THE NEW PREMIER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 75, 25 March 1912, Page 5

THE NEW PREMIER.

A DIFFICULT TASK. (Per Press Association Wellington, March 23. Sir Arthur Guinness, who arrived in Christchurch this morning,' gave a brief interview to a *:‘Star” reporter. He said that the Prime .Minister would have a difficult task to perform, and a great deal would depend upon the constitution of the Ministry. If he makes .a wise selection lie will have a prospect of resisting a want of confidence motion. The party in the country were anxious to know the exact line of policy of the Government on land settlement, Labour, native lands and mining. If he deals with these questions in a statesmanlike way he may be able to carry on. Sir A. Guinness and Mr. Craigie are the only members to come south. The others remain in Wellington. MR. MASSEY’S OPINION. | Auckland, March 24. Commenting on the selection of the Hon. T. Mackenzie as Prime Minister, Mr. Massey asks if there is any doubt as to the question of whether the new Ministry commands the confidence of the majority of the "House (and he says there is very serous doubt) should the Ministry go on making the important appointments that have to be made and committing the country to expenditure and administering affairs without consulting Parliament, and if it feels so inclined without giving Parliament the opportunity of expressing its confidence in the administration or the, reverse. Mr. Massey considers the position most undemocratic, unconstitutional, and one that should not be tolerated. •

OPPOSITION TRIBUTES. Auckland, March 23. The “Herald” says: “We believe the selection, made by the caucus will give general satisfaction. It is, as we regard it, a clear recognition of the decided change in the feeling of the country, as manifested at the general election. Mr Mackenzie was long and actively associated with the Opposition. He is a man of moderate, if not of conservative, views. He is a freeholder and 'a practical agriculturist. Though most of his life has been spent: in the South Island, he is now a member for a northern electorate. He decided to come north because he realised that in this portion of .the Dominion lay the greatest potentialities, that the pendulum of population, of tirade, of progress, and development had swung across Cook Strait, and, that the north was destined to .play' the leading part in the future history of * the country. He has shown himself an energetic and Sainstaking administrator, .and .as linistgr for. Agriculture lias enhanced his reputation as a capable public, man. But in his new position he has a difficult row to hoe. His views on the laiid question differ diametrically from thoseof many of his party, It a may belthat Ke.yvill prove sufficiently compromising arid .conciliatory to satisfy' all ; of the curiously, heterogenous party of .which' ~'he is now the ‘head, iotii we suspect we,’are on the eve of great political changes. It will be interesting, however, to see how. he shapes his course in the construction .of a Ministry that will be able to weather the storms ahead.” ‘Message.

The member for Taranaki (Mr H. Okey) on Saturday sent the following wire to the Prime Minister elect- “ Accept, my hearty congratulations upon your being;chosen by .the party, to hold the. high position of;- Prime 'Minister*ViWhilstA not being on the same side tin'politics, I recognise, the tact and -ability you have shown, in the administration of the departments you have held, and I.trust your elevation to the high office will be in the , best interests of the whole Dominion. Hon. T.i Mackenzie replied as follows: “I appreciate very highly your kind congratulations. I think we can mutually help each other in the interests of "the great province we represent and also of the the Dominion. Kindest regards.—T. Mackenzie.” LIFE’S WORK REVIEWED. PUBLIC POSITIONS AND POLITICAL CAREER. The Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, F.R.G.S., M.P. for Egmont, 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 to_ enquire into the produce trade. Previous to that appointment he represented the New Zealand Government at the Sydney centennial celebrations. In 1896 Mr. Mackenzie again visited England,in order to get a grasp of our produce trade there, and remained for three years, representing several colonial mercantile firms in the wool, meat, and grain business, and during that time he exposed and stopped many frauds in connection with the New Zealand meat trade, for which he received the thanks of the London merchants, and sonic handsome presentations of plate While, in London he inaugurated the annual New Zealand dinner reunion, when he had placed on the table a dinner almost entirely New Zealand grown, and this was a great -advertisement for New Zealand products. Various Constituencies. On his return from the Old Country in 1900, Mr. Mackenzie was elected to represent* Waihemo in the House of Representatives, succeeding Sir John McKenzie, and at the general election in 1902 (Waihemo having been abolished) he was returned as member for Waikouaiti, which he represented until its extinction in 1908. In the latter year he stood for Taieri, and was , elected. The Taieri seat having been abolished by the readjustment of boundaries, Mr. Mackenzie stood for the Egmont seat, at the recent general elections, for which he was returned by a substantial majority. There is, therefore, probably no man in New Zealand who has represented so many constituencies as has Mr. Mackenzie, who has never met with a defeat. Public Positions. The new leader of the Liberal Party has been closely .associated with many Kublic positions. For four years he was tayor of Roslyn ; from 1893 until 1909 he was a member of the Otago Education Board, of which he was chairman for two years. Mr. Mackenzie was also a member of the Otago Charitable Aid Board, a trustee of the Dunedin Hospital, and treasurer of the Otago High School Board of Governors. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a Governor of the Imperial Institute (London). He was a member of the Tariff Commission, the Education Commission, arid was chairman of the Extension of Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. Exploration ' Work. As an explorer Mr. Mackenzie has contributed a great deal of valuable information to the Government of this country. In jISSo lie explored the Tautuku forest, and in 1889 lie explored

