THE NEW MINISTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1917, Page 7

THE NEW MINISTER.

SKETCH OF MR. WILFORD'S CAREER. (From Our Own Correspondent). 'Wellington, Wednesday. Mr. Masscy stated definitely this evening that Mr. Wilford was to be the new Minister. The selection was made by Sir Joseph Ward, as head of the Liberal section of the National Ministry, and Mr. Wilfqrd will take the portfolios held by tho late Dr. McNab, namely Marine and Justice. The new Minister is to be sworn in at an early date. His appointment will end a good deal of gossip and doubtless cause a certain amount of heart-burning.

Mr. WJlford's appointment to the National/Ministry will appreciably strengthen «s debating power and bring to the organisation, one who is thoroughly alert, systematic in his woTk, and with remarkable power of assimilating facts (says the Lyttelton Times). In professional life Mr. Wilford is among the halfdozen beat Court advocates in New Zealand. He enjoys tho talent of addressing a jury in a lucid and telling manner. In Parliament he often turns these powers to good account, though the new Minister's partiality for "scoring a point" sometimes raises the , suggestion that ho likes to be clover at all costs. Allowances have to be made in Parliamentary encounters,. and nobody would argue from the Bmart repartee of the member for 'Hutt that he is not a serious and capable student of affairs. His career shows that he has remarkable political persistence, and a sportsman's capacity for taking a beating and coming up smiling. This is best illustrated in his fight for the honor of being Chief Magistrate of Wellington, where lie was born forty-Beven years ago. Five times he contested the mayoralty, and four times he realised the truth of the old adage, "a prophet hath no honor in his own country." At first ho was not taken seriously, but, steadily improving as his experience of public" life increased, he got within a few hurt* dred votes of the coveted position in 1908 and won it in 1910. • 'As Maybr he'was a success, among his useful achievements being the raising of a large loan for improving the city water supply, this financial operation being brought off so neatly that the interest was only 4 per cent." and ther» were no ftotationo charges.

In national politics Mr. Wilford's career lias been quite adventurous. He lias just celebrated his majority as a member of tbe. House, though there was one break. He first appeared as member for Wellington Suburbs in 18%, defeating a former Minister, the Hon. T. \V. Hislop. This election was declared void in April, 1867, but in December, 18!)9, he was again elected for Suburbs, and at the following election he choose the Hutt electorate, which he lias represented without a break. ' During the reign of the Ward Ministry Mr Wilford served for a year as Chairman 08 Committees. In this position he showed marked ability, for lie possesses a workirg knowledge of the Standbg Orders buptfrior to the generality c.f P[irl':i«]('-itariaii3, who only iind out that there is a Sti'.ndirj,..Order when they offend it. Mr. Wilford had a good training in this branch of Parliamentary •work, for hio experience includes the exciting times when the present Prime Minister and his Associates mado the most of the chance: of v 'arliamentary obstruction agfinst tlie rcEOliiti! r.iul vigorous political tactics of the late Mr. Sed; don.

Recognised ub a coming nmii, Mr. Wilford was regarded in March, 1912, as the likeliest holder of the position of At-torney-General in the Mackenzie Ministry. When it was formed he was returning from a health trip to England. Probably witli a keen perception of the fate of this short-lived combination, the member for Hutt was extremely cautious. He is said to have received frofn the Prime Minister-elect a cable message offering a portfolio, and to have sent the enigmatical answer, ''Thanks lor cable." Then came the political joke of the '•'soft, soft pedal" The portfolio was still awaiting upon his return to New Zealand, and many were the inquiries as to the attitude of the member for Hutt. The political atmosphere was electrical, and a straight-out condemnation of the patched-up peace in the Liberal Party from one of its steady supporters might have upset the precarious balance. Mr. Wilford was evidently determined to let the ministerial honor slip past, but equally determined to keep his own secret. As president of. the Wellington Savage Club he had brought out for its orchestra the band parts of a .popular song, and when a "Savage" at the usual korero of welcome asked, "What about the Minister's job?" the president suavely ansVrerWr; quoting the title, of the new orchestral item, "I'm keeping my foot on the soft, soft-pedal!" Another incident in connection, with this near shave of ministerial honor for tho subject of this sketch was the receipt of a wireless message when his steamer was approaching the. shores of New Zealand. It came from a close friend, and referred the voyager to a portion of Scripture, which read: "My friend, walk not in the way with them/'

So the member for Hutt walked not in the ministerial way on that occasion. Mr. Wilford is a New Zealander by birth and education, he being born at lower Hutt, his father being Dr. Wilford. His wife is a daughter of the late Sir George M'Lean.