FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13112, 28 April 1903, Page 3

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

DEATH OF. MR TRAVERS. [Per Pbess -Association.] WELLINGTON, April 27. Mr Travers went to the railway station to seo a friend off, and remained in the carriage until tfoo train began to move. In alighting on to the station platform, he knocked against a guard, who was keeping bystanders away from the train, and fell between the platform and the train. The train was immediately stopped, and the sufferer, who was perfectly conscious and selfpossessed, was removed on a stretcher to his home, rnd medical assistance was summoned. Mr Travers was very badly injured, his nose being broken, a leg horribly crushed, and.others parts injured. Amputation of the leg was necessary, and the operation 1 , took place between midnight and on« o'clock. The victim died four hours later. The deceased, who was eighty-four years of age, and who still practised at the bar, and was in vigorous health, was the oldest, and one of the best known, lawyers in the colony. He was a member of the Executive in the first Parliament of the colony, and later a member of the House of Representatives. He came to the colony in 1849, first settling at Nelson, and then in Canterbury, finally taking up his residence in Wellington. All these- places he represented in Parliament. He was one of the founders and prominent members of the New Zealand Institute.

There wan a large gathering of the legal fraternity in Court this morning, when Mr Bell, president of the New Zealand Law Society, Mr Skerrett, president of the Wellington branch, and the Chief Justice, paid high tribute to the personal character, high attainments, and public services of the deceased gentleman.

Aii inquest touching- the deith of Mr Travers was held this afternoon. The'jury roturned a verdict; of "Accidental death." The. evidence -showed that after tlhe train had moved about forty yard* from thei station, and was travelling at) the rate, of six or seven miles an hour, deceased sprang) off the platform of one of the cars, after ai slight struggle with a boy, who tried' to prevent him doing- so. Deceased jumped right on to the guard, who was looking in the opposite direction, and fell bach against, the cars. The step of one carriage' dragged him about ten yards. Death actu-. ally resulted from hemorrhage on the brain, caused by injury to the skull. DUNEDIN, April. 27.

On the .Supreme Court assembling, Mr Justice Williams paid a tribute of respect to Mr Travers's memory, saying, in conclusion:—His last appearance in Court was on Saturday, when, with great dignity and vigour, be spoke to defend the honour of the. Court with which he had been so long associated. That was, indeed, a fitting crown to a long and useful career. The entire Bar remained standing while his Honoi spoke.

The late Mr William Thomas Locke Travers, F.L.S., qualified for the profession of law in England on July 21, 1845. Arriving in New Zealand on Oct. 19, 1849, he at once commenced practice ; first establishing himself in the, province of Nelson, bo resided there some years, and took » somewhat active part in provincial and colonial politics. In the year 1854, upon tho introduction into New Zealand of representative institutions, he was elected to represent the town of Nelson in Parliament. During this session he was prominently engaged in general legislation, endeavouring to amend various laws, such as: his professional experience enabled him to speak authoritatively upon, and introducing the Legal Estate Bill.' He was included in the Ministry formed by Mr Forsaith, succeeding that of Messrs Fitzgerald, Sewell, Weld and Bairtley. He advocated the desirableness of taking up the question of education, urging them to establish a general system throughout New Zealand. For twenty years or more, however, all educational arrangements were left- in the hands of the provinces, each province exercising the right of establishing a system of its own; but in 1877 the control of education wa.s assumed by the General Government. In the session of 1855, Mr Travers moved that the land funds of the colony should, a,s saon as possible, be relieved of the charges imposed by-the New Zealand Company. This question was subsequently settled to tho satisfaction of the company and the colony by a fixed sum being paid over to the company, in satisfaction of its claim, each province taking upon itself ai share of the burden. His activity in politics being well known to Nelson colonists, both before and after the introduction of provincial institutions, Mr Travers was- elected to the Council to represent Waimea, and unsuccessfully contested the Superintendency of Nelson against two opponents. Shortly after h© was appointed District Judge. Resigning this office, he left the province of Nelson, to settle in Canterbury, whore, for some year*-, he practised his profession. During 1 ibis period, in the year 1866, he offered! himself as a. candidate) for the Superintendency of Canterbury, to which important office, however, the. late Mr W. Sefton Moorhouse was elected. Amongst the important questions at that time agitating the colony was that' of separation. Mr Travers, in his candidature, left no doubt in the minds of southern men a,s to his views upon that mbject. He was plainly opposed; to the political and financial separation of the North and South Islands. Speaking provincially, he expressed .himself in favour of immigration, of carrying out harbour improvements, both at Ly Melton and: Timam, and of constructing a trunk railway from the Kowai to Tima.ru ; and he suggested means of accomplishing these works. On the question of the extension of railways to all parts of the province, he was as enthusiastic as the late Mi- Moorhouse, and proposed lateral horse railwaysi to connect the occupied districts with the main line. To raise the requisite funds ho advised the sale of the purely pastoral lands* at £1 an o.cre, and of lands fitted for agriculture at. £5. The sale of a large area, o<S the former would, he considered, put the* province in the position of being able tot begin at once the construction of these large public works. The sale of the agricultural land would involve the addition of a largo number of agriculturists, and result in the colonisation of the province. Upon the question of education, be held it should be compulsory, and was in favour of making' every man, single or married, contribute an annual sum; and, if necessary, would' vote for giving a supplementary subsidy to meet the case of thinly-populated districts. He recommended the constitution, of a. body of management, partly central and partly local—the central Board to consist of one delegate from each local Board. He sa.W no objection to denominational education, provided the education offered to the child) in other respects was equal to that provided by the State. His views on the incidence of taxation inclined to freetrade, and he hoped to see the day when Custom) Houses would be a thingi of the past. Mr Travers represented the City of Christchurch in the House of Representatives, where he is to be credited with the introduction of several importaut measures; amongst these was the New Zealand Bankruptcy Bill. He also drew attention to the inefficiency of the law of divorce then in force.. Although always, actively engaged in the practice of his profession, Mr Travers found time to- read several papers before the Wellington Philosophical Society on the ornithology and botany of New Zealand, ■on the Auckland coalfields, tho Chatham Islands and the life and customs of the Maori race. During recent years Mr Travers has practised his profession in Wellington, and has taken no prominent part in public life.