MR. MILLAR'S "POSITION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 71, 23 March 1912, Page 11

MR. MILLAR'S "POSITION.

[by telegraph— special to the post.] DUNEDIN, This Day. j The Star says : — "We deeply regret ' that the Liberal-Labour Party have not i seen their way to accept the Hon. J. A. Millar as a. chief, because we houj estly believe that his accession to suI preme power would have meant the inception of a- new progressive policy,' likely to attract and eatisfy democratic feeling. Unfortunately, our latest information is to the effect, first that the protraction of the 'caucus' did not tend to unanimity, and secondly, that North Island (probably freehold) influence has practically precluded the success of Mr. Millar's nomination. The last word at vvo go to press is that Mr. Millar considers himself to have been rather badly treated, and that he proposes to take up an independent attitude, and possibly to_ take counsel with his Dunedin constituents in respect to the situation. We are constrained to suggest that if the Minister of Railways had displayed more energy since the .General Election, if there had not been a widespread suspicion that his ambition a 6 a public man was slackening, the result might have been very different. "- ONLY A LOCUM TENENS. (bt teleoeakh— special to the post.] DUNEDIN, This Day. The Daily Times, after pointing out that Mr.' Mackenzie has the necessary qualifications for a leader, says : — "What will probably condemn him throughout the country, however, is prevalence of the impression that the political convictions he now expresses are not very deeply entertained by him, and from this, as well as from the fact that' his association with Ministerialists has been of so shoit duration, it follows that he will be held to have secured a position which he has not earned. There is hardly anything more fatal to a politician than the existence of a popular disbelief in his sincerity." In a further article, in which it says Sir Joseph Ward will be the' power behind the throne till he is called on again to assume the leadership, the Times says the 'leader who has now been appointed can only be viewed as a locum tene'ns, and if the party were to remain in power, though that, is not to bo anticipated, the Ministry he forms could only be regarded as a warmingpan Ministry. • MR. MACKENZIE'S CAREER. The Hon. T. Mackenzie is fifty-eight years of age, and, though born in Edinburgh, has lived in New Zealand since his earliest years, He, has been a bush farmer and a land surveyor, and has engaged in commerce. He was fiiet elected to the House of Representatives as member for Clutha in 1887. In 1899 he was appointed by the New Zealand Government a Commissioner to proceed to England and enquire into produce trade, and in 1896 he again visited the Old Country privately for a similar purpose, and spent three years there, representing several colonial mercantile firms in the wool, meat, and grain business. During that time he exposed and stopped several frauds in connection with the New Zealand meat trade, for which he received the thanks of the London merchants and some valuable presentations of plate. While in London also he inaugurated the annual New Zealand dinner reunion, at which "almost everything on the table was .New Zealand grown. He has at various times since he entered Parliament represented the Waihemo arid_Taieri constituencies^ but as the last-named constituency was wiped off the map at the last redistribution Of boundaries, he contested the Egmont seat against the sitting Opposition member, Mr. Dive, 'and was v returned by a substantial majority/ ■ Mr. Mackenzie is, it may be added, openly proud ■of the fact that he has never been defeated "at a Parliamentary election. He was also Mayor of Roslyn for four years, and for six years was a member (and two years chairman) of the Otago Education ■ Board, a member of the Otago Charitable Aid Board, a trustee-- of the Dunedin Hospital, and treasurer of the Otago High School Board of Governors. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Governor of the Imperial Institute (London), and he was a member of the Tariff Commission and the Education Commission, and chairman of the Extension of Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. In Parliament Mr. Mackenzie was for many years an Independent, frequently with Opposition leanings, but during the recess of 1907-8 he publicly announced that he had decided to join> the Government party, his reason being that it was a time, in his opinion, for moderate men to stand together to oppose the demands of extreme Socialism. On the land question he is a pronounced freeholder. He first attained Cabinet rank in January, 1909, on the reconstruction of the Ward Government, being appointed aa honorary member of Cabinet, with the portfolios of Industries and Commerce and Minister in charge of Tourist and Health Resorts, Scenery Preservation, and State Forests Departments. In May of .that year he was appointed to full Cabinet rank, and given the additional portfolio of Agriculture, and since then has at different -times acted as Postmaster-General, Minister of Education, and Minister of Customs. When not engaged in political or administrative affairs, Sir. Mackenzie is an enthusiastic explorer, in which capacity he nas done valuable work in the South Island, particularly in the Cold Lakes district and the fiord country. For his services in that direction he was, in 1897, on the motion of Sir John Lubbock, elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. As Minister for Agriculture he has initiated several experiments, including the re-grassing of large -areas of pastoral Crown lands in the South Island,- the building up of a .first-class dairy herd at the Weraroa Station, and so on. In fact, agriculture and land settlement are the two things in vyhich the new Prime Minister' is particularly interested, and it is common knowledge that he is ambitious' of obtaining < full control . of' the country's policy in regard to both those Departments.- ;