OBITUARY.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13657, 28 August 1916, Page 4

OBITUARY.

THE HON.jsm MAURICE O'RORKE, MiL.C. .

(Per Press Association.)

' AUCKLAND, August 25. / The Hon. Sir'G. M. O'Eorke, M.L.C,, ex-Speaker of the House of Representa- ■ tives, died last night, aged 86. The Hon. Sir George Maurice O'Eorke,' MiL.C,, was Speaker of the •Auckland Provincial Council for twelve years, and of the House of Representatives for twenty-eight years. He was born at Moyl'ough, Galway,lreland. At Trinity College lie distinguished himself as an honourman in classics, and graduated B.A. in 1852. Immediately after . the completion of his University course, lie sailed for Melbourne, Arriving in i the-palmy days of tho ..gold-fields, lie . foupd the acquisition of-a station, in Victoria beyond his means, ,• and with , tho vipw. ; offaking,up.a run.in the interior, pushed into New South Wales, where he spent some time with the late Mr C. N'; Bagot,'also •& Galway man. Mjr Bagot was,a,great pverlande?,,an,d had stations on the Murruiiibidgeo- anil . Lachlan, and Mr O'Eorke was initiated into'the life of an over lander by taking stock from the, lachlan to Bendigo, and • subsequently took mobs, of "horses'- on his own account from New South Wales to Melbourne. On one occasion he disposed of his horses'at Beechworth, aud i took (i party of diggers to the Buckland ■river, and in, a fortnight they divided £I4OO worth of gold. Dissatisfied with ' his prospects of obtaining land in Aus- . tralia, the young Irishman sailed fur in 1854, : and settled own to .'farming in Papakura, but removed to ' Onehiliga in the following year, Farni'ing iu those days was not in every case . a■ remunerative business;' nor was it al l 'together agreeable to his tastes. So he found service with the Auckland Pro-. ;; viiieiai Council, .in which he was appointed the pQsition of clerk in 1857. ( Ito was holding this office in 18G0, when Ouehunga became entitled to return a I ' member.to the House of -Representa- ■ tiVes. 'Mr O'Eorke came out as a candidate. iii opposition : to the Stafford Ministry, aud after, li most .exciting'eoni test, won by one vote.' He was nominated for a seat in'the Auckland Provincial Council, and was olected in his abA Senco. Oil his return, to, Aucklaud lie \was chosen as Speaker in the Provincial Council on the first day on'. which-lie ■ took his scat -as a' member, ai|d he held •the Speakership of 'that Council con- ' • tinuously until the abolition of the prpvinces in 1876. It was largely thrpilgh . ' his inst'ruiWutality s that ,th'e" Auckland - Giammiir School was estiiblisjied,, and assisted • wlucafiojr .largely up', to '•.the 'University •'Senate.' The country .libraries, too, with which' flic', Auckiaiid /province is sp.well were'largely assisted by him. As a number of the .General • Assembly, Mr 0-Rorke's /abilties twere, soon recognised, lii 1861 he began tp act, as ,Bjiairma|( of Committees, whenever that functionary happened to be absent from the House, and in 1863 Mr Cavletpu. absent in •England, Mr O'Eorke wag Voted to the Chair for tho sessidu. Qn t]ie return , to-power 'of the Provincial party ; iu 1869, 'he was. ofEored ~the\. position. of Under-Secretary for the Colony, with ' a salary of.£Boo a year, 'This, however, > lie declined, 'as he was unwilling 'to give. ' up living in the Province of Auckland. ,In the following year he was unanimously elected Chairman of which office he' held for two years.. On '■the formation of the Wa'terhouse Mih- ,... 4872; lie,- obtjainijd a >sejiMii-th§, Cabinet, and after .ths retirement of . this , to, holcj.^ office under' Sir Julius .Yogcl, until that gentleman .proposed his resolutions to ' abolish\the provinces of the North Is-. • land,when Sir Maurice'retired from the ■., Ministry .rather "than acquie'Sce' in the • destruction of • the,, -jPrpvincial Legislatures, lii .the Chairmanship of ' Committees again became. vacant,, and .'Mr O'Rorks Was elected to the position .by common consent.. Four years later the' Speakership of 'the House was vacated. by. Sir William Fitzherbert (who v was translated to the Upper Chamber), and Mr O'Eorke nominated by Sir George Grejy as Premier and seconded by-Major Atkinson, leader of the Opposition, was unanimously elected Speaker. From his first appointment as Speaker in 18/9, ho had discharged i his duties with-such success 'that on 'assembling . of' each • successive ParI •«»», i *• i

liameut' his election was a mere matter' of form, No one iu the House who had sat nntier him would think of nominating anyone else. As, for instance, after the election of 1893, when Sir Maurice had been absent from Parliament for three years, antl Lis place had been filled in the meantime by Major Steward, he was elected Speaker for the sixth time by an overwhelming majority, and held office, till 1902. In 1904 lie was placed in the Upper House. 1% many yoars Sir Maurice was a member of the Senate of the University of New Zealand, and chairman of the Council of the Aucklaud University College from its foundation, chairman of the 'Board ofjGovernors of the Auckland Grammar School, and chairman of the Auckland Technical School Association, and was appointed by the will of the laic Mr Dilwpi'th as one of the trustees of the Dilworlli Ulster Institute. Sir Maurice was .third son of the late Rev. John ,o'Rorke, of Mbylough, his mother being sister of the late John Dennis, of Birmingham House, Tivam,' in the sanio •eouiity. Sir Maurice,married in Auckland on' December' 31st, 1858, Cecilia Mary Shepherd, daughter of the late Alexander Shepherd, first Colonial Treasurer of New. Ziiland, appointed by the Imperial" Government' in ISI2. He leaves .one son, Mr Edward Dennis 0 'Rorke, iviio married in 1893 Miss A. C. Rhodes, of' Elmwood, Christchurch, (tud who is doing war work iu England.