EXIT FROM POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1919, Page 5

EXIT FROM POLITICS.

; FOUR PROMINENT MINISTERS.BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The elections have removed four promment figures from Parliament—a Cabinet_ Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and two ex-Ministers of the Liberal Party. . Each of them has had a long and distinguished political career, a3 the following brief sketches show:— SIR JOSEPH WARD.

The fltol 7 of the rise of Sir Joseph Ward from a telegraph messenger to a statesman of Imperial renown is generally, known, and provides a remarkable example of a inan's rise to power after a brilliant career. His fame has not beefr eonfiiied to New Zealand, for he has teen a prominent figure in Imperial Councils and his views on Imperial problems have always commanded the attention of Britain's loading statesmen, Born nt Emerald Hill,' Melbourne, in 1856, Sir Joseph Ward was educated privately in Melbourne and at the State School, Bluff, New Zealand. | He arrived in Southland with his parents and at the age of 13 entered the Post and Telegraph Department. Later he joined a merchant's office, which he left at the age of 20 to enter the Railway Pepartment. He' was one of the tot borough councillors of Campbelltown, holding the ( office from 1878 to 1881, after which he became Mayor for five years He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1887, and became a member of the Bluff Harbor Board, of which body lie was chairman during the periods 1883-88 and 1893-94. He was for many years a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

He successfully contested the Awarua seat in 1887, and has been the representative of that district until recently defeated by Mr. J. R„ Hamilton by 777 votes. He became Postmaster-Goneral in 1801 under the Bnllance Ministry and in this department he effected advanced reforms. Under the Seddon administration he successively held the following offices: Colonial Treasurer, PostmasterGeneral, Commissioner of Customs, Minister of Marine, Colonial Secretary, Minister for Railways, Minister for Public Health, and was acting-Premier on three occasions during Mr. Seddonfc absence | from New Zealand. He was the first to advocate the All-Red Cable Service. By persistent advocacy he achieved the penny postage for New Zealand. He was created K.C.M.G. in 1901. He represented New Zealand on several occasions at Postal Conferences. He was abroad on such a mission at ivjtne in 1906 when Mr. SeddOn died.

On his return Sir Joseph Ward assumed the Premiership. He represented NeiV Zealand at the Imperial Conference in 1907, securing the recognition of New Zealand as a Dominion as distinct from a self-governing colony. Whilst abroad he received the freedom of several cities, and was created a Privy Councillor. The Ward Ministry resigned in 1912, but Sir Joseph served as Minister for Finance in tho National Cabinet (1914-1019), and went to England three times with Mr. Massey, twice to attend Imperial Conferences, and latterly the Versailles Peace Conference. SIR JAMES CARROLL. Sir Jarpes Carroll, who was defeated by Mri W. D. Lysnar by 35i votes for tho Gisborne seat, was born at Wairoa (Hawke's Bay) in 1857. Ho was educated at the Wairoa Native School and fl nrivato school at Nasier., He than

went on to a station for a few years, but soon after volunteered for service in the Urewera campaign in 1870, where he was mentioned in despatches, receiving the N.Z. Medal and a £SO bonus for services in, Hamlin's expedition agniiint. Te ICooti. He was then for eighteen months with the Native Commissioner for Hawke's Bay (Mr. Locke) as a cadet Here he came under the notice of Sir Donald Mckean, who transferred him to Wellington, where he stayed for' eighteen months, but then returned to the station. He was engaged as interpreter for the Native. Land Co.urt and also practised privately. From 1879 to 1883 h e was interpreter in the House of Representatives. He unsuccessfully contested the Eastern Maori electorate in 1884 against Wi Pere, but in 1887 he was successful at the poll and he was an M.P. from that date till his defeat. Tn 1892 he was made a member of the executive.- Hs contested the European constituency of Waiapu in 1892 and was chosen as a Minister of the Crown. He was instrumental in settling several native disputes, notably the tfreWerft trouble at Ruatofci, He was for some years a trustee of the East Coast Native Trust Lands.

THE HON. G. W. RUSSELL, The Hon. G. W. Russell, who suffered defeat at the hands of Mr. D. G. Sullivan at the polling for the Avon electorate, was born in London in 1854. He was educated at the Grammar School, Lancaster, Tasmania, and also privately in New Zealand. He served his apprenticeship on the Evening Post, Wellington. He was for three years a probationer for the Wesleyan ministry, but resigned. In 1878 he was sub-editor of the Wellington Chronicle, but be retired to establish the Manawatu Herald. He subsequently owned the Manawatu Times and the Waikato Nefcrs. He removed to'Ghristchurch in' 1880 and e«tabfcslied ttte business of Russell and Willis, printers and publishers. During the periods 1894-98 and 1900-02 he represented Riccarton in Parliament. He was a member of the North Canterbury Education Board, and was president of the New Zealand Educational, Conference at Wellington in 1905. *H e has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College since 1897, and is now the chairman of that body He is the author of "A Manual of Duties of Life," for schools, &U he recently wrote a book called "The New Heaven." He frequently contributed articles to the leading New Zealand dailies. Since 1897 he has owned'and edited The Spectator—a weekly illustrated paper. He was a member of the recent National Cabinet (1014-1919) as Minister of Publie Health. MAJOR J. B. JUNE,

Major ,T. B. Hine was bora in Devonshire, England, ,and came to the Dominion with his parents in December,' 1879. He was educated in the State school at Tikorangi, and following farming in that locality ' until 1896, when he went to the Stratford County, and lias resided in the Toko district for the past tweltty-four years. Ee took an active part jn local politics and represented the district on the County Council and Hospital Board for many years, prior to becoming Member of' Parliament. He was first elected an MP. for Stratford if 1508,. and represented that constituency for the past eleven years. Mr. Hine joined the Mounted Rifles Volunteer Corpg' of Stratford at its formation in 1900 es a private, and

ultimately became Captain in oowm&nd. Upon the outbreak, of war he offered his services for the Expeditionary Forces and was accepted early in 1916, and left New Zealand in charge of the 17th and 18th M.R. Reinforcements He was severely wounded in the operations around BeeriSheba in 1917, arid was invalided home in April 1018. He left New Zealand again in June and was present in the final operations in Palestine and Syria as Major in command of the 2nd Wellington Mounted Rifles. Major Hine returned to New Zealand in Jjine last, and, upon the dissolution of the National Cabinet and the reconstruction of the Reform Government, joined the Cabinet as Minister of Internal Affairs.