Men of the Time OUR NEW LEGISLATORS.

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 46, 6 October 1887, Page 3

Men of the Time OUR NEW LEGISLATORS.

MANAWATtT.

Mr D. H. /Macarthur^ yrlhq for a second time' has been elected us » ' representative of/the Manawatu district,: is. an Old colonist: He came to New Zealand in' thie ; year 1856 when quite a l 'boy, and had to go through the same amount of roughing It a« many others qf pur.nejr legislators and old settlers have undergone. He gained^ .'his : colonial experience On the gold fields as' Vdigger on the Otago,^ Nelson; Wakamariha; and' West coast diggings/ After searching for wealth inithis way for many years he retired with what he had' made, 'and took up some land in* the Nelsons province. Frorii ■ he .' - came:- o across : the*' ..Straits tb the. Feilding district having; received the appointment; through the (influence of his friends at. Home, of sub-agent to the En and G. Aid Gorpof rationy -On /the retirement of Mr Hal-; copibe. tiniilßßl,' tn .take; charge!; of, thb- Eateterejßlock, MriMacarthur -was, appointed 'agent for the, .Oprporatipni, . arid ithat; office he still retains. , .. . Mr MjacarthuT. baa/been v for .t^ree years Chairman I of • .the Manawatu* County . .Council;. H^i^ahjq. held uthe .post pf Chairman pf .the tOrona Ctouuty TQoun-, , cil on the i separation of - th^t. . county from the. Manawatu county, .and {when the Counties Act. was .suspended in the latter county he was selected chairman of the f road, .and .. town .boards in the .county, pHe was also chair man of the.Manchester lipad Board for several years, t but r-.relinquisKedir-the . post ..on entering Partiameut.i'.PHisp tary. career began ■ in' 1884yivheh he defeated Jitr /Oohald Fraser by^ 334. Touring the time he . has occupied 'a seati in ,tjhe ' House Mr Macarthur has been identified/ with the Atkinsbn j party/ 1 Hisywide 'experience in local Goyernnieut has gained hiiri a/haipie in , the House and 'throughout •" the colony, ahd oh the r f orttiatiohpof : the Wanganui ; Hbspital .Shdy Charitable Aid Bbard f his^ Knowledge was found to be 'of great asisistance. Air Ma'cafthur J has' 'beeii ; Maydr' : bf Feilding on 1 several occasions, and, as the Governor remar!_:ed A in one; of 'his speeches oh a visit there, -he found Mt Macarthur in eyerlliing. He was agent for the Corporation, Mayor ofthe Borough, and, like a great number of the members of the House' of Eepresentatives, connected with the Volunteer movement. &a- 'holds* the .post - of Captain of the Feilding Bifles. Mr Macarthur makes no claim to being an . orator, : but he. dan express his thoughts clearly and succinctly, and whenever he riseßin the House he is well received.; : : • r '

BANGITIKEI. Of members -fWJbo held a seat in the late Parliament, and have been re-elected, Mr E.C. Bruce is one, of. thebest known, at least by hame.p'Aa. his i name indicates/ he. hails from the' Land dPCakesPand what, .is more, he is a descendant i of " the Bruce." -He was born in East Lothian, and in the year 1858 his roving propensities induced him: to ship as midshipman in aniEast/Indiamah; /He first landed in ithei colony in ihe; year ; 1 860, but he . couidnpt settle , do wn^ithep, 'and soon left it again for sea/ lif' e>'/ Mr Bruce's ] ambition was not. sufficient to induce him to care about advancement, and he served " before the mast," his one desire being to see the world. He sailed' principally in American ships, and- hia experiences have formed, the subject of many lectures ' and speeches in dif-, ferent places. pELe roamed about the worldytitl i.lß7tp ahd then rptiirned_tb, ; New-Zealandi: and. , settled, down. ; His j seafaring instincts, . however, were not yet completely mastered, andin 1883. he r actually worked - his passage home jfcd i England as a sailor before the xnasty 1 •Li 'HJheJfye&Jlßß4' he came but as a; bahdidato, JorEangi^ei", haying been ; a setter in thV.iParaekaraetu for spine: years/ Though he had had noprevioua experience of public^lifeihe defeated Mr Stevens, and took his seat in the last House .of .Representatives. Mr Bruce is noted for several things. His name is ''associated with - the attempt to pass an Act giving a special suffrage to seamen. . He is noted also las' a Freetrader, ainf asp.ap phbilic |speak6r. ; ln> politics -ha w an Atkiii- ' ■sonite,! though of the leaders in that •party he was perhaps most in consonH ance iwith Mr- Bryce, and it <m an open secret that on the defeat of 4;he latter he offered him his seat for Eangitikei/ •The genial '"hail fellow well met" ; disposition' of Mr Bruce is recognised iby poUtical friends and foes alike, and ; there are fow -men ;in 'the' Heiise who \ai'', tetter': iik^dpp^ Jjyjjy p/.'"/'.