VICTORIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 294, 7 December 1908, Page 2

VICTORIAN POLITICS.

A OJSSOLUTIOX GRANTED, f Keceivod 7, 0.35 a.m. I The ('„v. " riK '' ' J.V 1,01 l " l , s S ri| nted the "re(Sn Ihomas Bent) a dissolution.

Sir Thomas Hcnt., M.L.A., Premier of \ ictoria, vvJio was defeated last wceV, 'i :!•> lici'n 1 rentier and Treasurer of Vic•ww «■■■«. HUM. Hi, career lms w n "j'"nly Ihe career of a self-made )nan !' , W,H l,oni 111 l'enritli, New South H ales in ih»B hut went to Victoria when | u . was only eleven years of ams. His Inst occupation in life was that of 'iiarket gardening. lie came before the public in 1871, and achieved notoriety by opposing Mr. (ufterwards Chief ,Iu«tice) iliginliothiiin for the Brighton neat lin the legislative Assembly. To the amazement of everyone, his'candidature was successful, and ever since lie |ha» represented tlmt electorate. In 1880 he was included in the Cabinet of the Service (j'ovcriiinciit as ComimasionetC of Public Works, but the Keform nioted by his .Ministry at that time proved so distasteful to the public Upt -Ministers a few months after were CM* polled to go out of office. He becrine Commissioner for Railways and WeePresident of the Board of Land 4ad Works in the O'Loglilcn Ministry I In 1881-3, and four years later, in 1887, was an unsuccessful candidate for jthe Speakership of the Legislative Assembly, a distinction that he was destined 1 to bold from 1802 to 1894. He was V/icel'resideiit of the Board of Land land Works in the Irvine Ministry in 1002-4, and Commissioner of Public Works, Minister for Health, and Minister [for Railways in the same Cabinet. M was 1 during this latter term of offieeKhat ' Victoria was paralysed by the jlreat 1 railway strike, his handling of Hhieh 1 brought hira greatly into favor, jfpoa the retirement of jfr. Irvine in libra- | ary, 1004, he succeeded to the Pri liier- \ ship of tite State. At the beginning of ' November last Sir Thomas was forced , to reconstruct his Cabinet owing to the \ retirement of a number of his colleagues. . The personnel of the new Cabinet ivttf | considered to be strongly representative 1 of the Country Party at the timil, and s it was subjected to an amount off critit cisnt that eventually the late Pfemier was unable to withstand.