Locarno-maker Passes

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 65, 18 March 1937, Page 7

Locarno-maker Passes

Sir Austen Chamberlain Dies In London DISTINGUISHED CAREER United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph —Copyright. LONDON, March 16. The death has occurred of Sir Auster l Chamberlain. Sir Austen’s death was entirely unexpected. It is only now learned thai he had been confined to his Londor residence for a few days with lumbago that was not regarded as serious. He seemed better to-day and started at about six p.m. to go downstairs to the library, when he had a heart attack and died in a lew minutes without regaining consciousness. The nows of his death was received with grief by members of the House of Commons and attendants, among al of whom he was most popular. Mr. Lloyd- George, when told th« news, said: "Sir Austen was the mosi upright, most straightforward man J hove ever met." Major Attlee said: “We have lost a great parliamentarian and a verj great gentleman." Sir Austen Chamberlain was born in 1868, and was educated at Rugby and Cambridge. He had from early boyhood enjoyed the confidence of his famous father, and on coming down from. Cambridge was-sent for a prolonged tour of the capitals of Europe :o study international affairs through :he Chancellery windows. In 1592 he mtered the House of Commons as member for East Worcestershire, a seat he retained until his father's death, when le became member for the paternal jonstituciicy in Birmmingham. The young politician’s maiden speech drew i glowing and friendly compliment from Mr. Gladstone, and it was felt ;hat whatever he might owe to his father he had high qualities of his own. Cn 1895 he became Civil Lord of tho Admiralty, and in 1900 Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In 1902 he was promoted to the Postmastcr-Gencral-ihip. The following year ho was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, a post which he held until the Unionist iebacle in 1906. In 1913 Sir Austen presided over the Commission on Indian Currency and Finance, and on the farmation of the first Coalition he became Secretary of State for India, but retired on account of the Mesopotamia report, lie was Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons in 1922, and besame Foreign Secretary on the death of the Marquis (Jurzon in 1924, retaining the post till 1929. During his period of office tho intricate problem of reparations was settled and it was he who Driginated and signed the Locarno Pact, for which he received, his knighthood. Ho was First Lord of the Admiralty in the National Government formed in 1931/ but later went into semi-retire-ment. Personally, Sir Austen was a man of simple tastes and charming disposition. Hip tall figure, his pale, rather angular face, his light-coloured eyes, which had a trick of appearing to be always unusually wide open, the somewhat cold tones of his voice, his almost meticulous care about detail that most men would brush aside or skim over, and the swiftness with which he sometimes fell into a mood of icy severity helped to build up around him a legend of aloofness which was entirely false. He was a remarkably shy man, but once that shyness was broken down one found a warm-hearted, genial being with a sunny disposition, an attractive smile, a gift of enjoyable conversation, and a penerating but tolerant insight into human nature. Twice he missed the Premiership owing to party difficulties, and the missing must have hurt him fearfully, but he merely screwed his monocle more firmly in and awaited the next opportunity of helping his country and hia party GENERAL GRIEF AT STATESMAN’S DEATH TRIBUTES BY COLLEAGUES LONDON, March 16. Sir Austen Chamborlain’s death was entirely unexpected, and it is only now learned that he had been confined to his London residence for a few days with lumbago which was not regarded as serious. He seemed to be better to-day, and in the evening started to go downstairs to the library when he had a heart attack and died in a few minutes without regaining consciousness. The news of his death has been received with grief by members of the House of Commons and attendants, among all of whom he was most popular. Mr. David Lloyd George, when told the news, said, “Sir Austen Chamberlain was tho most upright and most straightforward man I had ever met." The Leader of tho Labour Party, Major Attlee, said: “We have lost a great Parliamentarian and a very great gentleman."