SIR JAMES ALLEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 2 September 1926, Page 19

SIR JAMES ALLEN.

i FAREWEIX TO STAFF. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT OFFICES. J ■From Oar Own Correspondent) ; LONTDON, July 29. At the end of a six-years term of office \ in London, Sir James Allen leaves the j Xew Zealand Government offices here, to j ! the widespread regret of the London j - atari. Since the first week, on which he : t took up office, when he devoted three ' whole days to becoming individually j acquainted with the members of the : staff, a thing never before done by an mrr coming High Commissioner, he has been i j unremitting in the care with which he I ensured that the wort for New Zealand ' should have the co-operation of all con- ■ cerned with his office. In that first i week he summoned before him in turn k the heads of each department, and these \ in turn introduced the members of their staff, who themselves described to Sir | •lames the work they had to do. More- j over, the High Commissioner took in all I ( of them that kindly interest in their personal lives by which he obtained from them that friendly co-operation in their working hours so essential for good work. He knows personally every member of ! his staff of a hundred and twenty. It was therefore a sorrowful occasion , ' which brought the staff together this i afternoon in the great hall, when, in the ' presence pi Lady Allen, their daughters i Mrs. Montgomery and Miss Rona Allen). • and their son [Mr. C. R. Alleni. Mr. Alex. i - Crabb. secretary to the New Zealand > Government in London, gave expression i to their feelings. ; The youngest member of the staff hay- - ing presented a beautiful bouquet of carr nations to Lady Allen, Mr. Crabb said: ; "As you are aware, I have asked you to ! meet mc this afternoon with two objectsI in view. The first is a pleasant one. as it must necessarily be. to pay a tribute to one whom we admire and for whom we have a great regard, namely, our High " Commissioner (Sir James Allen). I need not detail to you the points of the distinguished and snccessful career and - the positions which Sir James held in i New Zealand prior to coming here, but I jam sure you will agree with mc that in no sphere has he done better work for the ' Dominion and the Empire than in the J position of High Commissioner. By his zeal, ability, and personality he" has gained the respect and admiration of all ' those with whom he has come into contact, and, what concerns us more as a Staff, has led to a much higher opinion j beinjr held in New Zealand as to the value of this office than was previously r the case. 5 "To come down to more intimate » matters. I desire, on your behalf to ; place on record our appreciation of the • happy relations which have existed i between Sir James and ourselves for 1 the past six years. He has always had 1 our interests at lu-art, has entered s into our troubles, has materially as- [ sisted us in our pleasure, hag been " invariably sympathetic to us, and has \ inspired in us every confidence, so much f so that we have looked upon him a3 a '- friend more than as a chief of our ' Department." Sir James spoke very warmly of the > splendid help he had received durinar his six years of office from his private secretary and his own personal secre--1 tarial staff. He regretted particularly the severance from, them, because, perhaps of the way in which they had . been closely related at conferences and • in other ways, especially at Oeneva, and - he had come to apprpriate very srreatly the sympathy ami kindness [ which had been shown to him at all I times. From top to bottom of the office, everyone had done their best for - him and for the Dominion, and his j memories of it all would be the most t The whole six years, indeed. - of his life in London would be one long t pleasant memory.