NEW YEAR HONOURS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 133, 1 March 1929, Page 12

NEW YEAR HONOURS

NEW ZEALAND RECIPIENTS HON. W. NOSWORTHY AND DR. CARRICK ROBERTSON KNIGHTED His Excellency the Governor-General has announced that His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to confer upon the gentlemen named below the honours mentioned. It will be remembered that the issue of the list, which in the ordinary course of events would have been made on New Year’s Day, was postponed owing to His Majesty’s illness. KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE (K.C.M.G.): THE HON. WILLIAM NOSWORTHY, of Ashburton. KNIGHT BACHELOR: DR. CARRICK HEY ROBERTSON, of Auckland. COMPANION OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE (C.M.G.): MR. HUGH FRASER AYSON, of Rarotonga; Resident Commissioner of the Cook' Islands and Chief Judge of the High Court and Native Land Court in those islands. MR. JOHN WILLIAM MACDONALD, of Wellington; Public Trustee. COMMANDER OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CIVIL DIVISION) (C.8.E.): MR. JOHN BAIRD THOMPSON, of Wellington; Under-Secretary of the Lands and Survey Department.

SOME BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

SIR WILLIAM NOSWORTHY Sir William Nosworthy was born at St. Albans, Christchurch, in 1867, and in 1909 married a daughter of Edward G. Wright, a former member of Parliament. Mr. Nosworthy was educated at Turrell’s School, Cook's Private School, and the Christchurch Boys' High School. On leaving school, Mr. Nosworthy was employed in a grain merchant’s office for two years, and later spent some time on the Parnassus station, at Amuri. He was four years with I. W. Williams, of Waipiro station, Gisborne; and in-1885 returned to Canterbury, where he joined his brother in sheepfarming nt Waitohi Downs, North Canterbury. In 190 Q he and his brother purchased “Whakare,” a part of the original Arama station, on which they have farmed ever since. Mr. Nosworthy was elected as member of

Parliament for Afchburton in 1908, and represented that constituency continuously until it was abolished by the Representation Commissioners this year. After four years in Parliament, be was, in 1912, appointed Chief Government Whip, and was also Chief Whip during the life of the National Government. In 1919 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Immigration, and Tourists, in the Massey Government, and on the death of Mr, Massey, in May, 1925, took ,ulso the portfolio of Finance. In 1926 he relinquished Finance and Agriculture, and was appointed Postmaster-General and Minister of External Affairs, which latter portfolio he resigned to Mr. Coates when leaving on his recent visit to Canada. As Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Nosworthy sponsored the Meat, Dairy Produce, Fruit and Honey Control Bills, and as Minister of Finance, was responsible for a notable alteration in the method of repayment of the public debt. His policy in the administration of the mandate over Western Samoa has recently received the approbation of the Mandates Commission pf the League of Nations. He did not seek Parliamentary honours at the recent election.

SIR CARRICK ROBERTSON Sir Carrick Robertson, K. 8., M. 8., B.S. (London), F.R.C.S. (England), and F.A.C.S. (Hon.), Foundation Fellow of the College of Surgeons of Australasia, and past president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association lias enjoyed a brilliant career as Bsurgeon, his work receiving wide recognition. He was born in Glasgow m 18<0, and spent his boyhood days in London. There also he attended St. Dunstan s College Sir Carrick received his medical education at the London University and Guy’s Hospital, where he was awarded, among other prizes, the treasurers gold medal. He came to New Zealand in 1906, and for five years was superintendent of the Waihi Hospital. In 1911 he commenced the practice of his profession in Auckland. In addition to being a past president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, he has. been on two occasions president of the Auckland division of the association. Sir Carrick is recognised as one of the premier surgeons of New Zealand. For 15 years he has rendered invaluable public service at the Auckland Hospital in the capacity of an honorary surgeon to that institution. In 1915 apd 1916 he saw war service from the surgical aspect. Sir Carrick married the daughter of Air. C. Max-well Hibberd,- of Jersey, late Postmaster-Gen-eral of Natal.—Special Service. MR. H. F. AYSON, C.M.G. Mr. Hugh Fraser Ayson was born at Cluthn in 1884. being a son of Mr. L. F. Ayson, one time Chief Inspector of New Zealand Fisheries. He was educated at Masterton State School, Wellington College, and Victoria University College. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor, and from 1905 until 1916 was a partner iu the legal firm of Bunny and Ayson in Wellington. He married a daughter of Mr. Charles Hollard, by wiiom he had two daughters. Ip 1916 he was appointed a Judge of the Native Land Court, a Judge of the High Court, and Deputy Resident Commissioner for Cook Islands. From 1918 until 1922, he acted as Judge of the Native Land Court at Rotorua, and in 1922 was appointed Resident Commissioner of Cook Islands, and Chief Judge of the High Court apd Native Land Court.

