A REMARKABLE CAREER.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19975, 9 July 1930, Page 11

A REMARKABLE CAREER.

TELEGRAPH BOY TO PRIME MINISTER. Of Sir Joseph Ward it may be said that from his birth he was evidently destined to occupy a high place in commerce, and his future as a financier of more than ordinary acuteness eould hajve been foretold. He was the' son of William Thomas Ward, a Melbourne merchant, and was born at Emerald Hill on April 26th, 1858. A portion of his early education he received privately in Melbourne, and when, with his parents, he came to New Zealand, it was con? tinued at the State School at Bluff. That his schooling did not occupy the years that the modern youth's occupies is Indicated by the fact that at 13 years of age he entered the Post and Telegraph | Department as a messenger, a job he held for some years. He left it to join j the staff of a mercantile office, and j when 20 years of age he entered the Railway Department. It is interesting here to record that in after life Sir. Joseph was Ministerial head of both these Departments of State. When 21 years of age he embarked ui business on his own behalf as an export merchant, the sum of £BOO being placed; at his disposal by his mother. Success crowned his efforts, and soon he waß well established in-business.. As an indication of the advantage that young Ward took of the opportunities that presented themselves to him, it is recorded that when he became a Minister he delivered a political speech at Winton, and there being no officer of the P. and T. Department there capable of transmitting the Press Sir Joseph transmitted it himself. Evidently, either when a telegraph messenger, or when in the Bailway Department, he had mastered the Morse alphabet and attained some proficiency in operating. Enters Public Life. In 1878 Sir Joseph made his first appearance as a public man. Bluff township had been created a municipality under the name of Campbelltown, which' has given place to the shorter name of Bluff, and J. G. Ward, still a very young man for public life, was elected one of the first members of the Borough Council. In this position his business methods resulted in the young councillor soon mastering the details of municipal' administration. Three years later he was elected Mayor of the borough, an office he occupied for five years; he occupied the Mayoral chair later, 1897-8. He was first elected to the Bluff Harbour Board in 1889 and, with a brief interval, continued a member for ten years, and was chairman from 1883-8 and from 1893-4. On the Borough Council he found scope for his talents in finance, and as chairman of the Harbour Board an opportunity to show his faith in the future of the port by forwarding schemes for its improvement. In addition to these important activities Mr Ward showed proficiency in cricket, football, and rowing; he also served in the Volunteers, first in the G Battery Artillery, then in the Naval Volunteers, and later in the Winton Rifleß and Bluff Guards. It will be seen that the future Prime Minister received a good grounding in public service that stood him in good stead in the wider field of politics. Member for Awarna. In 1887, Mr Ward as he then was, contested the Awarua seat, a con-, stituency that he was to represent in Parliament continuously (with the exception of a three years' period) for thirty-two years. He stood as a Liberal. His principal opponent was Mr J. W. Bain, a prominent and clever journalist, proprietor of the "Southland Times," who had a long and honourable experience of public affairs. The General Elections of 1887 saw the defeat of the Stout-Vogel Government, which was not quite Liberal, though It numbered many strong Liberals in its

ranks. The Atkinson Government Wsumed office as the result of th® JBo7 polls. Messrs J. G. Ward and W. 3P. Reeves were the new talent of young blood in the new Parliament. MrWai'd, elegant and supple of figure, genial and pleasant in manner, and spic and* span in his attire, attracted general .attention. He startled the Heuse by ,*» . v -exhaustive- speech 1 "on the - .Bail cisco mail' service, a subject of much, intricacy,. involving a, first-hand knowledge of ships, their speeds, costs, and profits. Few, if .any, who, heard tbs speech foresaw that the /speaker; would become Postmaster-General ot the 00minion, and one of the most successful. In 1890, a few months before the General Election, the maritime £ttike rtsulted in a clear line of demarcation between the two political Pattieft \ Sm elections resulted in a veritable landslide, the Atkinson Party being pi*etically obliterated, and a short' amfsion in 1891' put the Liberal Party ill power \ under the Premiership of Mr Ballanee, and in his Ministry Mr Ward W*a Postmaster-General and ComnHiflrioTi6r - of Electric Telegraphs. The reduction, in telegraph rates, involving the'iatro- x duction of the sixpenny telegram, due to Mr Ward's