SEDDON'S MANTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1940, Page 9

SEDDON'S MANTLE.

ON MR. SAVAGE'S SHOULDERS.

TRIBUTE BY MR. W. WALLACE.

"The mantle of Seddon certainly fell upon the shoulders of Mr. Savage," said Mr. W. Wallace, who was chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board for 18 years, during which period Mr. Savage served for nearly twelve year*.

"On many occasions Mr. Savage would invite me to his jonie at Herue Bay to talk over old-time Liberal politics," said Mr. Wallace. "'lf I could only get the minds of the people back to Seddon 1 feci that I could nominate a party that would sweep the country,' was a statement that Mr. Savage often repeated when we had intimate chats. There is no question about Mr. Savage's high ideals. His life was given in the service of the people. He loved them and belonged to them."

Mr. Wallace said that one of the fira* committees that Mr. Savage was appointed to on the Hospital Board had to investigate the conditions under which the nurses worked. At that time their hours were most irregular and long. As a result of the report brought down by that committee nurses' houm were reduced to eight per day. Mr. Savage also took a keen interest in the charitable aid activities of the board. He was most outspoken if he discovered any applicant who was "sponging" on the board'* funds. At the same time he invariably came to the aid of genuine cases of distress and worked indefatieably on their behalf.