MR. J. W. MACDONALD, C.M.G. Mr. J. W. Macdonald, the eldest son of the late Mr. J. A. Macdonald, of Timaru, was born in Christchurch, and received his education in Timaru. Qu leaving school ho joined the staff of the “Lyttelton Times,” in Christchurch, but on subsequently qualifying for admission to the Public Service, was appointed to the Justice Department, and took up duty in the Warden’s Court, at Clyde; from which position he was transferred to the staff of the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington, where be applied himself to the study of the law, and qualified for admission to the legal profession. In 1906 he was appointed to the Legal Division of the Public Trust Office, receiving in the succeeding year an appointment to the position of Assistant Solicitor. On the retirement of Mr. F. J. Wilson, in 1909, Mr. Macdonald was appointed Solicitor to the Public Trust Office, and in that capacity inaugurated and developed a progressive policy with regard to the legal work, which has been an outstanding feature of the Public Trust Office since that time. Further promotion came in 1917, when he was appointed to the position of Assistant Public Trustee. In that position, he played an important part in the reorganisation of the office, rendered necessary, by tho rapid growth of business, and the extension of the principle of decentralisation of the office work. Mr. Macdonald's appointment to the position of Public Trustee, in 1920, gave him an opportunity of developing and completing the policies which he had already assisted to inaugurate. Special duties fell to him tb discharge during the war. Under the War Regulations Act, he took over in 1916 the duties of Custodian of Enemy Property, and upon the termination of the war he assumed the complementary duties of Controller of the New Zealand Clearing Office, established under the Treaty of Versailles, which duties still continue. The important development in rural finance, which was marked by the pass-

ing of the Rural Intermediate Credit Act of 1927, imposed additional duties on Mr. Macdonald. Under the Act, the Public Trustee is ex officio constituted chief executive member of the Rural Intermediate Credit Board, with the designation of Commissioner of Rural Intermediate Credit. In this capacity it fell to Mr, Macdonald to carry out the organisation and administration of the new scheme. Mr. Macdonald is also a member of the Government Railways Superannuation Board, the State Advances Board, the Government Insurance Board, the Native Trust Office Board, and the Public Debt Commission, besides holding the position of chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Board of Governors, which deals with the allocation of grants to charities under the will of the fate Thomas George McCarthy. Mr. Macdonald has served since 1914 as one of the members of the Public Service Superannuation Board, elected by the Public Service, while since 1923 lie has occupied the position of chairman of that board.

MR. J. B. THOMPSON, C.B.E. Mr. J. B. Thompson was bom in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland, and came With Jiis pejpple to the Dominion, where he was educated at p.ublic and private schools. Adopting the profession or civil engineering and surveying, he served his articles with the well-known old Auckland firm of Boylan, Lundon, and Vogan. In 1891, Mr. Thompson entered the service of the Lands and Survey Department, becoming Assifitant-Sui'veyoi’ ill 1893. In 1907 he was promoted to the position of district surveyor, and in 1910 became land drainage engineer in charge of the development of the Hauraki Plains reclamation works. In 1912 Mr. Thompson became chief drainage engineer as head of the land drainage branch of the Lands and Survey Department. In 1921 the Government instructed Mr. Thompson to Proceed to Canada and the United States of America for eleven months to look into reclamation methods in those countries, and to Purchase machinery for works in this Dominion. Mr, Thompson obtained the most modern equipment possible, consisting of dipper dredges, dry land *xcavators, and drag-line excavators, all of mobile nature, apd mainly operated by internal combustion ‘engines. In 1922 Mr, Thompson was promoted to the position of Under-Secretary for Lands, thus becoming the administrative head of the Lands and Survey Department. His immediate work was the stabilising of the position of soldier settlers and Crown tenants who had suffered reverses due to the slump following the Great War. In 1927 he became Controller of 'Land Furchase, following the absorption of the Lands for Settlement

Department by the parent Department. Early this year Mr. Thompson was appointed Biiirveyor-General. He is chairman of the Dominion Land Purchase Board, Soldiers’ Revaluation Board, Do-

minion Revaluation Board, Tongariro National Park Board, Surveyors’ Board, and Scenery Preservation Board respectively. and is a member of the State Advances Bog”d, Rural Credits Board, Native Lund Purchase Board, Town Planning Board, and the Native Trustee Board. Mr. Thompson is also a member of the N.Z. Surveyors’ Institute'and N.Z. Society of Engineers.