THE LATE MR. PERCY SMITH.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1922, Page 4

THE LATE MR. PERCY SMITH.

A notable life, devoted to the making of New Zealand, and the settlement of Taranaki in particular, ended yesterday with the death at New Plymouth of Mr. Percy Smith in his eighty-second year. Coming to the colony as a boy, when the country was still in its primitive state, Mr. Smith knew all the trials of the pioneers, and when he entered the public service in the capacity of a surveyor he embarked on tasks unknown to the present generationwork which called for rare physique, an indomitable spirit, unusual skill, a brave heart and a philosophical temperament. That Mr. Smith was well equipped for his great work became apparent as the years passed in the steady toil of making a raw land habitable for the English settlers, for his industry, his unselfishness and his sacrifices were rewarded by his elevation to head of the department which he had chosen to serve. Few finer records in the public service of New Zealand can be found than that of Mr. Smith, but his life was not confined to the mere execution of his duty as a public servant. It may be said with truth that his great services to the community only closed in recent months with failing health. To most men long public service and the gratitude of the State would be considered life’s task well done, but Mr. Smith saw further. A lover of nature, and curiosity regarding Maori lore, assisted by scholarly attainments, combined to create a passion to master the botanical wonders of this new land, while the Maoris, their customs and their traditions, offered a field for exploration fascinating in the extreme. As a surveyor, making strenuous and even .dangerous journeys, Mr. Smith’s sole companions were often the forests and the Maoris, and it was inevitable that he should come to love both. The years of professional work, thoroughly done, which carried Mr. Smith to the top of the sendee, allowed little leisure, but he found time to devote considerable labor to those studies, and so paved the way for greater endeavor in after life, when his knowledge of these matters, and his remarkable gifts for further study in the field of Polynesia gained for him a respect which was held far beyond New Zealand. Mr. Smith’s researches in Maori lore and Polynesian ethnology and philology have given the world published works which are classics; he has left records which enable us to understand the Maoris and the meaning of their traditions; he has fashioned keys to open the wonderful histories of the Polynesian people; and he has left for New Zealand, and especially Taranaki, facts concerning the Maoris and the early days of the colony the value of which alone accords him that recognition due to a man who has devoted his life to the benefit of those who follow. A man of charming manner, outstanding character, and great gifts, Mr. Smith, by his unselfish and public-spirited example, has left a notable record, which is a splendid example to his fellow countrymen of long service faithfully given.