A STEP HIGHER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1424, 26 April 1912, Page 2

A STEP HIGHER.

MR. JAMES MACKENZIE,

PAREWELLED BY LAND BOARD,

Mr. James Mackenzie, who is shortly to relinquish the position of Commissioner of Crown Lands at Wellington, to take up (lie higher post of Surveyor-General, p re . sided over the Land Hoard for tile iast time yesterday. At the conclusion of tho meeting tho members took leave of him, wishing him happiness and success, ami making iiim a present of <iii enlarged photograph, handsomely trained, of tne members of the board, and the chief otiicers of tlie siiill'.

Mr. .1. Dawson was deputed by the members of Hie board to make the presentation. He congratulated Mr. Mackenzie on his well-neserved promotion, which, he said, was achieved alter an apiireiuicoslnp ol hard work in the service of tho Crown. Tliey were sorry lo lose liim as Commissioner, but more Hum pleased to too him promoted to a high ofhee. Mr. Mackenzie must be indeed proud tp haro reached such a high position in the service, and to too his brother at aLmost the same time made Premier or the Dominion. The Hon. Thomas Mackenzie was u

"goer," and if he could Hold the position of Premier ho would do great good lor tho country. And Mr. James Mackenzie, in his high position would be alile to benelit the farming industry—the grcalest industry in the country.

Tho other members of tho board, Messrs, 11. T. L'lliiigliani, W. M'Lonnau, and J. Georgotti joined with Mr. Dawson in expressing appreciation of the Commissioner's able administration of the Crown lands of tho district, and of his courteous and kindly treatment of tenants. They ull wished that he should bo successful in his new post, and that he should live long to occupy it. Mr. Mackenzie, in reply, thanked tli« members for their kind remarks. A« this would be their last meeting, he would like to say that it hud always been a great pleasure to him to be associated with this board, and the other bonrds in the Dominion over which he had presided. He had always hecii fortuiia'o in having associated with him thoroughly practical men, with one end in view—lo administer the Crown lauds fairly, and to do everything possible for the tenants. It was now something like forty years since ho first became conuecY'd with tho Wellington oll'tce as a young surveyor, and it was forty-live years since he first joined tho Lands and Survey Department. Things had altered very much in that time in the general administration of land throughout the entire. Dominion, lit the old days I here was nothing but the freehold, and the work tvas much simpler in consequence. Now they- had a great many involved tenures lo deal with, and the boards had a great deal more to think about. Most of tho tenures were leaseholds, nnd the tenants were men of small means. They had tho waster, "tho speculator, and tho bona-fido man, and it was very ton! often to discriminate as to which class people belonged. He had come to the conclusion, after twelve years' experience as Commissioner in threo districts, that (ho speculators in Taranaki could lw counted on, the fingers of one hand, and in each of tho other two districts, Wellington and Auckland, on the fingers of two hands. Of course, there were wasters—men who were wasters from their upbringing, and who would be wasters to the end. Tliey wero cumberers of the ground, and they had to be got rid of, but the great bulk of our settlers were a splendid class ot men. He had always had the deepest sympathy for those settlers toiling under difficulties in the far back-blocks, nnd tliey needed nil the help the boards could give. them. Prom first io last; he had always felt it was the duly of the Commissioner to give to tho genuine settler tho benefit of every doubt. This he had tried to do, and (ho board had always helped him.

ill tlio four years that ho hail been in. Wellington (ho Department lmd opened up n great-deal of land, and mixing wiMr the settlers' Hie '• board had found out whero ilio land was wanted, mid where, tho shoo pinched, and had so l>;on ahla to caso somewhat the hard conditions that a pi-cat many of them had had to liv« under. . Ho thanked the members for (heir verykind remarks, niul for their handsome, gift, which would always remind him of the office in which he had spent the. verv best years of his life. Going back into the earlier days in tlio Wellington office, tho Coiumissionersliip had been held by some of tlio ablest men the Dominion had known—great giants of tho past—such men as Fox, Sir William Fitz-lierbei-t. and Dillon Bell. In,later years the holders of tho position' had b?on much smaller potatoes intellectually, hut so long as he lived he would never forget liis association with an oflico which had held such a high place in the historical records of tlio Dominion. He also paid a tribute to the oflicers with whom ho had conio in contact. He had always been fortunate, in having the services of loyal helpers. In Wellington ho mentioned especially the Chief Clerk, Mr. Wright, who was a perfect: encyclopaedia of information on land matters, and one of the ablest officers the. Land Hoard ever had.