TWENTY YEARS LATER

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12470, 11 June 1926, Page 6

TWENTY YEARS LATER

“KING DICK” REMEMBERED HUMANITARIAN STATESMAN WREATH LAID AT STATUE The passage of 20 years since the death on board ship of Richard John Seddon, ono of tho Dominion’s recognised ablest statesmen, has not effaced the impression which his administration left in the minds of the people, nor has the flight of time blotted from tho Statute Book of New Zealand many of the measures which were introduced under the hand of this burly figure, whose statue r.ow stands in the grounds of Parliament Buildings. Trihute to the memoiy of the dead Prime Minister was paid yesterday ou the twentieth anniversary of his death, when a large number of people, including the members of the family, gathered before the statue to lay a wreath of remembrance at the foot. There weie present members of the old and the young generations, some of whom had been personal friends of the late Mr Seddon, and who treasured vivid recollections of tho news of hie death received so soon after his cheery cable from overseas: “On my way to God’s Own Country.” There was a liberal sprinkling of West Coasters in the gathering, and on their behalf a beautiful wreath of laurels was laid at the foot of the monument. It bore the following inscription : “With deep affection, from the West Coasters. June 10th, 1926.” TO MAKE THEM HAPPY A cable of apology was received from Sir Joseph Ward, who regretted that he could not be present to pay tribute to the memory of his late chief, while Sir James Carroll also sent his apologies. Prior to the laying of the wreath, dr J. J. McGrath briefly referred to the life and work of the late Mr Seddon, and said the annual custom of laying a wreath at the foot of the statue on the anniversary of his deatli had been faithfully observed by the people throughout. Just a month before he ,died, he had in a speech in Wellington declared himself to he a humanitarian, and expressed a desire to improve the moral, political and social conditions of the people, and to make them happy. He was the man, Mr MrGrath stated, who had sat through the long session of 87 hours to make secure his greatest humanitarian measure — the Old Age Pensions Bill. After it was over, he had said: “I doubt if I could stand the strain again. A man does not want to do it more than once in a lifetime; but if I can assist in passing an act of such a deserving nature, then I feel that I have done a great thing.” UNEMPLOYED A REPROACH In his last speech he had said: “There are no unemployed in New Zealand. Capital was never safer nor bringing in better results. A large number of workless people is a reproach to a nation and to anv selfgoverning colony. The sooner selfishness is thrown as>de the better.” This, stated Mr McGrath, could not be truthfully repeated in New Zealand to-day. The life of Mr Seddon was one that might well be studied and emulated by the public men of the Dominion at the present time. The Hon. Roderick McKenzie, who was the last of the Seddon Ministers, laid the wreath at the foot of the said that as a public man Mr Seddon fcad established a record which would require generations to surpass—if ever it could be. He was the working man’s friend, and ever fought for the poorer class of the community. A SELF-RELIANT PEOPLE His Old*’Age Pensions measure was the first of its kind in the world, and had been followed by many other countries. If he had done nothing else in his long term of office, his record would have been magnificent. But there many other humanitarian measures which stood to his credit. He had transformed tho country from the deplorable state of unemployment in which he found it to a prosperous and wealthy community, populated by a self-reliant people. The speaker thought that the memory cf Mr Seddon would be revered and respected by many generations of New Zealanders to come.