"MR. SPEAKER" DEAD.

NZ Truth, Issue 416, 14 June 1913, Page 6

"MR. SPEAKER" DEAD.

Sir Arthur Guinness's Record. A Link of the Brilliant Past. Through the sudden removal by the hand of death of Sir Arthur Guinness ■ New Zealand breaks one more tie that connects her withN a brilliant past. When one looks over the mediocre 1 parish-politics, road-board Parliament of to-day, the mind conjures up the forms of Grey, Atkinson, Yogel, Wakefield, Rolleston, Seddon, Bradshaw, John McKenzie, Scobie McKenzie. Ballance—all dead — and those of Reeves, Captain Russell, Ward. Jimmy Carroll, Stout — still with us. What an; array of talent was there! What bril-' liant nights were those! Ah, we had almost forgotten— memory plays such vagaries—^Vincent Pyke and Tom Bracken. Among this coterie of statesmen, brilliant speakers, effective and. keen' debaters, Sir Arthur Guinness occu-' pied no mean position, and was the personal, intimate and beloved of nearly — if not all — of them. Who, among the older of the. present generation, does not remember THE GREAT FIGHT OF '90, when all that was best and brightest m New Zealand >was arrayed m solid phalanx against the forces of privilege, graft and landlordism. In that fight the deceased, took a prominent" part, and remained true to his principles ever after. N . Born at Calcutta m 1846, he landed m New Zealand at an early age, and received his education m Christchurch. Qualifying >as a barrister and solicitor, he took up the practice of his profession m Greymouth. among the diggers, m the days when "men-were men," when a spirit of chivalry existed not found m this twentieth century period of commercialism and selfishness. His first appearance m public life was m 1873, as a member of the West-, land Provincial Council. There he remained until the abolition of the provinces m 1876. The same year saw him member of the Grey County Coun^.. cil, of which, he was chairman for nine years. Those were the days when Audit, Departments were not so particular, and "unusual" expenses were charged to kerosene. The Coast was an expensive place to live m at that time, and one public body spent sS.SO m one month for "lighting"" purposes. 1884 marked his election to Parlia-. ment.as member for the Grey. From 1893 to 1903 he was Chairman of Committees, which office he filled -with a dignity and an impartiality which won him the respect of the whole House. Success m this direction" marked him out for Speaker m 1903. He was successively re-elected _m 1906, 1909 and 1912, while he received well-earned recognition by his Knighthood 5 m 1911. As Speaker, Sir Arthur Guinness won for himself a position— excepting of course Sir Maurice 6'Rorke, who stands alone — second to none', south of the line, and seldom equalled m much larger Parliaments m the old world. He was captain of his cricket cluo from 1876t0 1888, and as an all-round sport and man of the world, with a genial bon-homie that attracted, as the candle does the moth, he endeared himself to thousands. The whole of Westland will feel his. loss keenly, and think with deep regret of 'the man whose influence was always elevating: either m the economic, political or social spheres. ,?, i