OBITUARY.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXIII, Issue 54, 6 March 1911, Page 5

OBITUARY.

[press association.] AVELLINGTON, This Day. The Hon. W. C. Smith, aged 67, at Waipukurau, from jmeumonia. He sat in the Lower House from 1881 to 1893, and was called to the Legislative Council in 1895. Alfred Aslibolt, for 26 years foreman printer at tlie New Zealand Times office, aged 63. He was a keen cricketer, and at one time selector of Wellington representatives. S. J. Jago, late Chief-Postmaster at Wellington. . He died at Perth, Westralia, on March 2. He was Chief-Postmaster at Napier from 1886 to 1902, and had been connected with the postal service for forty years.

The death of the Hon. William Cowper Smith removes from the public life of Hawke's Bay one who for many years has been amongst its most prominent figures. Born in London in 1843, where he was educated at Barnett High School, he migrated to New Zealand in the early sixties, landing at Lyttelton from the ship Egniont. His stay in Canterbury was only of short duration, for he was soon in Auckland, which was all excitement due to the Maori troubles. The spirit of adventure was strong in the young emigrant, and lie at once joined the colonial forces and served through the Waikato war, for which lie received the New Zealand war medal. Shortly after the close of hostilities, Mr Smith became a settler in Hawke's Bay, and in 1872 commenced business in Waipukurau as a storekeeper. It was now that he began to take an interest in the work of local bodies, with which the development of the district was so closely allied, and after he had been a resident of Waipukurau for two years, he was elected a member of the Waipukurau Road Board. This was the humble commencement of ja, long and valuable career, during which lie was intimately associated- with every progressive movement in Southern Hawke's Bay, and which was only terminated with his death, for up to within a few days of his last illness, his hand and brain were still engaged in guiding and influencing the policy of his friends. His enthusiasm for public work soon led to his appointment as chairman of the lioad Board, a position which ho held for 14 years, and in 1877 he was elected a member of the Waipukurau County Council, over which he presided as chairman for 18 years. It was during this period he acquired. that wide knowledge of local body work and law which enabled him to carry out his many schemes with such success, and made him an exceedingly difficult opponent to combat in any line of public policy. Up to 1881 Mr Smith's popularity and reputation had been purely local, but in that year the general election had to be fought, and Mr Smith entered into it with his usual vigor and enthusiasm. The representative of the district at that time was the Hon. J. D. Ormond, who had been Minister in four Governments and one of the "giants" of New Zealand politics. Mr Smith, who was strongly imbued with Liberal principles, took sides against Mr Ormond, and on nomination day the latter jokingly suggested that he (Mr Smith) had better fight the election with him, seeing there was some difficulty in getting the candidate nominated whom Mr Smith wanted. Mr Smith took Mr Ormond at his word and was nominated. The constituency in those days extended as far south as Paliiatua, and this portion of it was dense busli, with just a few Scandinavian settlers here and there. The campaign was entered into with Mr Smith's usual thoroughness, every settlement was visited, though the roads were atrocious, and the result was that Mr Smith was elected, but by a very narrow majority. The defeat of Mr Ormond gave Mr Smith a colonial importance, not merely because of the influential status of his opponent, but because of the fact that it was one of the first instances in which the writing had appeared on the wall, and was one of the earliest indications that the old squatocracy had to go. Though not prominent in Parliamentary debates, Mr Smith was a keen politician. The wants of his district were attended to with scrupulous care, and in the House lie was always in touch with every party move. In 1882 he tabled a motion which resulted in a substantial increase of the railway employees' wages, in return for which they presented him with a gold watch and an illuminated address. He was also instrumental in getting a library subsidy of £6OOO passed for several sessions, and which is still voted, though in a. modified form. Mr Smith subsequently became the Whip of the Ballanee Government, of whose land policy he was a strong advocate. He always claimed that he was the father of the lease in perpetuity clause in the M'Kenzie Land Bill, being convinced that there was no better tenure for the small settler, in whose interests he was always sincere. Roads' and bridges were the great want of his constituency in the early days, and in his applications for these Mr Smith wag unceasing, and his persistency was liberally rewarded. Amongst tlie more important wors of this kind for which he is entitled to credit, is the Waipukurau traffic bridge, which was erected at a cost of £6OOO. In 1895, owing to failing health, Mr Smith retired from til c Lower House, and was called to the Legislative Council, of which lie was Chairman of Committees from 1902 to 1908. In addition to his political duties, the late Mr Smith took a lively interest in hospital matters, and was chairman of tlie Waipawa Hospital Board for many years, the institution profiting largely by his counsel and assistance. In polities Mr Smith was an ardent party man. He believed thoroughly in the principle of helping those who helped him, but he never lost sight of the fact that he might easily turn an enemy into a friend by a little judicious attention. He therefore never neglected the interests of any constituent, and his correspondence was very voluminous. As a political general, ho had few equals, and at his zenith his power throughout this electorate was almost absolute, and although he had many bitter political opponents, even tlie most strenuous of these will not withhold from him the credit of being an indefatigable worker, and so far as his lights led him, a faithful public servant. Mr Smith was twiee married, and leaves £t widow and a family of several sons and daughters to mourn their loss, Mr Paviour-Smith, of Danncvirke, being his nephew. We understand that tlie funeral takes place at 2 p.m. to-morrow.