the wild country between Milford Sounds and the head of Lake 1c Anau. He was associated with the late Mr. Quintin Mackinnon when that, explorer discovered the pass into the primeval and romantic region of New Zealand. In the same year, Mr. Mackenzie had charge of the relief party that searched the Matterhorn Mountains for Professor Mainwaring Brown, and at that time discovered a pass between Lake Manapouri and Hall’s Arm on the West Coast. When Quintin Mackinnon was lost in 1891 Mr. Mackenzie had charge of the expedition that was sent out in search of the explorer, but they were unsuccessful in finding the body, although Mackinnnn’s equipment and boat were found. J hen, in 1894, when there were further explorations between Manapouri and Dusky Sound, three passes wore discovered, also some beautiful lakes and pastoral country. In 1896 he went from the West Coast and completed these oxplorations in connection with Wiiich he submitted to the Government maps and papers, with a description of the geology, flora, and fauna of that absolutely unknown country, to most of the mountains, rivers, and lakes of which he has given names. Efforts Recognised.

For his exploration Mr. Mackenzie Was elected in 1897, o_n the motion cf Sir John Lubbock, a Fellow of the Roval Geographical Society. Mr. Mackenzie takes a keen interest in the protection of native birds and plants and scenic grandeur. His most recent work was in 1907, when he came through from Clinton River, To Anau. to the head of Lake Wakatipu; when his party furnished maps to the Government of important routes that should he opened for the purpose of connecting Milford Sounds with Wakatipu, and also to enable the miner to prospect that unexplored region. Much of Mr. Mackenzie’s exploration was made with a view to finding passes for the tourist and .miner to follow, and also to learn whether there was land fit for settlement purposes. Pror to and since his appointment as Minister of Agriculture he has taken a great interest in the re-grassing of much of our pastoral Crown lands. He is keenly alive to the necessity and advantages of the closer settlement of the lands, and assisted the late Sir John McKenzie when the latter placed on the statu book his Land for Settlements Act. A Farmers’ Representative.

Mr. Mackenzie is regarded as essentially a farmers’ representative, and has at all times shown himself deeply interested in the welfare of the farming community. In connection with frozen meat and wool he successfully forecasted the future at a time when grave doubts were expressed regarding the farmers’ prospects. In 1903, when the Home Produce Commissioner urged the opening of meat shops for the sale of New Zealand mutton, and declared that unless something was done the price of meat would inevitably fall, a Parliamentary investigation was made, presided over by Mr. Mackenzie. Its finding was entirely contrary to that Jield by the London office. This report was coriimented oh by leading papers abroad. The “Pastor'alists’ Review” in Australia i declared it to be “the best, report yet-written on the question, for which • the colony had to thank Mr. Mackenzie,‘who ” it'added,* “knew the trade thoroughly, and was a good, practical man, lint they differed from him and his committee as to the favourable prospects of the trade in the future.”/ Yet results entirely bore out the favourable forecasts given by Mr. Mackenzie. Again, in May, 1908, in connection with the wool prospects when most of those dealing in this important product were of opinion that prices, would still further Mr. 1 Mackenzie went; thoroughly, into the ..whole, question, and declared the future to be one full of hope, and advised farmers to hold, and again the results were satisfactory. As Minister. 11l January, 1909, on the reconstruction of the Ward Ministry, Mr. Mackenzie was appointed an honorary member, being given the v°rtfolios of Minister of Industries and Commerce, and Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts, Scenery Preservation, and State Forestry Departments. In May of the same year he was appointed to full Cabinet rank and given the additional portfolio of Agriculture. Since then lie has also at different times acted as Minister of Customs, Minister of Education, PostmasterGeneral, etc. Personal. Mr. Mackenzie is the second son ol the late D. Stewart Mackenzie, whe was born in Edinburgh in 1854. He arrived in. Otago in 1858, in the ship Robert Henderson, and received his education in Otago. Like many other colonials, he has followed nutny occupations, including bush farming, commerce and land surveying. Mr. Mackenzie was married in 1884 to a daughter of the late Mr. Charles Nantes, of Devonshire, England, and has a family of five sons and two daughters, the eldest son being Dr. Kenneth Mackenzie, of Chalmers Hospital, Edinburgh. —“N.Z. Times.”