THE LATE PROFESSOR BEDFORD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1792, 21 February 1918, Page 3

THE LATE PROFESSOR BEDFORD.

Professor Bedford, drowned while bathing at Whangarei last Sunday, was a son of Mr AY. S. Bedford, of Dunedin, was born at Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1877, and arrived in the Domnnion nine years later. After lie matriculated he studied law in AA’ellington and Auckland, and in 1899 he secured a special prize for oratory at the Auckland University. In the same year he graduated B.A. at Otago University, where he was the Maeandrew scholar in political economy, and the university’s senior scholar in political science. In 1901 he took his M.A. degree with honours in political science. He passed the final examination for the LL.M, degree in 1909, and in 1915 secured his Litt.D. for a thesis on the development of banking law in New Zealand. At the general election of 1902, Professor Bedford was elected to Parliament as one of the three members representing the City of Dunedin. At this time the system of electing three members for each of the four large cities, known as the undivided electorate system, was in force. All the electors had the right to exercise a vote for each of three candidates, and Dr. Bedford is remembered as having_ in 1904 polled 10,008 votes —a record number for any representative to Parliament in tlie history of New Zealand. The other two members elected were (he late Hon. J. A. Millar and Mr J. F. Arnold. In 1905 the present —the single—electorate system was reverted to, and Dr. Bedford contested the Dunedin North seat, but was defeated by the late Mr A. R. Barclay. In 1911 he was beaten by the late Hon. J. A, Millar for the Dunedin Central seat. During the three years he sat in Parliament he associated himself with the late Messrs T. E. Taylor and G. Laurenson, and Mr F. M. B. Fisher as the New Liberal Party, in opposition to the Seddon Government.

In Parliament and on. the public plat form Ur. Bedford gave ample evidence that he was a brilliant debater, being remarkably forceful and logical. In 1902, with the Rev. E. G. Guthrie, now of America, Professor Bedford won the NeW : Zealand University’s debating championship. He took an active part in tlie temperance movement, and was a vice-president of the New Zealand Alliance, and, at the time of his death, a member of the alliance’s Executive Council. He was a local preacher of the Wesleyan Church. At his home town he did very successful work-as a tutor in economics for the Workers’ Educational Association. In 1916 Dr. Bedforcj went to Epglpnd and France as a Y.M.C.A. field secretary, and on his return to New Zealand in 1917, he toured the Dominion, giving lectures on the work of the, association beyond the seas. Dr. Bedford published many pamphlets on the subject of political economy. In 1907 he 'married a daughter of Mr S. N. Brown, of Dunedin, and he leaves a widow and three children. At a lecture given by Mr Charles Winslow at the Y.M.C.A., Auckland, on Monday afternoon, a resolution was carried, placing on record the meeting’s sense of sore bereavement in connection with the death of Dr. Bedford, whose “work for social betterment was as earnest and effective as his utterance of a noble creed of life was convincing and elocpent^^^