OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19854, 15 February 1930, Page 17

OBITUARY.

gjg THOMAS MACKENZIE.

LS iN tEBESTING career.

(„tu wmcution telegram.) PUNEDIN, February 14. H n. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, ?mc ag ed !7 > died shortl y tr knight from angina pectoris. was a son 1 David Stewart Mackenzie, was Ct in Edinburgh on March 10th, 1854, e out to New Zealand with his t» in the ship Robert Henderson, ■ ar rived at Dunedin in 1858. He •ed education in public schools "Cediß, and at the hands of private ~ muwu, career since then provides tll Sking eiemplifiotion of the eour- * and industry of so those who came to this country ■L early days to make then- way " i«.t difficulties which are non-exist- » Jo-day and were prepared to turn tir bands to anything iu the way of -St that presented itscli. During his career, Sir Thomas iollowed many cupationa, including commerce, buslifarminc. and surveying. For more than 40 years bir Thomas «L closely identified with the political Z commercial life of New Zealand in which he was one of the outstanding figures. He made his entry into the Xue'of in 1887, in lrbkb year he was returned as the member for Clutha, in succession to Mr J. w Thomson, and he represented that diMtituency until 1896. His abilities in the world of commerce were recognised v fcen he was quite a young man, and in ÜB9 fae was selected by the New Zealand Government to proceed to England u a commissioner with the object of esquiring into various phases of the proitte trade. In the previous year ho m ateorded the honour of representing Xew Zealand at the New South Wales Centennial celebrations in Sydney. In J§94 he was a member of a Royal Commission which was set up to consider taiifl questions. Additional recognition of Sir Thomas Mackenzie's knowledge of commercial aatters came in 1896, when he retired fNot politics for the time being in order to proceed to England as the representative of several colonial mercantile £imi, which were engaged chiefly in the trool and grain business. On this octuion he remained in England for a period of three years, and during that time be rendered invaluable service. Not tie least important of his activities was tit exposure of a good many frauds in connexion with the New Zealand meat trade, these being stopped as a result of bis action. During his residence in England he was appointed a governor of fee Boyal Imperial Institute. On the completion of his mission in England, Sir Thomas Mackenzie returned to New Zealand, and in 1900 was member for Walhemo, on the Stagnation of Sir John McKenzie. Prior to the General Election in 1902, the hoc of the electorate was changed fnaWaibemo to Waikouaiti, for which Mt Sir Thomas was returned. He was tpii elected as the member for Waikmitiw 1905, but an alteration of the dedoial-bonndaries led to that seat beiag eliminated before the election in HQS. The retirement of the late Mr Donald Sctd, jun., from the representatkm of the Taieri electorate left an opeaufr'ud Btr Thomas Mackenzie was elected. &d Inek, however, seemed to matter of selection of yars later another idjartneni bf boundaries led to tbe Taieri (est being wiped out. Sir Tftomif then ttftted his attention to the , North at the General Election in Jm stood for Egmont, for which lent he was returned. In 1901 he mi a member of a Roval Commission ®n e 'nation, and in 1903 he filled the position of chairman of the Parliamentary Commerce Committee. Sir Thomas attained Cabinet rank in *fyyy» WW, when he joined ' Sir Joseph Ward's Ministry, talking over I tbe portfolio of Industries and Comneree, a position for which he was ?j**j*lly itted. He took over the of Agriculture on May Ist, Jw, and subsequently became Minisj? » «farge of Tourist and Health P* also had under bia control , jperiods the Departments of PMt and Telegraph, Lands for and State Forests. ™ General Election in 1911 re- * Mrious set-back for the aifli Ministry, the decision of the electhe two leading Parties PraefeeaHjr equal in strength. At a 5T 0 ' P " hwnent in February, 1912, escaped defeat on a motion on the casting wo of tw Speaker, and he forthwith *8 due course Sir Thomas chosen as the Leader of UintT^* 8 " , P » rt P' he formed a i took office on March of that. year. Sir Thomas became Minister, and he also held the graollos of Lands, Agriculture, and and Commerce, when the next session of wsfWm 6 * M opened a motion of no-mnri-i nnL IB Government was ta aj jA was carried by 41 votes the Mackenzie Government Mthf MaSSey n i ß try on the earliest duties which #«» S We L Govo ra ment was called a - W * B a PP°i n t m ent ta lf» $ Jp°®missioner in succession ®M>l. £* Wra y Palliser, who had we office for a brief period after J" retirement' of Sir William Halla:, (», Massey's choice fell upon Mackenzie. Sir Thomas Un> -1?? . duties with ability from accnu-f l — a period which, on War JL j l ® oceu rrenee of the Great la'wUv an ex tremely difficult one. Ami r>7i oa a member ot "'TTinn ri*? 6 ! 8 R °y fl) Commission, Sir irtTZ-i- numerous other import"Sirirm 11 ' le was High Com- ,. e was a member of the lSli .j? Bosird from 1912 till Dotonif 1 In ho acted as pleniOjjg a .t an international confercpnsidered the question of of life at sea.. Hie also ?* delegate at the Peace ConBru T*!£ n Britain, Austria, BulTurkey in 1919, and actuBiitfti* peace treaty between (fir V** Au . stria s a student and (C® y the lesser-known parts ot **4.-Southland in the 'eighties. ♦t.— ,* aa 9° several notable trips nji.l districts which at the *ttenlin g ttracted only very small y an d as a result of his keen iM» frequent expeditions he nlnJiffy t° contribute a great deal ot "twnlTl. to the Governthe nature and possiiMhr » w the regions he visited. In pdi e iJ?i.® sc P'prßd the Tautuku Forest, t«f* ln *° actors of this terri*®re to all intents and purfean jr tno J® lra at that time. Three iJ? ' " e turned his attention to li«*-?f* 6 -tracts of wild country lying of «»lford Sound and the nead "WinHii r * . nau > he was closely li Quinton Mc-Irwff-.yy? romantic and hitherto un»u "i «. was in the sam« 0). , Sir Tliomas Mackenzie led party into the Matterhom In Beajrc^ 1 Professor Mainand it was on this u k® discovered the pass ~e Manapouri and Hall'f the West Coast. It will also that when Mr Quinton nJr 1 " 1 ? 1 .was lost in 1891, Sir EJ*'™® charge of the expedition out in search, of Jfcho

