THE NEW MINISTERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 448, 9 January 1909, Page 3

THE NEW MINISTERS.

HON.RHODERICK McKENZIE comes from Ross-shire, Scotland, where he was born in 1852. He was educated at Glasgow Academy, and entered the service of the London and Glasgow Engineering and Ironship Building Company, with which he remained over two years. He then went to Canada for a time. Mr McKenzie emigrated to this country in 1869, in the ship City of Dunedin, and followed mining in Otago. He subsequently went to the West Coast and engaged in bridge building. During that time he completed some of the largest contracts in Westland, including the construction of the Westport Staiths at a cost* of ,£22,000. He also built the railway bridge at Arahura, and laid the rails to Hokitika. He constructed the wharf at Jervois Quay, Wellington. Mr McKenzie was first elected to Parliament for the Buller seat in 1893, when he defeated Mr Eugene O’Connor (the “ Duller Lion ”) by over 300 votes. On the readjustment of the electorates, Mr McKenzie decided to contest the Motueka seat, and defeated Mr Hnrsthouse and Major Franklyu, of Wakefield. He has had practically a “pocket” constituency ever since. The elevation of Mr J. A. Millar to Cabinet rank on the formation of the Ward Ministry in 1906, left the Chairmanship of Committees vacant, and Mr McKenzie was elected to the position. HON. T. McKENZIE.

Commerce, laud surveying, and bush-farming have been amongst Mr McKenzie’s callings. He comes from Edinburgh, where he was born in March 10th, 1854, and arrived in New Zealand with his parents in 1858. Since 1886 he has been a' prominent figure in public life. Mr McKenzie was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1887, for Clutha, and represented that district for nine years. In 1889 he was appointed a Commissioner by the New Zealand Government to proceed to England and enquire into the produce trade. In 1896 he again visited England, where he remained for three years, representing several colonial mercantile firms, chiefly in the wool and grain business, and during that time he exposed and stopped many frauds in connection with the New Zealand meat trade. On his return from the Old Country he was elected to represent Waihemo in the House of Representatives, and in 1902 was returned for Waikouaiti, for which constituency he sat until the alteration of the boundaries. Last November he stood for Taieri, defeating the Labour representative, Mr J. T. Johnson, by 2571 votes to 2006. Mr McKenzie represented New Zealand at the Centennial celebrations in Sydney in 1888. He was a member of the Royal Commission on the Tariff in 1894. He was appointed a Governor of the Royal Imperial Institute in 1897, and sat as a member of the New Zealand Education Commission in 1901. Mr McKenzie served for seven years as a member of the Balclutha Borough Council. He was Mayor of Roslyn from 1901-5. He has taken a prominent part in education matters, being a member of the Otago Education Board for many years and its present chairman. In 1886 he was elected a Fellow of the Colonial Institute, and in 1898 made a member of the Royal Geographical Society. Mr McKenzie has been a member of various Parliamentary committees during his term in the House, and has taken particular interest in the work of the Extension of Commerce Committee, of which he has been chairman for some time. He holds freehold views on the land tenure question. HON. A. W. HOGG,

is probably the sturdiest democrat in the Liberal Party. He was born in Glasgow in 1846, being educated at Glasgow public schools, and he also attended Andersonian University. Mr Hogg arrived in Victoria in 1858, following mining, storekeeping and journalism. He came to New Zealand in 1877, and managed and edited the Dunedin Age for some years. He conducted newspapers in Ashburton and Timaru up to 1881. Mr Hogg was editor and part-proprietor of the Star, Masterton, from 1881-92. He was a member of the Wellington Land Board from 1900 to 1907, and is a member of the Wellington Education Board (since 1891) and Victoria College Council vsince 1900). He was Chairman of the Parliamentary Lands Committee from 1902 to 1905. In the last Parliament Mr Hogg was a memof the Education, Extension of Commerce, and Agricultural, Pastoral and Stock Committees. Mr Hogg was regarded as a likely member for a portfolio on the first formation of the Ward Administration, but whilst his claims on that occasion were well recognised, he had to give way to men who were more “ in the running ” for Cabinet rank. HON, A. T. NGATA.

The Young Maori Party boasts of no mote brilliant member than Mr Apirama Turupa Ngata, M.P. for the Eastern Maori district. He was born at Kawa-kawa, Te Araroa, near East Cape, on July 31st, 1874. He entered the Native Village School at Waiomatatini in 1881, and Te Aute College, Hawke’s Bay, in 1883. Passing the matriculation in 1890, he entered- on the books of Canterbury College in March, 1891, passed as B.A. at the following November examination, and was runner-up for the senior scholarship in political science the same year. He was articled to Mr (now Justice) Theo. Cooper, of - Devore and Cooper, Auckland, in May, 1894. Mr

Ngatar took his M.A. degree with honours in political science the same ytar at Auckland and passed his final L.L.B. in 1896, being admitted V barrister and solicitor in 1897, On the formation of Te Aute Students’ Association (Young Maori Party) he was appointed travelling secretary in March, 1890, necessitating his giving up practice, and devoting his time to travelling in Maori districts, lecturing on sanitation, initiating reforms in sanitation, and undertaking communal sheepfarming on the East Coast. He was appointed organising inspector to the Maori Councils during 1902-4, but resigned that position because of the great development of sheep-farming among the Maoris of Waiapu county. He was elected to Parliament for the Eastern Maori district in December, 1904, and re-elected last November. Mr Ngata acted on the Royal Commission of 1905 (under the Native Land Act of 1904) and in 1906 on the Commission to inquire into Te Aute and Wanganui Trusts, lu 1907 he was appointed to the Native Land Tenure Commission. He is secretary to the Maori Congress Committee. HON. D. BUDDO. Mr Buddo has represented Kaiapoi from 1893-96 and 1899 to the present date. He was born at Edinburgh in 1852, and educated at Kincardineshire at a public school ar.d a private grammar school. He adopted engineering as a profession. Mr Buddo came to New Zealand at the age of twenty-one years, settling at Ellesmere, where he was very successful at farming. He made a trip to the Old Country, Europe and America and on his return purchased the property on which he now resides at Rangiora. He was returned for Kaiapoi at the general election in 1893, defeating Mr Richard Moore, by . a majority of 87. Mr Moore defeated him at the election of 1896, but at that of 1899 he polled 2186 to Mr Moore’s 1705. At the election last November the voting was —Buddo 2724, Moore 2653. Mr Buddo has seen much service in public bodies, and was chairman ot the North Canterbury Education Board for seven years. He represents Ashley County on the Lyttelton Harbour Board, and is a North Canterbury School Commissioner. He was captain of the North Canterbury Mounted Rifles from 1901 to 1903. Mr Buddo is in favour of the freehold tenure of land settlement, but against the aggregation of large estates.—N.Z. Times. Dunedin, January 8. Mr Arnold, M.P., looks on the new Ministry as being more of a country Ministry than New Zealand has had for a long time, and thinks the towns and cities have just cause for complaint. “ One thing is very dear.” he added. “ The Government is either trying to punish the Labour party for its independent action or else is riding tor a fall, as far as that party is concerned.” He is disappointed at Mr Millar not retaining the Labour portfolio. Dr Findlay’s assumption of Justice is, he thinks, likely to lead to considerable early reforms, beneficial alike to the police and prison service.