SIR ERIC GEODES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 3 August 1917, Page 5

SIR ERIC GEODES.

BRITAIN'S NEW FIRST LORD.

SIR EDWARD \CARSON'S SUCC^S SOR AT THE ADMIRALTI'

i There have been wild and whirling < aoout by the war, but, few indeed to equal tnat of Sir jfric Go^des, thfne^ *nst Lord or tne Admiralty n. succession to Sir Edward Carson. S the position of Controller or Supplies at the Admiralty he proved his fitness to? greater things, but ins appointment a m- n ag° l° tlle ]iOud w tn« nat lO n s S, onfp 8?* 111' 8 ,° an? c as.a sul'P™se to most n 1 rOhvlK)m nad considered him W«o Mr Lloyd George has always had his eye on abnhy, and during tne last few months he has "discovered" quite a number of men, who, under th« 5M system, would have remained in obfSS 1? aU theU" dayS ' ncre ' bei "S ofwoith. Ihe British Premier's "discoveries" have already proved their ! mettle, and no doubt k- Lie Gecldes, i who was this week returned to the ■ House 01. Commons for Cambridge will r justify the appointment. i, ".ten hostin ties broke out on that tatetul August night in 1914, Sir Eric —ne was piam "Air" then by ihe way —was just an ordinary 'railwayman, holding a responsible position, it is '^'v^i ? puCy .Manager of the .North-Eastern line, but unknown circl 6 °IUS hh own I Then presently along came Mr Lloyd George, on the look out for men of ! 'pusn and go," and snapped him up I tor his newly-iormed Ministry of Munitions. Next | ie became Director-Gen-nl- °r nf/ lltai'y Railways at the War Office lhen n© was "collared" by Sir Douglas Haig, and whisked off to prance, where he was given the post of l>uector-General of Transportation on the Commander-in Cliie^s%aff. j NOT AN AMERICAN. His work there embraced the entire ; reorgaiusiicion of tne transport ser- ; vices, including the forking ot docks ; main railways, lignt- railways and waterl j «ays. Later ne was appointed to e^r- | ciso general supervision over the wiioie jot the transportation of the Army for all theatres of war, a tremendous reaponsibLity, but one which Sir Eric beddes discharged to the satisfaction of. all concerned. And now lie comes to the Admiralty with almost unlimited powers as regard's, his-own special sphere of work, which will embrace ship-building, ordnance, victualling and transport tor the Navy in addition to the construction of the new standardised ships for our mercantile marine. It has been repeatedly stated that fcsir -trie is an American. He is nothing. oi the son, being a Scotsman born and bred. Doubtless the mistakes arose through his having served his apprenticeship to railroading in the States; where he began as a switchman, and worked up through all the grades handy-man, station clerk, fireman, enginedriver, and so on, in order to gain practical insight from actual experience into the business he intended todevote himself to. THE CABLEGRAM. From America he went to India, and he was helping to manage the Rohilkund and ivumaon Railway there wheix one day a cablegram arrived for him. from England. It was from Sir George v ll hen g€neral manager of the JNorth-Eastern Railway, and now chairman of the Road Board. Gibb had met Sir EJric Geddes at a private dinner party in London when the latter stayed there for a few days on his way to India, had listened to the young man's story of his American experiences, and had been grea% struck by them and by the narrator. He made a mental note of him as a young man that might some day bo : uselul to him. Hence the above-men-tioned cablegram. "Would you be willing to accept post Claims Agent, on the N".E.R."-so the message ran. Sir Eric Geddes cabled back the one word, "Yes." A few hours later he received another cablegram from Sir George Gibb'When can you start?" The answer was: "Starting on Monday —the cablegram was handed to him late on Saturday. And he was as good as his word. That is Sir Eric Geddes all over. Promtitude in dicision has always been one of his main characteristics. Curiously enough, Sir Eric was originally m ton ted for the Army, and was educated to that end at the Oxford! Military College, and at Merehiston Castle School, Edinburgh. But the "call of the wild" was in his blood, and he practically "ran away" to America, where he had soni,e interesting; experiences in western lumber camps, and on the cattle ranges, before starting in as a casual laborer, or "handyman." as it is termed over there m s. station yard ow the Baltimore and Okie Railway. But the young man, although h© . elected to rough it in this fashion comes of a good family. Sir Eric is fond of skooting and golf, but fonder stilT of work. He is fortyone years old, was married in 1900, and has three sons.