SEDDON

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10612, 10 June 1920, Page 4

SEDDON

To-day is the fourteenth anniversary of the death of the Bight Hon. R. J. Seddon—“.King Dick,” as -ho Was affectionately called during his many years’ tenure of tho New Zealand Premiership. The great Liberal leader was horn at’ Ecclcston, near St. Helens, Lancashire, on June 22nd, 1845, his father being the headmaster of the Ecclcston Hill Grammar School, and his family, mostly farmers, being ono of the oldest families in Lancashire. He served his time as an apprentice to a 'St. Helens engineering firm, but in 1863, at the age of eighteen, the lure of tho Victorian goldfields brought him to the Southern Hofnisphore; and three yeans later the rush to tho West Coast goldfields attracted him to Now Zealand. He was returned to Parliament as member for Hokitika in 1879. In 1832, when tho electorate was divided, ho successfully contested tho Kumara seat, afterwards merged into Westland; .and not only did lie continuously represent the constituency till the time of his death, Juno 10th, 1906, but it has since been represented continuously by big son, Captain ,T. 15. Y. Seddon. First attaining Cabinet rank as Alinistor for Alines and Public Works, when the Ballance Government was formed in 1891, on the death of his leader two years later Air Seddon became Premier, and only relinquished that office when ho himself passed over to the great majority. His long Premiership was noted for the great advances made by New Zealand in social and humanitarian legislation advances which for many years gave this country the place of honour, right in tho van of the progressive nations of the world. Space would not permit ng, nor is there need, to enumerate the many measures of social amelioration then passed. Suffice it to say, that amongst them were tho Old Age Pensions Act and the establishment of the St. Helens Maternity Homes. Those institutions, perpetuating tho name of big birthplace, will, wc venture to say, cause, the name of the Right Hon. 11. J. to bo remembered even longer , than the great memorial in the Bolton street .cemetery—a memorial inscribed simp, ly, as our article is headed, with tho ono word, “Seddon.” The Liberal leader’s strong personality, his great driving force, his intimate knowledge of human nature, and, above all, his great heart, made him a man among men, enabling him to bring about and retain imdiminishod throughout his Premiership that fusion of tho LiberalLabour forces of the country, which alone made possible the advanced legislation placed upon our Statute Book. His sending of tho New Zealand contingents to South Africa was a notable indication' of tho golidarity of tho British Empire—the first presage of Hint noble vindication of the “nnrcpontantly British” character of all the overseas Dominions afforded by tho world war.