THE PRIME MINISTER PASSES

Shannon News, 12 May 1925, Page 3

THE PRIME MINISTER PASSES

DEATH ENDS NOTABLE CAREER DOMINION’S LEADER GOES PEACEFULLY TO HIS REST Advioe was received in Levin on Sunday of the death of the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. w. F. Massey, at the Ministerial residence in Wellington, at 5.40 in the afternoon, The news though not unexpected, was everywn e re received with expressions of profound sorrow. The Last Hours Unconscious For Two Days „ * . WELLINGTON, May 10. up till Friday last Mr Massey had been able to> recognise people, but for the last forty-eight hours he was unconscious. The end came quite peacefully. All the members of his family were present at the death-bed. Besides Mrs Massey there were is three 60ns (Messrs Walter W. Massey, J. Norman Massey, and George Massey), and his two daughters (Mrs G. Lawrence Teylor and Mrs C. w. Salmon). His brofher (Mr John Massey) \ as also present. Mrs Massey is bearing up v ell in the very trying circumstances. Point Haswell His Last Resting Place Interment On Thursday . . . „ WELLINGTON, May 10. A private burial ground for the late Prime Minister will be constituted by his Excellency’s w arrant. A small part of the defence reserve at Point Halsweil, overlooking Wellington Harbour, nas been especially set apart for that purpose. The body will be inter red there on Thursday. The funeral service will be conducted by Rev. George Miller, Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, who will come from Duned'n for that duty.

THE DEAD LEADER.

A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. William Ferguson Massey was born at Limayady, County Ulster, un March Zbin, rtsoo, me eiuest son ut a small iarmer, and. was educated at me national school at ciniavauy, anu luier at a private secondary sellout .n tuts same place. wmis tn e luiure Prune Minister was suit at Jus prjpaary school, ms parents to’ux trie critical step ox emi„ia,uxig to i\evv Zealand .wnn me rest m tne family, leaving the eldest son bull at senooi. lne Auckland Provuiciai ooveriiinent was at me tune uiiernig 40 acres of land free to an auurt emigrants who paid their passage tQ tne cuiony, and zO acres mminors, lit tne nejgimoui'lioqu ox lvuipara, and it was tne first intention ui me emigrants to avail tnemseives oi tins offer. A visit to tne locality, nowever, decided Uieni against n, and they eventually settled at iamaki, putside Auckland, They were suit riving there. 'When their eldest son, naving finished his. education, jouneu mem, arriving by the City of Auckland, on December lith, iB7O, he being then in his fourteenth year.

From the. age of fourteen to seventeen the late Mr Massey worked on ins lather’s xurm at .ramaki, and afterwards was engaged in farm worn and harvesting in canteinury lor some years. Returning to Auckland at thq age qf 2d, he leased a farm oi iUO acres at Mangere and next year purchased a steam threshing mdi, vvliioii he operated for many years m addition to his. farming. Un April sth, 1882, he married Miss Christina Allen Paul, the eldest daughter of a neighbouring farmer, and shortly afterwards took his first active share in public all'airs, when no became a member and chairman 01 the Mangere School, committee, and also a member of the Mangere Hoad board. About this time £dsQ he became a Freemason, being initiated in Lodge Manakau, N.Z.C., of which he nucume a Senior Warden.

Mr Massey’s re.al inauguration into public life, however, may be traced lrom his election in 1890, to the position of President oi the Mangere Farmers’ Club, which was farmed ior the purpose of reviving the defunct Auckland Agricultural Association, which was accomplished in the following year, Mr Massey being elected President. This body, which was a precursor of the Farmers’ Union, did good service in its day, and proved a. useful training ground l'or the coming politician. , , It was at the general election at the end of 1898 that Mr Massey made his first essay in national polities when he contested the Franklin seat -opposing Major B. Hams (n° w „« u -‘ Hon. B. Harris, M.L.C.), m {ll e .LOnsbrvative interest. He was nan owl, defeated after a very hot contest.

