MINISTERIAL SKETCHES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5218, 7 August 1878, Page 2

MINISTERIAL SKETCHES.

j (PER "HERALD" SPECIAL WIRE.) [MOM OUR .WELLINGTON COKHESPOSDESJrj] - tse »ATivjt aiirinsTSß.: The Hon. John Sheehan "belongs to that class of Ministers who may be called, : in the title of tie popular play,." Our Boys." Be is only thirty-three years of:age,.which ia also the.. age of the Attorney-General (Mr. Stout); and the Colonial Treasurer (Mr. Ballauce)has also the glorious privilege: of youth, being iu his thirty-seventh year. Mr. Sheehan was born and educated iu Auckland under Mr. O'Sullivan, now the Inspector of Schools there. He early displayed a taste for literary pursuits, having, when only eight years old, written a short essay on the Irish in America. In 1862 he entered on his articles with the late Mr. Merri nau— a-very old practitioner, and at one ;ime a member of the Assembly of Auckland,. —and finished them under the late Mr. Wynn, having thus had the advantage of studying under two of the most eminent lawyers in Auckland, if not in the colony. He passed with credit, in 1567, before Judge Moore, taking, with characteristic audacity, as his molito. Semens ut Legem — Sergeant at Luw.. He. was out in 1863 in the Waikato war, and .had twelve months' active service in the Ist . Auckland Cavalry Volunteers, of which he was mile paymaster when the Hon. Thomas Resell wis Native and Defence Minister. While, serving ,his articles he built up the Auckland Catholic Institute, which, under his auspices, has become a most nourishing institution. He established within it a dramatic club which gave amateur public performances and., provided no. less than £1400 with which ground was bought and a building erected ' for the institute... He modelled the : conduct of the institute on Miy's Parliamentary Practice, and the officers in charge~oaly held office while thoy had a majority of votes of the members. To shew how the twig was early bent, there is a good story told. The administrative committee had spent 17s lid for candlesticks, without the money for the same beirg duly voted. The opposition moved a vote of no confidence, and, some-.members being absent on the other side, Mr. Sheehan, who' belonged to the Ministerial side, spoke against time for four hours, secured an adjournment, and, at the next meeting, defeated the motion. He was thus early in training for Parliamentary practice. In 1569 he entered into real political struggles—being manager ■ and secretary for Mr. John Williamson's committee when he contested the Superintendence with Mr. Gillies—who was victorious. He afterwards entered the Provincial Council in the interests of the beaten party, and was returned at the poll, out of eleven candidates, for five seats. In his second session in the Council Mr. Sheehan organised an Opposition, and soon gave to Mr. GUlies an Executive chosen entirely from the side of his opponents, becoming himself Provincial Treasurer and Goldfields secretary. Here he displayed capacity for business similar to that which he has since shewn in Parliament. He reduced the period of the Council's sitting, from between three and four months to one month. While there, he frequently measured swords with men oE colonial reputation —such as Mr. Carleton and Mr. Keader Wood and othurs, who had long sat in the Assembly. • The party, and prominently amongst them Mr. twauson, were anxious to get him a seat iu the House; and when Mr. Farnall resigned for Rodney, Mr. Sheehan was elected for that district in 1572, and still represents it. In that session he seconded the Address iu Reply, and, with reference to this, the growth of the colony is shewn by the fact t ; hat a nativeborn colonist, then for the lirst time returned to the House, compared himself to a " voice crying in the wilderness," a3 the herald of many more yet to come. In 1873, Mr. Sheehan was retained to look after certain native interests, before a Royal Commission appointed to sit at Hawke's Bay, to investigate certain charges respecting alleged fraudulent land dealings, and was successful in many points. In 1874, Mr. Sheehan again took office as Provincial Treasurer and Secretary, when John Williamson was Superintendent, and after his death he formed one of a party who waited on Sir George Grey, at the Kawau, and invited him to become a candidate for the Superintendeney, and also for the seat for City West. After Sir George Grey's election to both these positions, Mr. Sheehan again took office as Provincial which office he held till April, 1875, when he went to Napier. In the Council he always displayed that ready debating power which has marked his career in the House. He was the successful organiser of the party which, after a long straggle, succeeded in placing and maintaining in office the present Premier and hie colleagues. Ab a debater, he has few equals in the House. As Native Minister, he aided Sir Georgo Grey in accomplishing the work which has been done at Waitara and at Hikurangi, and while at these places succeeded in establishing a most complete friendship _ with all the leading people of the King party. By his efforts were obtained the rights to survey the Waitotara and Waimate plains, the sale of which, during the present year, will bring' about a million of money into the Colonial Treasury. He pacified contending tribes at Maketu, and made them friends, securing at the same time the quiet progress of a Native Lands Court, which had there been stopped by like contentions before. All sides of the House look on Mr. Sheehan as a politician of great promise, who may, if he will, achieve for himself a still higher position. It ought to be added that while still a youth, Mr. Sheehan was Volunteer war correspondent for the New Zealander, which circumstance first attracted Mr. John Williamson's notice to_ him, and led ultimately to his entrance into political life. THE ATTORNEYGENERAL.