unfortunate explorer, whose body was never found, although the relief party found his boat and equipment. Three years later further exploring trips were made in the region around Manapouri and Dusky Sound, three new passes being found, and in 1896 Sir Thomas completed the work begun by the former expedition. After this venture into the interior he submitted to the Government an extensive report dealing with the ecology, flora, and fauna of that "No Man's Land." Sir Thomas received his knighthood in 1916, when he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St George. Hp was accorded a higher honour in 1920. when ho was raised to the Order of the Knight Grand Cross St. Michael and St. George. He also held the distinction of Grand Officer of the Crown of Belgium and the honour of LL.D. from the University of Edinburgh. Other honours confered upon him were the fellowship of the Colonial Institute in 1886 and the fellowship of the Royal Geographical Societv in 1898. Sir Thomas was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1921, and was a member of it for the remainder of his life.

In 1884 he married Miss Ida Henrietta Nantes, daughter of Mr Charles Nantes, of Geelong, Victoria, and his familv consisted of five sons and two daughters Lady Mackenzie, predeceased him, having died in 1926 during a visit to Great Britain with her husband. One of his sons, Mr Clutha Mackenzie, lost his sight as the result of a wound at Anzac in August 1915. and subsequently entered the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. Auckland. Since then he has devoted a lot of time and energy to the interests of the institute. of which he has been a director for some years. Another son is Dr. Kenneth who was a student at the Tniversitv of Otago for a time and subsequently completed his medical studies at the Edinburgh University, and another is Mr David S. Mackenzie, who is well known in business circles in Gore. «

ARCHDEACON WAKEFORD. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BT ELECTRIC TELE GRAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received February 14th, 7.45 p.m.) LONDON, February 13. The death is reported of the Archdeacon Wakeford. who has ten the central figure of imuch since he was deprived of his cnurcn offices on the ground of immorality. Ho died insane. .