NEW YEAR HONOURS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 28, 2 January 1926, Page 7

NEW YEAR HONOURS

TWO PRIVY COUNCILLORS. NEW KNIGHTS BACHELOR. (Per Tress Association.) AUCKLAND, Dec. 31. His Excellency the Governor has received advice that oil the occasion of the New Y'ear His Majesty tho King has been graciously pleased to confer the following honours on tho gentlemen whose names appear below : PRIVY COUNCILLOR. Tho Hon. Joseph Gordon Coates, M.C., M.P., Prime Minister. The Hon. Sir Francis Dillon Bell, G.C.M.G., K.C., Attorney-General, Minister of External Affairs and Leader of the Legislative Council. G.C.M.G. (Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George). The Hon. Sir James Allen, K.C.8., Hig Commissioner for New Zealand in Lor don. KNIGHT BACHELOR. Mr Henry Brett, of Auckland. Mr Henry Francis Wigram, of Christchurch. C.M.G. (Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George). Mr Frederick William Furkert, En-gineer-in-Chief and Undcr-Secretary of tho Public Works Department. . RT. HON. J. G. COATES.

The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Prime Minister of New Zealand, was born at Matakolie ill 1878, and early in life took a keen interest in local politics. For some time he was president of the Ivaipara A. and P. Association, and lor many years he was a member, and for four years chairman, of the Otamatea County Council. Ho entered Parliament in 1911 as representative for Ivaipara, but left New Zealand with tho 15th Reinforcements Infantry, and served in Franco from January, 1917, to February, 1919, rising to tho rank of major and earning tho M.C. and Bar. Re-entering politics, Mr Coates threw in his lot with the Massey Government in 1919, and in September of that year was appointed Minister of Justice and also Postmaster-General and Minister of Post and Telegraphs. Ho relinquished tho portfolio of Justice in 1920 upon his appointment as Minister of Public Works, and early in 1921 ho took over tho portfolio of Nativo Affairs. In June of 1923 ho was appointed Minister of Railways, and on May 27, 1925, following the death of Mr Massey, ho was elected to tho Primo Ministership. RT. HON. SIR FRANCIS BELL. The Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Dillon Bell was born in Nelson in 1851, and was educated at tho Auckland Grammar School, Otago Boys’ High School, and St. John’s College, Cambridge, where ho graduated B.A. in 1872. Two years later ho was admitted a barrister of tho Middle Temple. He was appointed Crown Solicitor at Wellington in 1878, and was Mayor of this city in 1891-92, and also in 1897. He sat in the House of Representatives from 1893 to 1896, and in 1907 ho received his K.C. In 1912 he was appointed Leader of the Legislative Council, and in the same year became Minister of Internal Affairs and Immigration. Sir Francis Bell, who was created K.C.M.G. in 1915, was made Attorney-General in 1918, a position he has held since. In 1923 he assumed the portfolio of External Affairs, which lie held in conjunction with the Attorney-General-ship. Ho has also held the portfo’ios of Lands, Education, Justice, and State Forests, and during the period between the death of Mr Massey and tho selection of Mr Coates, lie acted in the capacity of Primo Minister. SIR JAMES ALLEN.

Sir lames Allen, High Commissioner for New Zealand, who has been created G.C.M.G., was born in South Australia in 1855, and was educated at Clifton College, England. St. John’s Collego, Cambridge (Scholarship), and graduated M.A., Cantab. Ho represented Dunedin East in tho House of Representatives from 1887 to 1890 and Bruco from 1891 to 1920. As a member of tho Massey Ministry ho held the portfolio of Defence from 1912 to 1920: Finance and Education, 1912-1915, and Finance 1919-1920. Ho resigned from the Ministry to take over the H.Ji Commissionership. SIR HENRY BRETT.

Sir Henry Brett, the principal proprietor of the Auckland Star, was born at Hastings, Sussex, in 1843, and arrived at Auckland in September, 1862. After serving on the literary staffs of the Southern Cross and the New Zealand Herald, Sir Henry Brett, with Mr McCullough Reed, founded the Auckland Star in 1870. A few years later ho bought out his partner’s interest. He commenced public life in 1871, and served for many years on various local bodies, being Mayor of Auckland in 1877-78. He represented tho Dominion at tho Paris Exhibition in 1889. and was one of the commissioners to receive the Duke and Duchess of York in 1901. Sir Henry Brett was one of the founders of the United Press Association, and retired in 1919 after serving on the directorate for forty years. Ho has been president of all tne leading musical societies’ in Auckland. SIR HENRY WIGRAM.

Sir Henry Francis Wigram, of Christchurch, was born in London in 1857, and was first Mayor of Greater ChristChurch. He was appointed to the Upper Houso in 1903 and resigned in 1923 for health reasons. Ho was the founder of tho Canterbury Seed Company, was a director of the Lyttelton Times for 30 years, and a director of many other companies. Sir Henry Wigram was the first president of the Canterbury Automobile Association, and estabiished the Canterbury Aviation Company, which trained 180 pilots for service in tho war. MR F. W. FURKERT, C.M.G. Mr F. AY. Furkert, who is Undersecretary of the Public Works Department was born in Ross, Westland, in 1876, and was educated at the Hokitika Higli School, Wellington Technical College and Otago University. Since joining the Public Works Department Mr Furkert has been associated with many important surveys and constructi ns, and in 1908 he was appointed district engineer at Otago. Four years iater he bqcame inspecting engineer, having the oversight of all the works in tho South Island. In 1913 he went on a world tour of engineering works, and during the war had chargo of the construction of military mobilisation and training camps in New Zealand. He was appointed assistant engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department in 1919, and since 1920 has held tho offices of engineer-in -chief and Undersecretary. TWO NEW PEEPS LONDON, Jan. 21. Tho New Year Honours list creates two new peers. Sir Ernest Murray Pollock, Master of tho Rolls, has been made a baron and an Irish peer. Baron Oranmore and Browne has

been made a Baron of the United Kingdom. The Earl of Cavan has been awarded a Grand Cross of tho Bath. Air Vice-Marshal Sir W. G. H. Salmond has been made a Commander of tho Bath. Lords D’Abernon and Dundein have been awarded viscounties. Sir Kenneth Beatty, Chief Justice of tho Bermudes, has been made a Knight Bachelor.—-Reuter. The Morning Post emphasises the brevity of the honours list, sustaining tho now tradition established since the Coalition Government fell, and adds: “Such recognition of Dominion statesmanship as Privy Councillorships to Mr Coates and Sir Francis Bell w ill be as popular hero as overseas, while satisfaction will be felt again at the knight hoods of representative public men’of the Dominions.”—A, and N.Z. cable.