonia of the Marquis of Dufferin.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. •' [Deceased was the son of the first Marquis, who, after a distinguished career as Ambassador in various European capitals, was successively Viceroy in India and Canada. The peer just deceased was born in 1866 and entered the Diplomatic Service in 1891. He served <at Constantinople, Paris, and Stockholm, and also at the _ Foreign N , Office in London. He married Miss Florence Davis, an American lady, in 1893, by whom ho had three daughters.The title ' Lord Basil Blackwood, private secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.]