initiative. He ,WJu; also a strong advocate of penny pottage, which he ultimately carried fyito effect. Early in his Ministerial, career, -, Mr Ward renewed the Ban Francisco mail, service on improved terms. He 1 made an admirable debating speech iu " support of Mr Ballanee'*lß92 Budget, - and impressed the House' by his gr&sp of financial matters. On the fofmatfctn of the Beddon Ministry, after Mr/Ballanee's death,Mr Ward became ColOnM Treasurer. <• '- . Banking Crisis, In 1894 the Government, and" toks Colonial Treasurer in particular, wereconfronted with the great task iUtpoised -. upon them by the p&rlous state into which the Bank of New Zealand had fallen. A financial crisis, of the first magnitude 'threatened, the Dominion. A commission had been set up to emfaire v into the affairs of the bank and to report to Parliament. Mr Ward had been oil a business visit to Australia, where disaster had overtaken many banks. He,, returned with the strong conviction •' 1 that those banks should have been' rescued by the Government- pledging the public credit. The report of , the eo»-" mission into the Bank of New Zeaßtid was, presented to both Houses of Parliament ob Jnne 29 th. The Government determined to go to 1 thw' juumrtj^nn.fi. the bank, and at one sitting the BflV empowering it to advance . £2,000,000 to the b&nk was put through all its stages in both Houses. Thus the greatest crisis in the financial fciatory of tfce Dominion was averted and the fln*Uelal reputation of the Colonial Tntsnr was greatly increased. Ttfliiid StUintßii _lt fcU to the lot of the Ctfomti Treasurer to devise means wherebythe settlement of the Dominion's IUMiS could bo accelerated, andthe'resvlt was the Advances to Settlers' policy The Bill, which became law in authorised the Government to'rsife a sum not exceeding £1,500,000 to be advanced to aettlers on freehold security. It was proposed to issue 8| per cent. Inscribed Stock to provide the finance for the scheme. In the face of some opposition, the Bill was passed. The policy has proved successful and has been extended Sy succeeding Governments to assist' workers to secure dwellings and in other directions. . Mr Ward's 1885 Budget disclosed that he had raised a 3 per cent. ]o&h in London realising £94 8s 9d, in favourable contrast to Australian issues at 34 per cent. To his other portfolios Mr Ward hid added that of Commissioner of ' Customs, and in 1885 he piloted a Tariff Bill through the House. Those were strenuous .times for the Colonial' Treasurer, who also was Minister -for Industries and Commerce and Minister for M&rine; later'ha held the portfolios of Colonial Secretary 0899 to 1906), Minister for Railways 'I9OO to 1906). Minister for H«aHi;£we first in the world) from 1900' to> 1806. Tn the session of 1896. for/business reasons. Mr Ward resigned from Parliament. and he was absent for three years. As he told the Hopse. he fitoed M.

his business troubles "hopefully and with courage, and with the determination to be again actively associated, with those among whom I have so long shared the toils of Ministerial life , in, the interests of our country." Three years later he was back in Parliament, and" in tho Governor's Speech at, the opening of tbe 1900 session it was announced that his Excellency had called Mr Ward to his Councils. Knighthood Conferred. Amongst the New Year.honours published in 1901 was the announcement that Mr Waijd had been created a K.C.M.G. His investiture (with others) was made at Government House by the Duke of Cornwall and York ..(now hjs Majesty King George V). Sir Joseph did not, on nis return to the. Cabinet, take uo the portfolio of Colonial Treasurer, 'which Mr Seddon had filled after Sir Joseph's temporary retirement from politics. "He took-office as Postmaster General niid Commissioner of Telejrraphs. Min'ster for Industries and Commerce, and Minister for Railways In liis administration of the railways Sir Joseph did not take political views of his work, but took the view th.it thev must pay something more than expenses, and aimed at a profit of about 8 per cent. This policy he ad ministered with great ability. To secure a personnel efficient and contented he-advocated _ and ultimately secured a superannuation scheme for railway servants. Health Legislation. In 1901 a notable advance was made in legislation dealing with public health bv oho passage of the Public Health Bill, which placed health matter under jt separate Department of State. Sir Joseph became the first Minister for Health in the world. Tho following year (ISJO2) he was able to state thar though the Department had not been feticcessfu! "in preventing the occurrence of bubonic plague,- the health authorities had been able to circumscribe the sphere of action of cases of plague so that nothing in the nature of an epidemic took place. During the absence of Mr Seddon in England in 1902 at the coronation of King Edward VII., Sir Joseph became