THE LATE SUPERINTENDENT OF AUCKLAND.

Evening Star, Issue 3740, 17 February 1875, Page 2

THE LATE SUPERINTENDENT OF AUCKLAND.

The death of Mr John Williamson, Superintendent of Auckland, has caused a profound feeling in every part of that Province, and, will be read of with regret throughout the Colony. Ho was born at Newry, Ireland, in 1815, was i printer by trade; arrived at Sydney in 1840; was engaged by the Auckland Printing Company in June, 1845, and started the ‘ New Zealander,’ purchasing the plant from the Superintendent of Wesleyan Missions, and continued the proprietor of that paper, in partnership with Mr Wilson, the present proprietor of the ‘ Herald,’ until 1863. He was at one time worth L 30.000, but spent it opposing the war policy of the then Government. He was elected to the Provincial Council immediately after the promulgation of the Constitution, and a member of the House of Representatives in 1854. He succeeded Dr Campbell as Superintendent in 1865, and was foul’ tunes .unco elected, the last time beating Meters Dargaville and Lusk by an enormous majority. Most of the permanent works in the city of Auckland undertaken in the early days were carried out by him. He was especially identified with the forty acre scheme of immigration, by which all persons paying their own passages received free grants of forty acres of land. A large area of land in the north of Auckland was disposed of in this way, md many respectable settlers introduced. He succeeded in opening the Thames goldfields in 1867, at a time of severe depression in Auckland. After bis defeat by Mr T. B. Gillies in 1869 he held office as Commissioner of Crown ■ j mds, but resigned it rather than give up on e political me by resigning his seat in the A 't.. jiib v. He has been associated with the history of -' ''"''d from the time when the first house was lw t Cvo but latterly was not in very good circuiiisoaiu; ,s He remained a ’•hong upholder of the .system till the last.