PREMIER'S DEPARTMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15, 19 January 1926, Page 14

PREMIER'S DEPARTMENT.

THE HEAD'S CAREER. CBy Telegraph.—Special to "Star. , " WELLINGTON, this day. In taking charge of the Prime Ministor's Department, its new head, Mr. F. D. Thomson, C.M.G., will hardly change his duties except to concentrate upon the more important ones. He has had an experience of Imperial matters unique among officers of state. His first association with Imperial matters "was in 1902, when he was on Mr. Seddon's secretarial staff, and accompanied the Prime Minister to what was then called the Colonial Conference, and the coronation of King Edward VII. His next visit to London was with the late Prime Minister. Mr. Massey, in 1916, when both the head of the Government and Sir Joseph. Ward, as Leader of the Opposition, went to London at the urgent invitation of the British Government to discuss matters connected with

the war. This was followed early in 1917 by the summoning of the Imperial War Cabinet, which Mr. Massey attended with Mr. Thomson as his chief secretary. Mr. Thomson was at the next War Cabinet in 1018, and at the Peace Conference of Paris in 1919. It waa on the latter occasion that Sir Maurice Hankey. Secretary of the British Delegation, formed the Imperial Secretariate, • with the object of associating those permanent officers of the Crown throughout the "Empire who are regularly dealing with Imperial affaire. Mr. Thomson is one of the foundation members of this body. He again visited England in 1021 and 1923, when Mr. Massey attended Imperial conferences. His services at the Paris Conference were recognised by His Majesty in 1919, when he waa made C.M.G.