A few weeks later, however, the election of Mr Richard Mpnk for the electorate Qf Waitemata, was declared void, on the grounds of bribery and corruption, and Mr Monk being disqualified, the conservative Com* mittee fixed upon the young Mangere farmer as a suitable candidate. Ilie story of how the telegram inviting him to stand was handed up to him on a pitchfork as he worked on top of an oat-stack which he was

building, lias been irequemjy told. At a committee meeting next, any ah ivxuasoy Was loimaiiy mvibu m c 0..cesi me seat, mid cohsenteu.

ui uie ny-eiecuon vvmcil iOlioWea, me waoie ox uie mueiiu mxuwn into tne scale agam-u y-uudig . Qanuiuate. .-imongst, me io.<uers ui me party who took me against mm oil oe.i.ni ui tm .xaai cunaiaate (Mr mouson i-anm-i-;, Weie suen ured Ccinpaignei » _ U i iuuw sir James; oauon/.... nuwry, men meumw lor I'anim, .m w last, OUL no.t least, die great tU u mini seadon, wnose musienui msunaiiiy ana areless energy «.ic polent factors always on beiion oi siue, wuerever uu afuieured.

i'ne poll took place on April 17, with Uie result mat .vir .uassey was elec tea by a majority or 183.

lire prumuiein men oi me liouso ui the time when Mi- Massey msi o-iok ms seat in j»94, incluaeu sucn mstuircui ugurea .su; (jtiurge uney, exuovernor'oi .now /.eaiand, and at ttnu nine lepresemauve oi Auckland Uiiy, feu; Rupert Stuui; Mr (anerwajus feu-; william steward; feii; Walter bucliananj, Sir Maurice O'RourKe, me aun. jean McKenzie, and fei,r J. u. w iison. before the session was over mi- Massey was made Opposition whip. Tile country at the tune, under tne active progressive party initialed ny tne null an ce Government, and carried on by Seddon, was strong ior Liberalism, arid, Capt. Russen, who was leader oi the. conservative opposition, couid muster only 14 or 15 followers, this rising at title ioiiowing election to. 28. it was the declaration of the Liberal .Party for leasehold .which first gave thq Party to which Mr Massey belonged, its opportunity. Representing largely the tanning interests, they had the vote of the farming commujnity solidly ’ heliind them when they declared ior the freehold tenure, malting this the principal plank oi their platform.

There were many years ahead still before this stage was reached, during which time thq South African war was fought, and the Liberal Party reached the hey-day, of its power. Mr Massey was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1902, and one of the first acts of tile Party under the new leadership was to disassociate itself from the name “Tory” and “Conservative,” and in 1904, the present “Reform Party” was officially launched. The omens of its birth were unpropitious, as next election, all but 18 members were pledged to support the Seddon Government. Mr Massey’s turn to administer the affairs bf the country did not come until six years afterwards. Alter the death of Mr Seddon in 1907, the Deform Party steadily gained in popularity and numbers during the next two elections, and following the defeat oi Sir Joseph -Ward's ministry in 1911, and Sir Thomas McKenzie's short ministry of twq months, Mr Massey was sent for by the GovernorGeneral to form a ministry, and became leader of the Government of New Zealand.

The great event of Mr Massey’s regime was the world war which started two years after he took -office. W-itli the wide Imperialism for which ms public life has been conspicuous, Mr Massey threw himself wholeheartedly into the struggle, and under his leadership the country entered fully and heartedly upon iis duty in the war. As Mr Massey expressed it in a phrase which was expressive of Uu

loyalty to Empire wiricli was his most distinguished characteristic: “All we are, and all we have, are.-at the disposal ui' the Imperial Government, for tire purpose of carrying on the war fo a successful issue.” Every energy of the country was devoted to the prosecution oi the struggle, and if, is la.-ge-y due to the man who controlled Uie destinies oj. the country at the lime, tiiat New Zealand has the proud boast of having supplied more mfen, per basis ol' population, tg the delenee of the Empire, than any other part oi the British dominions. Strenuous as were the war years, and fraught with anxiety as was in- j evitable, it was perhaps in tile years that followed that the late Prime Minister displayed his now generally admitted qualities of statesmanship and financial ability to the best advantage. In the great slump which iallowed the boom period of 1918-19, only the closest control and courageous handling ol' the country’s affairs prevented wide-spread ru.m throughout ihe Dominion, and tiiat the necessary ability was shown, and the country enabled to weather the storm as she ! lias done, will he Mr Massey’s best j title to remembrance* in the future. I Despite the great 'loss which his death must be to the country, New Zealand may take such consolation as is possible from the fact that Mr Massey’s success, f aml popularity was never greater than in the last months of his life. All classes and shades of opinion agreed in recognising him as a great statesman, an ardent patI riot, and a great lover of bis adopted country. This recognition in the hearts of the people of the Dominion to-day, will be William Ferguson Massey’s finest epitaph.