Our New Governor.

Northland Age, Volume VI, Issue 34, 18 April 1910, Page 5

Our New Governor.

The name of Lord Plunket’s successor will not be known to many of the people among whom he is to live for the next five years. Sir John Dickson- Poynder is a Baronet of Scotch decent, and is now forty-four years of age. Lady DioksonPoynder is a daughter of R. H. D. Dundas and the sister of the second Baron Napier of Magdala, and she was married in 1896. They have one child—a daughter. Sir John is a son of Rear-Admiral John B. Diokson, and assumed the name of Poynder when he inherited certain property from a maternal uncle. Since 1892 he has been connected with politics, and about five or six years ago came into prominence by leaving the Conservative ranks and going over to the Liberals, the point of divergence between him and bis former party being the question of Free Trade. In addition to his political career he has taken an interest in municipal matters, having been a member of the London County Council for six years. Sir John was educated at Harrow and Oxford, and subsequently went into the army. He saw service in South Africa, serving with the Wilts Imperial Yeomanry, in which he holds the rank of Major, and acted as A. D. C. to Lord Methuen. For his services in Africa Sir John received the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and also got the D.S.O. The baronetcy, of which Sir John is the sixth in line, was created in 1802, and was a reward for the services rendered by Admiral Sir Archibald Dickson, during the struggle of the British fleets against France. Since then there have been a number of sailors in the family, and the title has been held by three admirals and one captain. The present holder of the title inherited from his uncle, Captain Sir A. C. Dickson of the Royal Navy.

This very interesting pen-picture of the new Governor, Sir John DicksonPoynder, by “Jehu Junior,” appeared in “ Vanity Fair ” on June 2, 1905 : “ Sir John Dickson-Poynder is too sincere a politician to be quite successful. “ When Chippenham elected him in 1892 he was a Conservative with ideals—always a threatening combination. He believed it to be possible to conduct the affairs of the nation on business lines, efficiency with a capital E was the political deity which he ignorantly worshipped. And thus it came about that from a party standpoint he rapidly went from bad to worse. He had the conceivable audacity to insinuate in the House that Mr. Brodrick, instead of being a heavenborn marshal, had not the military intellect of a Snelgrove ; he was progressive on the subject of trams, and was quite offensive to Lord Hugh Cecil and that gentleman’s friends on the subject of education. Finally he declared himself a Free-trader, and thus filled the cup of his iniquities to the brim. The Government have put up a candidate against him in his own constituency, while the liberals in that locality have accepted him as their representative. He will be as unorthodox a Radical as he was heterodox in his Conservatism. This is the one fact that lightens the woe of the Central Conservative Office.

“ But Sir John being a popular man, very wealthy, and of pleasant countenance, pursues his career undisturbed by cautions from the Cabinet and the whisperings of Whips. He may not be quite so optimistic as he was thirteen years ago. Yet he stands by his opinions with a cheerful sincerity. Moreover, he makes practical application of them in matters that are outside politics. On the London County Council he was ever opposed to municipal extravagance. He had the audacity to suggest that the council should leave business matters to business men. As chairman of the Great Northern Hospital, he has laboured to promote a better understanding between the great hospitals, so that the charity of the metropolis may be divided to their common advantage under the general guidance of King Edward’s Hospital Fund. He has agitated to secure the regular employment of time-expired soldiers, and to reform the financial methods of the friendly societies. He did good work upon the Royal Commission on London Traffic.

“He comes of a good fighting stock, for of the five Dickson baronets before him three were admirals and two soldiers. It was in 1887 that he took the name of Poynder for reasons connected with a great legacy. He has travelled all over the world, and is now interested in gardening. He went out with his yeomanry during the South African War, was placed on Lord Methuen’s staff, and returned with a D.S.O. He is a good shot. Even those who cannot tolerate his politics like him.”