LORD NORTHCLIFFE'S DEATH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18170, 16 August 1922, Page 9

LORD NORTHCLIFFE'S DEATH

CAUSED BY HEART FAILURE

BRITISH PRESS TRIBUTES.

IMPERIALISM PRAISED.' By TelegraDQ—Press Association—Copy right(Received 7.5 x>.ra-) A and N.Z. LONDON, Aug. 14. The death of Lord Northcliffe [which was announced in the second edition of the Herald, yesterday], took place at his London residence, where he was taken from France. The end was perfectly peaceful.

Lord Northcliffe's medical attendant states that, with characteristic energy and fortitude, Lord Northcliffe put up a great fight. H« waß conscious almost to the end. He suffered from infective, or ulcerative endocarditis, which mad© slow progress till two yeirs ago.' His strenuous life recently did much to undermine his constitution, and lowered resistance to such an extent that tho germ was able to poison the whole blood-stream. Every treatment, known to medical science was unsuccessfully tried.

Lady Northcliffe has acceded to a request made by the Dean of Westminster to allow the funeral service to be conducted in Westminster Abbey on Tliurs day. Afterwards the body will be buried at St. Marylebone Cemetery, Finchley. All the evening papers pay warm tributes to Lord Northcliffe's career, pergonal attributes, patriotism, and the brilliancy of his creative genius in journalism. The Pall Mall Gazette says that the English press has lost its most romantic and outstanding figure, and public life has lost one of its most forceful personalities. It was as a sincere lover of his country and' Empire that his memory has chief claim to be honoured. He was, guided by an Imperialism of broad vision which would make the utmost of British kinship, resources, and intelligence for the security and welfare of the British race.

The Times, in a leader, says that Lord Northcliffe's death is an event of more thar. national import. Millions throughout the Empire and abroad feel that a great human figure has passed. Among his mauy qualities his greatest was the sixth sense, that faculty of divining the course of things. Alter paying glowing tributes to his geoius and Imperialism, it adds: " His qualities as a typical Englishman were enhanced by his appreciation of typical English qualities, but he saw that if England in future was to be what it had been in the past it must possess wider vision. For that end he felt he had a mission, and sought to fulfil it. The war brought out in full measure his remarkable powers. His impatience for men who did not understand the war found fierce expression. His one thought was how best to mobilise and organise the resources of the Empire fo r victory. His intense labours during his mission to the United States undermined his constitution and shortened his days." The Paris newspapers praise Lord Northcliffe as a great journalist, patriot, and a friend of France. They emphasise his foresight in warning England against the German peril. The Dutch press refers to Lord Northcliffe as Britain's "press king." The Handelsblad says that one may form a. high opinion cf Lord Northcliffe's business abilities, but it must bo recognised that no conscientious scruple restrained him from satisfying the sensational avidities of public opinion.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS. GERMAN MENACE FORESEEN. Lord Northcliffe was the son of Alfred Harmsworth, barrister-at-law of the Middle Temple, and the eldest of a family of 14 children. He -was intended to follow his father's footsteps in law, but the journalistic ability he displayed at an early age clearly showed that his bent lay in that direction and whatever difficulties may have placed themselves in the way were hardly likely to turn a youth of such force of character and decision from his chosen craft. It is somewhat remarkable that no less than four sons of the family entered Parliament, Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere sitting in the House 01 Lords and Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth and Mr. Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth in the House of Commons. The Hon. Esmond Cecil Harmsworth, the only surviving son of Lord Rothermere, is also a member of the House of Commons. Lord Northcliffe's mother was Irish, and he himself wi H born in Dublin. He married Miss Mary E. Milner, a daughter of Mr. R. Milneor, of Kidlinzton, Oxford, and of the West Indies, when still in his initial struggle, and. he has gratefully acknowledged her assistance and encourgemeht in his ventures. It is probable that events of the war have obliterated the memory of his services in the cause of England's safety during the previous decade. Through his journals he incessantly warned England of Germany's preparations for war, which he believed to be inevitable. He maintained what was practically a private secret service on the Continent, and often travelled there himself and was thus fully informed of the military preparations and war Inst of Gennany Through his papers Lord Roberts' voice of warning was made to echo in every corner of Great Britain, and who can say how much might have been saved the Empire had that warning been fully heeded ? It is well known that the Northcliffe papers awakened Britain to the awful price of the shell shortage, but it is not so well known what they did in regard to the evacuation of the troops from Gallipoli after the seal of failure had been placed upon that tragic but glorious enterprise. The papers insisted that the troops would have to be evacuated, no matter how serious the blow to British prestige in the East, and carried the day against strong opposition. In August of last year Lord Northcliffe, in the course of his tour round the world, via America and the East, visited Auckland, and had time for a brief stay at Rotorua. During those few days this city became sufficiently acquainted with him to learn aomething of his turbulent energy, his wonderful power of observation, and his capacity for obtaining a comprehensive grasp of a subject within a sh'.rt time. Although then a sick man, his mind continued to work like a machine, and he lost none of his gift of enthusiasm for whatever came under his eye. Up at 5 a.m. on the ship to catch the first view of the land and to see the harbour, he came ashoro with the spirits ■of a boy, played a game of golf, attended receptions • and gave speeches notable for precise facta from the storehouse of a great memory. He declared that he. was a journalist and nothing else. Certainly he did not allow a single opportunity to pass of gathering opinions and knowledge. He talked to everyone he came acres;-. No one was too humble to question, and he had a magnetic power of making everyone talk. In speeches he sp'ike of hostility engendered by some of his actions during the war. For this hostility he had no concern. H'j had tojd the truth, | ho said, in the service of the Empire.

SORROW IN IRELAND. A MAKER OF. FREE STATE. (Received 11.5 wn.) Times. LONDON. Aug. 14. The Dublin correspondent of the Times states that the news of Lord Northcliffe's death was received with genuine sorrow. He will be remembered for his deep love of Ireland and his profound anxiety to serve her. His name will live in history among those of the makers of new Ireland.