In the Public Eye

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 51, 28 August 1926, Page 27

In the Public Eye

Sir Roderick Jones.

A notable visitor to New Zealand at the present time ia Sir Roderick Jones, chairman and managing director of Router's News Agency, who bogan his career as a correspondent in South Africa when only a lad. After fifteen years of service ho succeeded Baron do Keuter as head of the agency when the latter died in 1915. Sir Eoderick has travelled

a great deal in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa, where ho was stationed for so many years, while in most of the principal centres of Europe he is a wellknown figure. After acting as a Eeuter correspondent iv South Africa ho was appointed African Editor in London in 1902, but returned to his old haunts three years later to take chargo of Keuter's interests in the Union, his new district also including Central 'Africa. Sir Boderick was a delegate to the Imperial Press Conference at Ottawa some years ago, and was again present at the conference which took place in Australia last year. During tho Great War Sir Boderick. Jones did much valuable work, his special efforts being devoted to propaganda work, in which ho proved more than a match for the Germans, even in those countries where their propaganda had already obtained a firm hold. He put Eeuter's organisation at tho service of the Government, and by telling the simple truth in many neutral countries, as well as in those engaged in warfare, did an incalculable amount of valuable work for the Allies. Sir Boderick id now 49 years old, and his has been a busy life, but for all that ho has found time for a considerable amount of magazine writing, his contributions to the "Nine-, teenth Century" and other periodicals being much appreciated. Ho is a keen sportsman, and a good judge of a horse, for some years being master of the Cape Hounds, besides which he has done a great deal of mountaineering in different parts of the world.

Sir Henry Cowan, M.P. One of the members of ' ; Empire Parliamentary Delegation to take part in the conference in Australia, and who is likely to visit this Dominion, Sir Henry Cowan is not a stranger to New Zealand. The last time he was here was certainly twenty-five years ago, but before that time he made several visits to the Dominion, and spent a good deal o£ time here. He is naturally anxious to see what developments have taken place during the last quarter of a century, and like all the other members of the delegation, is hoping that arrangements will be made jfor them to spend some timo in NewZealand. With his early experience of the Dominion, it is natural that Sir Henry should take a great interest in Imperial affairs. He was vice-chair-man of the Empire Development Committee in the House of Commons, but this committee haa now been superseded by another similar committee. He is connected with the child immigration movement as carried on under the Fairbridge scheme in Western Australia. Sir Henry was one of the delegates selected to visit Australia and New Zealand with the first Parliamentary Party in 1913, but owing to the requirements.of his cbnstituency he wr,s enable to go. Sir Henry Cowan is a reliable supporter of the Government, end ia a business man and chairman of an important business firm. He is an Edinburgh man, and was for many years ft Liberal, but during the Coalition Government he became a Conservative, and now represents the North Islington Division in the interest of that party. But for twelve years le sat as a Liberal for East Aberdeenshire. He is a member who is very little heard of in the Conservative Party. Sir Henry and Lady Cowan are greatly interested in Empire development—indeed, the latter •was one of the organisers many years ago of the British "Women's Patriotic League, which has done most useful work —and they are both concerned with child welfare movements.

Mr. William pwacklnder, M.P. Among those who will visit New Zealand and Australia with the Empire Parliamentary delegation next month, •will be Mr. William Mackinder, M.P., who has been a spinn?r and wool comber, and fisherman in the course of his comparatively short career. He is only 46 years of age, and he has been heard to tell the House how he tram ped the streets looking for work. He is a man of tremendous energy, jrhose face is lined with hardships of » difficult life. It was when he was out of 'work from the mills that he went in a trawler for three months, and 'subsequently vowed that neither for God nor man would ho ever go to sea again as a fisherman. His sympathy with the fisherman was the basis of his interest in advocating closer trade with Russia, which, before the war was the largest customer in the world for Scottish and English haddocks. Ho told the House of Commons some time ago how he and his wife worked long hours in the woollen mills, and few members know more about the wool industry than lie does. Mr. Mackinder has always been a strong advocate of trade .with the Dominions. Ho is made of htorn ..-tuff, and, can make very moving speeches about the classes among whom lie was brought up and of whom he is .very proud. He is a man who will be ■heard of in the Labour Party in the House of Commons, and the Govern ment and members always listen to him with respect because of the strength of his convictions and his sincerity. Ho first came into prominence as a member of tho Committeo set up by the Government to inquiro into wool profiteering. Some time ago, Mr. Mackinder accompanied Colonel J. C. Wedgwood and hia family to Bulgaria. They arrived at Sofia two days after the attempted revolution and the bombardment of the Cathedral. During their presence in tho city there wero tho wholesale reprisals by the Government, and the term of what was called the White Terror.

