ROBERT CALDWELL REID.

9, B I T "CT 4 R T.

We learn with very deep regret of the death of Mr R. C. Reid, at one time proprietdi of- this paper, wliich took place at night.' About twelve years. agp, Mr .%id, had an t attack of Daraiysig hinj' in an enfeebled condition! He rallied and, w.as ab.}e to again embark in, newspaper enterprise but the fell destroyer had. laid,hia_ hand, übon him and-successive attacks sapped the remaining vital force. 61 %C™osjs}«|e& tha"^ thqenpl Jojin Reid, of». Auckland* woa sent for, arriving in 'Westport the morning before' his death. Mr Reid was at; one tftne one" °&tjhe besti knowa and, most influential men on the West Ooast. He has sue- ! cessively controlled the Westport Times, the - %% $$$» "aiid"'t^ Oqa^t' Times, and largely iutejieste.d, hipiself ' in | public business on the Coaat for twenty years. He was, so to speak, bred in a, newspaper office, His family having qwhed jtreme North of Scotland, for.twp.or, three generations, £Le was brought up as a bhnker and in that capacity gained his |e.arliest Colonia^ experience.!, ' liji the first or the rush* to the Coast he figured; as a. gs4> buyer, hjs experiences buying, gold at the Five-mile Beach, near Okarito, being graphically described in his book i

"Theap^ng^ H ei^en| B ined ? , Mr Loutit in general b^usin^ss, tp firm being known as Loutit vßeid.v Reid. Shortly afterwards he was at Westport in partnership with Mr Tyrrejl, the. firm owning the Charleston Herald and the Wesfcpori Times. Mr Ueid's restless energy soon impelled him to seek other ventures and he assumed charge of the Grey- . mouth Star, still retaining his interest in the Westport Times. After a comparatively short residence in Greymouth he was induced to come to Hokitika and rent the West Coast Times from the late Mr I J. P. Klein, soon afterwards purchasing it. About 13 years 'agq'he 'sold ont'hig I iuter.es.ts in Hokitika and joined Mr G. 1 M. Reed in starting a New Zealand paper in London— the Anglo-New Zealander. The r anticipations of the founders were not realised. ' The time had not arrived for the^successful establishment of a ColJ onial paper'in London, and the venture , proved a failure. To add to his bad luck $fr ■$?$ w ? s ta *?A !?i R^r^-lysis, wh|clj left" tiim'prostrii&'" and' enfeebled, and, so much" had hi 3 faculties become impaired, 1 that, as he jocularly remarked in one of 1 his letters, he ?was compelled "to ■hear,n "jio write again." He returned Ito New Zealand with shrunken forl tur|gs and sha^red h,ea]th and| acquired r an interest in the Ducedin Herald, never a robust journal, The Dunedin venture I proved no more profitable than the Lon"iiy o'w an«,t i/Ix Reid returned to the 1 Q.v.^fc, finally settling down in Westport, s where b,^ acquired the Westporb News, t When in Hokitika, where he was best X- I o . w . 1 ?; te s^ ?/ ?M.r V?^?, r ?> M r Reid c I was always a 'prominent figure. In politics he warmly supported Sir George V Grey and was returned to Parliament in k " the interests of that parity, Mr Seddon, who entered Parliament at the same, time, being his [junior colleague, the d^rici :0 j then returning two members. A*t ' Sir £ lG;eorge Grey ? s ifl^igabioln Mr Reid cfc acquired the New Zealander, a Wellington morning caper run in the G^ev in- ' terest, but a party paper was soon -found a " to be a commercial failure and he gave it }& ■ np, de.v.o.ting his sole attention to the ly Wesi Coast Times. At the next elections the 1 syatem of single electorates had been established and Mr Reid stood for the southern portion of his ■old district, embracing the town of

Hokitika, Kanieri^ 'arid the country ■ south of the Hokitika river. On that occasion" he was defeated by ilr G. G. F.^zger^ld and did no,t afterwards seek re-election. Personally Mr" Reid was extremely popular, being genial, affable and kind-hearted, and had hosts of friends. Of late years h,e has not been able to f ulljr comply with, the exacting demands of "^ dai^y newsier but fo.un/l* 1 a" splendid l^eipmate in M^ feeid[ who has I for years beeff the l^e and^soul of the paper associated with their' name/and in | expressing our deep' regrets at'Mr Reid's I death we. also convey our htjartfeW sym- - . pathy to Mrs Reid. Although away frpm Hokitika for many years, f Mr ' Reid's memory ia still warml/ cherished by nunji.eraus friends dl 0^ w.feom will pso> foundly regret' his death as they haye deplored the untoward fortunes'thatMve followed; him in later years.' ' "Poo'r 1 Bob* Reid." ' l "