THE NEW PRIME MINISTER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 450, 23 March 1912, Page 5

THE NEW PRIME MINISTER.

- HON. T. MACKENZIE ELECTED. [iiy tkj,kc;havh.—muss association.] Wellington, This Day. The Liberal, Labour, and Independent caucus last night selected the Hon. T. Mackenzie as Premier by 22 votes to 9, the other candidate being Mr Lnurenson. Tlic Hon. J. A. Millar withdrew from nomination.

; Tin- new Prime Minister was born .•it Edinburgh in 1854. He was educated in (he public schools of Otago, ami firs'. entered Parliament as mem- ! bcr for Chi tha in 18S7. He followed { commerce. !;md surveying, and buah j farming as occupations, and in 1889 | went Homo as Now Zealand Trade | Commissioner to (.'real Britain. in I 1 N'j t b,. was ;i member of the Royal | Commission on TariH", and froth 1896 jto ism* repr-sented New Zealand j agencies in London. His appointment I as a Governor of the Royal Imperial Institute eamo in 1897, and hia election as a Fellow of the Royal GeoGraphical Society. In 1903 he was chairman of the Parliamentary Commerce Committee, and in 1909 he was raised to Cabinet rank. The Hon. Thomas Mackenize, is in stature and appearance a typical son of the Highlands. Deep set eyes under heavy brows, forehead of ample breadth, dark hair, thick and crisp, and beard trimmed to a point, the selected Leader makes one of tho most imposing figures upon the Treasury benches. As a debater be has been one of the Government"? strongest members, and his own Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Tourists, have been so ably administered during the three years that lie has occupied Cabinet rank, that they have probably been the least discussed of any of the Government departments. Hia reform of the Agricultural Department, in fact, at the time of the general reorganisation of the civil service, was so complete that it is now considered to be one of the best administered of all the State services. His ability to master details has been one of the secrets of his success, and the Opposition has always been strangely quiet when matters concerning the Hon. Mackenzie's departments have been before the House. For this reason Bills introduced by him have invariably gone through with loss trouble than those of the average Minister, and his complete mastery of every detail within the realm of his administration has always made the passage of tho Estimates for his departments about the. smoothest of any during that stormy period when the House devotes its atloniion to the. public expenditure for the year. As a debater the Hon. Mr Mackenzie has always been one of the Government's

strongest trump cards and lie has long been a Ilium in the side of the Opposition as otic of the. most caustic critic? of its methods. Personally lie en jo vp considerable popularity, and the fact, that he represented South I sal nil constituencies for nearly twentv-tilvco years, ami is now returned I'V a North Island electorate, makes it certain that his sympathies are with the nonunion as a whole. It say? something for 'be lion. Mr Mackenzie's ability and i rrsona 1 isy that he has been able io Wim ami win so many different sea's. Time after time the Electoral Hour-iiuricH Conimission effaced h.is eons'itueney from the map, so that he was compelled to seek the suffrages of new constituents, and in this way lie has in turn represented Cluiba, Waihemo, Waikouaiti, Taieri. and now ligmont.

NEW PREMIER INTERVIEWED. SUPPORTS OPTIONAL TENURE. [nv tki,kc;rapu.—i-Rkss association.J Wellington, This Day. The Hon. T. Mackenzie informed a reporter he had hesitated before becoming a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal parly, because ho wai a junior Minister, and there was ail enormous responsibility, under existing conditions, (hat tuusi I all on the shoulders of (In- nun. who takes up the nolitieai load. i'e hoped to unite the interests of those m the cities with those seeunni; J la* iriiifs of t.he oarfh. He would <-mie»v..ur to >:iv<> represent,at ion to ever) portion of the Dominion in the n»\v Cabin"' • Kach Island was entitled fe its lull onolei of M inisters. lie decbu e;i lie was a supporter of the optional tenure, but. decline:! io say whether any of bis present colleague:- would be in the HBW ('abinet.