Mr. Seymour Parker-Gilbert. Amongst thoso assembled at Aix-les-Bains this week, an assembly to which "Liberte" and other French.- newspapers drew particular attention on account of many financial notabilities being included, was Mr. Seymour Par-ker-Gilbert, who is recognised throughcut the world as being tho greatest youthful genius in the monetary affairs of nations sinco Alexander Hamilton. [About a year ago he was appointed Agent-General for Reparations under

the Dawes plan, and even now ir only 33 years, old. He is a lawyer hy profession, and became interested in the financial policy of the United State;; Government in 1918, when ho was made a member of the war loan staff in the office of tho Secretary of the Treasury, where he acted as counsel in matters pertaining to the raising of funds for America's part in the World War. Two years later, in June 1920, he was nominated by President Wilson for the post of Assistant-Secretary of the Treasury in charge of fiscal affairs. He served in that position until June, 1921, when ha became Under-SocroFary of tho Treasury, continuing in office until November, 1923. Mr. Parker-Gilbert is r native of Bloomfield, N.J., and a graduate of Rutgers College. Many applicants were desirous of procuring the honour of acting as head of reparations, and several men of distinction are said to have offered their services without either pay or expense allowance, but Mr. Parker-Gilbert was chosen, it is announced, because of his extraordinary qualifications for the position. His lias been the task to stabilise the currency of the world, and it is doubtless proving a colossal task, judging ty the constant fluctuation of the rate of exchange. Another problem he has had to face—and he is still dealing with it—is to carry out the Dawes plan, which has as its 'wo major objects the finding of a way for Germany's reparation payments to be made, and to balance the German Budget and stabilise German currency. That he is still to tho forefront as a financial genius speaks much for his ability and the manner in which he has handled the weighty problems he has been called on to face.

Mr. John Van A. Mac Murray. This weed's cable news contained information that the United States was expected to agree to the conditional relinquishment of its extra-territorial rights.in.China as the result of a study of Chinese conditions by the American Ambassador to Pekin, . Mr. John Van Antwerp Mac Murray. Mr. Mac Murray has had a long and * honourable career in the American diplomatic service, though he started out in life to study law, being admitted to the

Xew Tork Bar in

._-..;. 1906. The following year ho was appointed ConsulGeneral at Bangkok, Siam, and in 190S joined the staff of the United States Embassy at St. Petersburg, since renamed Petrograd and later still Leningrad. Here he remained for three years, after which he returned to his native land to take up the duties of Clerk to the Department of State, being charged particularly with the distribution of information among the diplomatic missions. Mr. Mac Murray next became Chief of tho Division of Near Eastern Affairs, in which office he remained for a couple of years. He then went to Pekin as Secretary of the Legation, and in 1917 was appointed counsellor to the Legation of Tokio. He remained in Japan for some years, occupying s-veral important positions in which his knowledge of international diplomacy was of great value to hig country. In 1919 he returned again to America, where he acted as expert assistant on Pacific and Far Eastern Affairs to the special Commissioners that had been appointed by Congress, the rer ' which he assisted in compiling being presented to the International Conference on the Limitation of Armaments. When China and Japan met in 1922 to consider the question of Shantung, Mr. Mac Murray was present as observer on behalf of hia country. Since then he has occupied the important post of Ambassador to China, where his knowledge of the Orient has served him in good stead in many difficult situations, Mr. Mac Murray edited "Treaties and Agreements with and Concerning China," which reviewed the Chinese situation from 1894 to 1919, and is one of the most valuable books published on the subject of Chinese diplomacy.

Sir Bofcert Home. A prominent figure at the present time in the world's monetary concerns is that of Sir Robert Home, whose presence at Aix-les-Bains this week, in conjunction with . other notabilities in the world of international finance, has been stated by French newspapers to indicate a conference on the war debts settlement question. Although not a member of the British Cabinet at the present time, Sir Eobert has held the portfolios of Labour and the Board of Trade, as well as being Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Coalition Cabinets. He adhered, like Sir Austen Chamhor-

lain, to Mr. Lloyd ' ' George at the now famous Carlton Club meeting—at which Mr. Baldwin took the opposite lane—end resigned with the other Ministers. He maintained fully, however his cordial relations with Mr. Baldwin' but the fall of the Lloyd George Government made Sir Eobert's political future uncertain, while his official activities during the Great War and the post-war period had deprived him of the opportunity of. pursuing his professional career in the years which would have naturally yielded him the greatest return. There had been keen competition for his services in the world of big business, and he naturally decided to take advantage of these opportunities, and was for some years vice-chair-mau of the great engineering firm of Baldwin's, Limited. He is now a director of some of the world's greai business concerns—the Suez Canal Company, tho Great Western Railway Company, Lloyd's Bank, the Commercial Union Assuraneo Company, and other equally important concerns. His university career was exceedingly brilliant. He secured the Ewing Fellowship in. 1894, the John Clark Scholarship iv Philosophy, and first-class honours in mental philosophy, and later became lecturer and examiner in philosophy at a number of the larger universities. Sir Eobert Homo first represented the Hillhead Division of Glasgow in tho Conservative interest in 1018,. and still occupies the seat as a private member.