LORD MILNER DEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 112, 14 May 1925, Page 7

LORD MILNER DEAD.

PRO-CONSUL AND POLITICIAN. JUAN OF MANY FARTS. (By Cable. —rrcss Association. —Copyright.) (Received 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, May 13. The death has occurred of Alfred, Viscount Milner, at the age of 71 years. (A. and N.Z. Cable.) There has always been, perhaps there will always be, 'grave difference of opinion with rcgartl to the great central episode of the distinguished career ot Alfred Viscount Milner; but those who most unsparingly criticised his policy never ventured to question its genuinely patriotic inspiration. Born iv 1534, Alfred Milner was tho sou of a doctor. He was cducatc.l at Tubingen University, King's College, London, and Balliol College, Oxford, where in 1577 he graduated as a lustclass honours man in classics. After leaving Balliol lie was called to the Bar, but was not destined to win fame as a counsel. Dike many young barristers, he turned his attention to journalism, and joined the staff of the "Ball Mall Gazette," edited by the late \\. T. .Stead. At the general election of ISSS the -young journalist consented to stand as a'supporter of Mr. Gladstone for the Harrow Division of Middlesex. It was his solitary appearance as a candidate for Parliament, and his connection with the Liberal party did not long survive his defeat. The great Home Rule schism came in the following year, and Milner promptly joined the I'nionists. Eor two years he acted as private secretary to Sir. Gooehen, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and. on the recommendation of his chief, lie was appointed in 1880 Under-Secretary for Finance in Egypt. How much lie was impressed bythe machinery of English govern-1 nient in the hind of the Pharaohs is I evident in his book, "England and Egypt," published in 1«0_, after bis rereturn to England. In this volume ha described in graphic style the series of reforms which Lord Cromer and his able subordinates had introduced. It was a record of which England had a right to lie [proud. The book bad a favourable reception, and its author was much talked about. He was appointed chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue nt this time, and held that post until I*o7. j In that vcar he was selected by Mr. I Chamberlain to take one of the least en- j viable positions in the gift of the Crown: the Governorship of Cape Colony and the High Commissionership for South Africa. Even at that time manypeople held that there was no solution to the problem of the jealousies between Dutch and English except an appeal to I arms. Milner was himself probably of this opinion, but it cannot be. said that he (lid not give diplomatic methods a chance. Even Kruger appears to have been impressed by his fairness. Hos- ; tilities broke nut, however, in 1800, and subsequently the fiercest light necessarily fell upon the figures of the generals in the field, while comparatively few people spared a thought for the dour, silent man at Capetown whose burden of responsibility was hardly less than that of the Commander-in-Chief. The tide turned at last in England's favour, but miner's task became more rather than less difficult as time passed on. When the Boer leaders finally bowed to the inevitable, and opened negotiations for surrender, the High Commissioner at I first stood out for unconditional sur- I render; but the terms eventually ar- I ranged for something less humiliating. | Milner had been created a Baron in j 10(11, and he was made a Viscount in tho following year. In 100:1 he sane tioned thp importation of Chinese labour to work the mines— a sanction which ' | subsequently involved him in a storm of | adverse criticism. He was strongly op- | posed to the granting of self-government I to the new colonies. In 1005 his term of; ofiice in South Africa came to a close I and he returned to England, where he! naturally took- his place as one of the leaders of the Conservative party. j Soon after his return an acute crisis. developed with tho party. Mr. Chamberlain launched his second unauthorised programme, and caused once ■ more a split. Lord Milner became one I Of the most ardent of Tariff Reformers. I He belonged to the more intellectual school of Protectionists, am] was not afraid to advocate such logical develop-; ments of a protectionist policy as the ' enactment of a minimum wage, though' by so doing he provoked criticisms frrT m I members of his own party who detested anything savouring remotely of .Socialism. Milner had. however, ' im-! bibed many Bismarckian ideas of the ' function of the State, and partly to German influence may be traced" his I enthusiastic support of the National Service League. When in 1000 t lie quarrel between the two Houses be-| came acute lie threw himself ener- I getically into the fray. He was the I author of one of the most famous.! though not one of the most fortunate,! of public utterances on the controversy. A vast majority of the members of! the hereditary Chamber disliked the Budget proposals of Mr. Lloyd George, but many of them shrank 'from tlie prospect of a struggle a outrance with the Commons. Milner was troubled by no such misgivings. Speaking at a _reat Conservative demonstration in the North, he deliberately advised the Cords to reject the Budget and "damn the consequences." Whatever else may be said about it in the light of its sequel, it had all (he courage which invariably characterised Lord Milner's political utterance-'. He took no prominent part subsequently in opposition to the Irish Home Bule Bill, but when early in 1014 the state of Ireland was. to use his own words, one of "smouldering war."' Lord Milner was anxious that reassurance should lie given to LTstermen by the remodelling of the Amending Bill. Although, of course. tremendously influenced by the outbreak of the World War in 1014. Lord Milner did not take an active part in public affairs connected with the war. until in the summer of 1015 he accepted the chairmanship of the committee to consider ways and means of increasing food production. The committee recommended that farmers should have a _uarantee<l minimum of 45/ a bushel for wheat. The Government did not consider the situation sufficiently serious for such a course, and Lord Milner became critical of this attitude as well a? of the "wait and see policy. Particularly he objected to the principle of closing one's pyes to obvious necessities. "Truth all round.'' he said, "is the most fortifying thing in the world." After busily trying to get the fiovernment. in April. 1910. to accept universal compulsory "jorvioe. Lord Milner was later in the year one of Mr. Lloyd Ceorgc's principal colleagues in the War Cabinet, nnd he took next to the new Prime Minister the

largest share in the civilian conduct of the war. He visited Russia to attend a conference of the Allies in 1017, and, curiously enough, seemed blind to the fact that a revolution was impending. Cord Milner attended with the Prime Minister the meetings of the Supreme Council at Versailles, and the appointment of Foeh to the leadership of the Allied forces was one of his strong recommendations. Ia the spring of ]01fi Lord Milner was made Secretary for War, and. after the Armistice, and the subsequent reshuffling of the Ministry, he moved to the Colonial Office. At' the Peace Conference he helped to deal with the dis- | posal of the Herman colonies conquered | during the war. When In 1010 there was a revolutionary outbreak in Egypt. Lord Milner was invaluable as the head of the mission which inquired into its causes, and reported on the form of government most fitting for Egypt. Ultimately came the recommendation that the independence of Egypt should be recognised by this country, but before the new constitution had been accepted Lord Milner. who had taken ofiice only because of the war. resigned in February, 1021.. The Order of the darter was conferred on him for the services he had rendered. In 102- he published an important series of articles on the industrial position of England. He married in the month of his retirement from office Lady Edward Cecil, widow of Lord Edward Cecil, formerly Miss Violet Maxse.