OBITUARY.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1917, Page 4

OBITUARY.

AN EMINENT JOURNALIST. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Obituary.—'William - Lane, editor or the New Zealand Herald. He was one of the best known journalists in Australasia, aged 56 years, having been born at Bristol, England. At the age of 15 he migrated to America and apprenticed himself as a compositor, eventually entering the literary side of journalism. Ten years later he went to Brisbane (Queensland), where he worked on the Observer and was associated with Mr. Drake, afterwards Commonwealth Postmaster-General, in conductteg the weekly paper The Boomerang., He then proved adhesion to his own creed by resigning from the lucrative position and establishing a new journal on co-operative lines, eutitled The Worker, which scored an instant success. Subsequent to the industrial troubles of 1890-2, ho inaugurated a New Australia movement, and then'went to Paraguay, returning to Australia in 1898. when he became the editor of the Sydney Worker, but soon afterwards resigned on account of a disagreement with what he regarded as the unpatriotic attitude of the controlling body. He then came to Auckland, and has since been connected with the Herald, having sue ceeded the lateW. S. Douglas as editor in 1913. His special articles under the pen name of "Tohunga" were a feature of the Herald's weekly supplement, showing commanding, vigorous, and flexible style, reflecting a virile personality and widi>, keen, yet sympathetic knowledge of humanity. He is survived by Mrs: Lano and five daughters, one of whom is married to Lieut. M. D. Rowan, who i? now on service, and one son, the latter being on his way to the front. The elder son, Corporal Donald,.'was killed at the Gallipoli landing.