MR. SAVAGE AS I KNEW HIM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 41, 5 April 1940, Page 10

MR. SAVAGE AS I KNEW HIM

By

A Public Servant

a Prime Minister of New Zealand is expected to do is far greater than the public realises. It is only his colleagues and those members of the Public Service who are most in touch with the Executive, who know how numerous, varied and onerous, his duties are. The forty-hour week is for others, not for him. The burden of office never wholly lifts, even on Sundays and holidays. At no time and in no place is he beyond the reach of the telephone. I should have liked to draw a picture of a typical day in the late Mr. Savage’s life, but the limitations of space prevent me from even enumerating the long series of appointments, conferences and consultations following each other in such quick succession that anything in the nature of a let-up was out of the question. And let it not be forgotten that the volume of work was transacted day by day for two or three years at least by a man who knew that his strength was failing and who at least suspected that some malignant influence was at war with his health and life. What sort of man was Mr. Savage behind the scenes? How did he appear to those whose duty it was to carry out, under his instructions, the administrative work of the country? What was he like when there was no limelight, when the reporters were absent and when the microphone was missing? The answer to these questions may have some interest for the many thousands who only saw him on the platform or heard him on the radio. amount of administrative work that His Courtesy and Charm What follows can be accepted as the evidence of officials who best knew the off-stage man-voluntary evidence that just wouldn’t be tendered if the facts were otherwise. Mr. Savage had a quality of high courtesy that Was more than politeness. It was a grace possessed only by men who are humble of heart and love their fellows. He met you, as it were, fifty-fifty. He was not the big chief talking down to you. He knew (I have heard him say it) that government is the work of many men working together. It was not the least part of his charm that he obviously believed the other man’s job to be just as important as his own. This wasn’t a pose, or a technique devised to get the best work out of the other man. It was the genuine belief of a sincere and modest man. His consideration for the convenience of those who worked for him was real and unpretentious. There was no palaver about it. I will mention one instance of it that gives one a little glimpse at the man behind the scenes. I remember being called to the "phone at my home one Saturday morning to find him speaking at the other end. After he had told me what he wished to be done (and the matter was one of importance) I told him that I would, if he wished it, go into town at once and attend to it, but that otherwise I would leave it over till Monday, as I was just on the point of going out to keep a private appointment. His answer was, " Well, I don’t think anything will catch fire if it stands over till Monday." He was quite right. The job got done and nothing caught fire: but some men would have said, "T think you had ‘better come in at once."

Not Afraid of Criticism He knew that among the men around him there were some who made no profession of political allegiance to him. That didn’t affect his treatment of them. As long as they served the Government honestly they could hold what views they liked, and he would not discriminate against them. As a matter of fact, he was as astute as he was kindly; and was not unduly impressed by the professions of converts. I have yet to meet the man who relishes criticism of the things he wants to do. Mr. Savage wanted to do certain things and he very definitely wanted to do them. But he could stand criticism of them. He didn’t try to chase or frighten it away. Even if he didn’t agree with him, he liked the man who would say "no" if he really thought "no." Though he liked agreement (who doesn’t?) he cherished no ill will against dissent, honest and reasoned. He was full of fun and humour, even near his end. On his birthday I heard him quote to a friend some lines from a parody of "The Village Blacksmith" in laughing reference to his arms that were wasted with illness. 6

A Hater of Militarism Mr. Savage did not wish to die. How could he? He knew that his mind was as clear as ever it had been; and there was so much that he wanted to do and knew that he could do if spared. He knew also how difficult were the times that lay ahead, and how great was the need of unity. A life-long hater of militarism, he was determined that New Zealand should play a worthy part in the war effort of the British Commonwealth. He believed, with all his heart, in the ideals for which we are fighting; and he never doubted that right would triumph. His last public act was to pay a tribute to the fighting man of the various Services. That was not lip service, but the honest salute of one brave man to others. Despite the sadness that envelopes all life at its close, he was indeed the Happy Warrior- "... the generous spirit who when brought Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought Upon the plan that pleased his childish thought; Whose high endeavours are an inward light That make the path before him always bright." I am not a Catholic, but I trust that the soul of Michael Joseph Savage, Christian gentleman, may rest in peace.