Obituary MR E. J. FAWCETT

Press, Volume C, Issue 29695, 13 December 1961, Page 27

Obituary MR E. J. FAWCETT

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. Dec. 12. rvNL 1 - J Pawceu. a former IJ* rector-General of A gram 1•ore. who died early today in Lower Hutt, was one of New Zealand's pioneers in farm economics. He conducted a number of surveys, particularly of the dairy industry, which laid the foundations for much of the subsequent work in this Held. On international economic problems as they affect agriculture Mr Fawcett's opinion was highly respected. He represented New Zealand at a number of conferences of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and was

a member, on a personal basis, of the executive council of the organisation before representation on its council was established on a country basis. He also represented New Zealand at a number of other international meetings. including those formulating the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the international naw materials conference set up in 1951 to allocate supplies of materials affected by the Korean war. Through his activity. New Zealand entered the Second World War supplied with equipment enabling it to maintain its cool storage facilities and ensure a continuation of the supply of food to Britain. Mr Fawcett was born at Tadmore. Nelson, in 1892 and received his early education there. In 1915 he left New Zealand as a second Lieutenant with the seventh reinforcements. He was wounded four times and lost an arm. He won the Military Cross at Passchendaele and was discharged from the Army with the rank of captain in 1918 Shortly afterward he was awarded a Kitchener memorial scholarship on which he entered Cambridge University. Later he was granted a New Zealand Expeditionary Force scholarship. and after three years he completed his B-A. at Cambridge, specialising in agricultural science and economics. Mr Fawcett returned to New Zealand in 1922 and completed his M.A. in 1925. He was instructor in charge of the Gisborne-East Cape area from 1923 to 1925, when he became agricultural economist at head office. In 1936 he was promoted to the position of technical liaison officer. He became assistant-Director-General of Agriculture in 1938 and DirectorGeneral in 1943.