Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1925. SIR ROBERT STOUT

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 November 1925, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1925. SIR ROBERT STOUT

Official confirmation is now made of the “open secret” previously published that Sir Robert Stout was to resign as Chief Justice in favour .of Mr. C..P. Skerrett K.C., and thus the public • career of Sir Robert may be regarded as drawing to an end. He has had a long innings, and has filled many posts with distinction, and his retirement will doubtless call forth many tributes to his public services. He is so remarkably active that it is difficult to realise that he is in his 82nd year, and he is certainly entitled to retire. Born in the Shetland Isles, he was educated at the parish school of Lerwick, where he became a pupilteaeher. He came to New Zealand in 1863, remaining in the scholastic profession in Otago till 1871. He was then admitted to the Bar, and was appointed to the staff of Otago University. In 1872-6 he was a member of the Otago Provincial Council, and later , became Judge in the Land Claims Court; He was elected to represent Caversham in the House of Representatives, and secured his first Ministerial office as Attorney General, and Minister of Lands and Immigration in Sir George Grey’s Cabinet in 18/8. Owing to the serious illness of his professional partner, Sir Robert retired temporarily from ■ public life, but in 1884, he was elected. to Parliament for Dunedin. He with Sir Julius Vogel, formed a coalition Cabinet, Sir Robert being Premier, Attorney General and Minister of Education. When this Government was defeated in .1887, Sir Robert retired from politics, but in 1893 he was returned at a byelection for Inangahua. In the following year he was chosen by the Wellington City electors as their representative, and that was the end of his Parliamentary career, as lie, in 1899 was appointed Chief, Justice. He has, thus, held that honour for about 26 years, a record that will be difficult to surpass. Sir Robert has been the recipient of numerous honours, his prominence in education matters being a feature of his activities. He was Chancellor of the New Zealand University from 1903 to 1922, and has been awarded lion. D.C.L. from Oxford University and hon. LL.D, from Edinburgh and Manchester. He was created a K.C.M.G. in 1886, and later was appointed to the Privy Council. He Uris filled other posts, and secured further honours, but the foregoing brief summary will be ample evidence that Sir Robert is one of the most notable men among the many who have served the Dominion. It is not necessary to agree with all his opinions in admitting his worth. His strong views on the liquor traffic he has never troubled to hide, even on the Bench, where a judicial attitude is expected to prevail, but every man has his idiosvncracics. It will not be these that'will be recalled at this juncture, but the fact, that, he is one of the few survivors among Those who have watched New Zealand grow from a struggling Colony to a pros-

per Otis Domiiiion. He lias not merely watched, but has done his part to bring about the national pi’ogrOss; ItiS has beet! d romantic Careefj intellect arid ilot being the commodity iri Which he dealt. He may not be well kribiyd to the man-in-the-street, but to those who can realise his abilities, and his connection with past and present New Zealarid, there will be regret that the hour has come for Sir Robert to retire from the public life he has helped for so long to Uplift. •'