Acting-Premier, and proved his ability to discharge the duties of lead-n-shi') of the House. In 1903 the Railway Superannuation Fund, for which Sir Joseph was responsible, came into operation It was in 1902, whije Sir Joseph was Acting-Prime Minister, that a settlement was reached in connexion with the Midland Railway. The House sanctioned the payment of £150,000 by way of compensation to the Midland Railway Company, and its debentureholders. At the time there was strong opposition to the proposal to pay anything to the debenture-holders. In 1905, after several years' discussion, Parliament sanctioned the purchase of the Mnnawatu Railwav Company's line, the price being £925,000. Amongst other postal conferences attended by Sir Joseph was the one held at Rome in 1906. At this conference Sir Joseph advocated universal pennv postage and secured much support. It was op January Ist, 1901, that penny post.ige came, into effect in the Dominion; • First Premiership. While Sir Joseph was in Rome, Mr Seddon died and Sir Joseph, on his return to the Dominion, became Prime Minister and remained in office till 1612. '"•••■ ' . , At Imperial Conference. / jSir Joseph first represented the Dominion at the Imperial Conference in 1007, and in the Bame year secured recognition of New Zealand as a Dominion. At this conference Sir Joseph expressed views on the value of cooperntion . between the . Homeland and t&o Dominions overseas. At the 1911 Imperial Conference he stood for the same idea. In a speech before the conference he said that he considered that a definite forward step should be made in the organisation of the Empire to help the• sentimental bond already well reinforced by the local autonomies prevailing throughout the Empire, and lie fully subscribed to Mr Asquith's declaration that "the colonies are each mistress of their own house, hut all daughters in the house of the King." Sir. Joseph proposed the .first great step toward the organisation of the Empire—the establishment" of un Imperial Council. The ipotion ho submitted set out that "there should be an Imperial Council of State, with representatives from all the self-governing parts of the Empire, in theory and in fact, advisory to the Imperial Government on all questions affecting the interests of his iH'itjesty's Dominions overseas." The discussion that ensued disclosed many difficulties and ultimately the motion waa withdrawn. In making the withdrawal Sir Joseph declared his belief in the eventual acceptance of some similar scheme shaped from the roughhewn Nock of his offering The conferences held during the war period witnessed the co-operation of all parts of the Empire in the councils of the war itself, a result traceable to the work of the 1911 conference. Later Career. In 1906 Sir Joseph, as Prime Minister and Colonial Treasurer, introduced and. had passed legislation making a. sinking fund compulsory in respect of loans raised for war and defence, and four years later there was pawed th© Publio Debt Extinction Act, ' In 1909. when the possibilities of the growth of Germany's naval power were being viewed with some alarm,' Sir Joseph startled, not only the Dominion, but the Empire also, by offering the Imperial Government one, or if necessary, two, battle cruisers. The offer was accepted in respect of one vessel, H.M.S. New Zealand. In recognition of this great service, his Majo?ty tbe King conferred a baronetcy on Sir Joseph. Amongst legislation passed during Sir Joseph'B first Premiership was the Aid to Water-power Works Act (1910). " juider which the Government took upon itself the development of hydroelectric power schemes. In 1910 the compulsory military service legislation was placed on the Statute Book. On August 12th, 1915, the National Government, . necessitated by the exigencies of the war, came into exisfolios of Finance and Postmaster-Gen-eral. The National Government continued t'll August 21st, 1919, when it waa broken up by the_ withdrawal of Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues of the Liberal Party. As a member of the National Government Sir Joseph did excellent work in London at an Imperial Conference, in the British War Cabinet, and at the Peare Conference in Paris . Mr' Massey, as Prime Minister, had a right to be the sole representative of the Dominion in London. but it wns tbonpbt proner and jjiut that the Government, being a "xinion of the two principal Parties in tlie State, should have a representative from each side . * . ; - A't- th'& General -Election in 1919 Sir ;.J«tie*ih waft defeated -in hia candidature ■ for: the Awarua. ; .scat, and:-in 1923 at . the by-election: for the- Tnuranpa seat he was again defeated. .At the 1928 election Sir Joseph was returned or the Xbvercargill seat. The election resulted in the-- defeat of the Coates' Governtaont and rwj the United Party assuming office Sir Joseph entered upon his second term as Prime Minister of this Jtominioo.