The Hon. Robert Stout was born in 1845, in Lerwick, in the Shetland Isles, -where his father was a merchant and landed proprietor. He was educated first at an infant school kept by Alias Leston, now Mrs. Skeen, a teacher at Newton East Public. School, Auckland. Subsequently he went to the parish school, which stood as one of the seven best schools in the North of Scotland. It was taught by an accomplished classical and mathematical scholar. At the age of 13 young Stout passed his examination as a pupil-teacher with honorable mention, and began teaching in the parish school, continuing it for five years, and during that time passed extra examinations in Latin, French, and mathematics with credit. In this time he learned land-surveying, both in practice and m theory. When 18 years of age he left home for New Zealand, and there being no opening in the Sarvey Department, he was engaged as second master in Dunedin Grammar School. He obtained a good reputation as a second teacher. He organised the Otago Schoolmasters Association, and founded branches in different parts of the province,.and this association has now become the Educational Inatitute of Otaeo of which Mr. Stout is president. He has given much attention to educational questions, and has read papers on national education and on the question "Can Morals be taught in Secular Schools?" la 1567 he begin the study of law, and was articled in IS6S. He was a coustant contributor to the newspaper -Press, and edited and sub-edited an advanced weekly journal in Otago for three yjST 3 - He passed as a barrister in July, »r r, . was a lar S e contributor to the Mew Zealand Magazine. He has delivered numerous lectures on social and historical subjects. He was Provincial Secretary in two Executives in Otago, and was a member of the rainbow Executive of Beid, Brown, Ureen, and Lumsden. He was elected for the General Assembly in 1875, for Caversham, and fo;: Dunedin at the general election, 1576. and became Attorney-General in March 1878. Mr. Stout is a philosophical .Radical of a pronounced type, and is a supporter of tne local option doctrine, and a staunch teetotaller. THE POSTMASTER- GEXERAL.

The Hon. J. T. Fisher served in the Royal JNavy, and made his first appearance in I«ew Zealand in the then crack brig of the service Flying Childers, in 1546. He subsequently served in China and India, and again came to New Zealand as one of the Canterbury pilgrims. During the vicissitudes of colonial life he has never forgotten his early training He has great order and resolution, and when twitted by a political opponent that he could not represent the district, he replied that he had been taught at school and sea to erase the word "cannot" from his dictionary' He was one of the first members of the Road Board for the Heathcote district, where he remained until he was elected for the same district w the Assembly. He was also in the .Provincial Council uutU the abolition of the provinces. On the occasion of the Grey Ministry succeeding to power, he was appointed to the portfolio of the Post-office and Customs, and few men in the House more appreciated the honour conferred on them by their fellow-colonists than the present Postmaster-General.