THE LATE SIR WILLIAM HERRIES

Shannon News, 23 February 1923, Page 4

THE LATE SIR WILLIAM HERRIES

PATRIOT AND, SPORTSMAN. •END OF FE&E CAREER OF / SERVICE.

EULOGIES OP LEADERS. .■ * O The late SiiSWilHam Herbert Herrie;, was bom in London in 185!). He was a son of Mi\H. C. Herries, barrister-at-llw, His education was at Eton and Trinity College Cambridge, where hegraduated JB.A. in 1890. . After graduation; he came to. New' Zealand. and commenced fanning, in Te AroLa district. He was married in 1889 to Miss Catherine Louisa Roche. His entry; into public life was made in 1891. whenhe became a member 'of \ the Piako County. Council, of which he. retained his membership until 1899. He was a member of the Waikato Charitable Aid Board from 1893 to 1897. In 1896 he entered Parliament as member for* the* Bay of Plenty, ancl when the electoral boundaries were altered in 1908 lie represented Tauranga. His membership of Parliament covered the period when the opposition was a. small band; but a band distinguished by the vigour of; its apposition. It needed'courage and determination in those days to make any, marks on* the armour of Mr Seddon’s strong party, but if the Opposition members lacked numbers ‘they never failed in fighting qualities. Among the members who stood beside Mf Massey in those timps,' one of the most effective, fighters was Mr W. H. Herries. Opposition was a matter for organisation, and in the division* of duties Mr- Herries mad© a study of Native affairs and railways. He was a keen critic, and it was said of . him that he was the opponent for whom Mr Seddon had the greatest re-r spect. ' . When the Reform Government attained office in 1912 he was given the. portfolio of Native Affairs and Railways. 1-Ie set to work ifnmediate-' ly.to. put into practice the creed which/ lie had expounded from the Opposition benches, accelerate the settlement of Native lands. In office he ■naturally encountered greater difficulties thaii lie had anticipated in Opposition, but he continued liis work withe courage and with care. Minister of Railways, lie was responsible for the apopihtment o.f ( Mr E. H.Hiley as General Manager. • He resigned the portfolio of Railways in "1919, and when the National Government came to an &nd took-over the portfolios of Labour, Customs and Marine. At the end of 1920 he had a severe illness, and on his recovery he resigned his portfolios in order to take a trip to England. He retained his seat on the Executive Council, blit did not afterwards take .office. He was created K.C.M.G, in 1920.

Apart from politics, the chief interest of Sir William Herries was in racing. He represented the Auckland country clubs on the New Zealand Racing Conference^ from 1897 onwards, and was a recognised authority on breeding. iHs volume on this subject, published in 1921, is recognised aAan authoritative work. ' ' , In a lengthy eulogy of the late Sir, William Herries, the Prime Minister paid the following touching tribute: “For over a quai’ter of a century,-Sir William Herries and I have been closely associated in ’connection with the politics of the country, and I can say this: That no, one could have had a; better friend or more loyal comrade. He was a man of sound judgment, absolutely straight and reliable in all his; dealings, generous to a fault, disdaining everything small or mean, he was, without exception, the noblest man I have ever : met.’'

The following telegram has been sent by Sir Joseph Ward to the Mayor of Tauranga: “Though politically opposed to your late member I wish to convey to his constituents of all shades of politics, ray deep regret that one of such/butstanding qualities should have been removed by tlfe Great Harvester, which recognises no distinctions. Sir Wm,. Herries had opponents, but no enemies, and men o.i his calibre and long experience, are a loss to the country. His'valuable services will- be greatly missed by his constituency and the country, as also by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

The late Sir William fought astrenuous election campaign which ended on 7tli December last. His last light was a straight-out contest, with a Liberal, and he secured the verdict with 1400 votes to spare. - That in itself was a 'remarkable tribute to his popularity among those . people who. perhaps, knew him best. At the end of the campaign Sir William was not in robust'health, and towards', the end of .January lie entered .a private hospital in Wellington. He \yas in his place when the last session opened on 7th February, but that afternoon he, re-: turned to hospital. Since then ‘he gradually became worse and his death was not; unexpected. Al the same time it Jins come as a severe shock, tu his many friends, ami to his political and business associates. FUNERAL; ARRANGEMENTS. In accordance with the - expressed wishes of Sir William, as disclosed in his will, the body will be cremated in the Wellington Crematorium and the ashes-will be interred in the Church. of'England cemetery at Tc Aretha. The funeral will leave Parliament Buildings at ,9.45 this mornhig for St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral, where a short service will be held. The remains will then bo taken to 1 Karori. The ashes will be conveyed by train lo Te Aroha, where the final rites will be performed on Monday afternoon.