DEATH OF THE HON. W. M. BOLT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13890, 30 April 1907, Page 5

DEATH OF THE HON. W. M. BOLT.

EXPIRES SUDDENLY AT WAIPORI,

Word was received in Dnnedin by tele-, phone Inst, night of the sudden death'near ' Waipori Kails of tho lion. W. ,M ; Bolt., . M.L.C. The honourable gentleman had gone to the falls with members of fhjj, City ,v Council and others with a view of inspect* - 1 iiif,' tlio works. Ho lia'l ros[K>mlcd to tho toast of "Parliament" at tho luncheoii ' ' earlier in tho day, and was. then appa.- v rently in the best of health and spirits. Aftor tho ceremonies a number of tho parly left to return to town. At 4.45 p.m. tho parly had proceeded about threo miles from tho power-hoiise, and it was at this timo tluitihe sad event took place. Tho party was ascending a long hill at tho time, and most of tho members, including Mr Bolt, got out and milked up the steepest portions in order to relievo tho horses as much as possible. J. ho deceased wplked about, a (|tuirtor of a mile, but the grade was evidently too much for him, tis he becamc eomowhafc exhausted. lie then got into Iho traj) again, and seemed to revive, but as soon 1 as another start, was mnda he fell back dead, 110 had been requested to remain in. tho trap owing to tho steepuossjof tho grade, but out of consideration for tho horses ho decided to walk.

Cr Ciilliison and Mr AT. Stevenson (,1 member of the Taieri County Council) >' were tho only other memlici's of the ] 1 ar,y who were with. Mr Holt at, tho time, (lie remainder being in front of them. Crj Gilkison remained with the deceased whilo Mr Stevenson hurried on to inform tlio others of what hod happened, liy ilia ■ time Mr Stevenson caught up on the rest of the party the top of thu hill, about two miles distant, had lieen reached, ant| asthe horses had had <1 long and hard pti)l up the hill it was deemed inadvisable to take them down a,vain to where Mr Hull's body lay. A slretchoi' was therefore constructed, and the members of the party carried tho body to l,he to)) of tho hill. Tho remains were then brought on 'to Duncdin by toad, arriving here early this morning.

Mr Bolt was very well known, and his, sudden death will be regretted by a largo v£ circlo of friends. By his demise tho Labour parly, wijh which lie lias bwn identified for very' ninny years, has lost another of its representatives in (ha Legislature. Mr Bolt was liorn in 1838 at Lonviok, in ' Iho Shetland Isles, and w;ts cducaled at . Iho parish Gcliool of Saudness. , During his * - early years ho assisted his father, tho village blacksmith, in the smithy, in tho management of a. small craft, and in.fishing. In 1855 Mr Bolt—then 17 years of age—went lo Liverpool, where lie shipped { ' on a vessel cliarlorod by Iho Government \ for carrying troops lo tlio Crinion. Mr Bolt liiado two trips In Balaclava in this.- ; service, and subsequently passed ( alxiut six years'in voyages to New York, Melbourne, la Plata, Uruguay, Arcnangel, and' the Farooftlcs, coming lo Now Zealand in tho . ship Nelson in 11363. Soon after settling . in Dunedin ho was engaged by Mess'rn Bing, Harris, and Co. as storeman, and .continued in Iho firm's service for nearly 30 years, when ho was called by tho Bailanoo Government to a seat in the Legislative Council. Shortly after his arrival in tho colony ho allied himself willi tho Democratio party. He took a prominent part in tho Fj'cctliOught niovcment, acting 03 secretary of tho first association. For years he held that position alternately. with that of vice-president. Mr J3o)t was a member of tho Dunedin Schools Com- '. mitteo for four years, part of which timo ' ho was chairman, and was at tlio same time actively engaged in conncetion with tho first. Trades Council, of which lio becamo vice-president-. In 1800 Jlr Bolt propounded a scheme of co-opcralivo settlement—on which lie has lectured ;in various parts of Iho colony; and in his placo in the Legislative Council, to which ho wn-5 called in 1892, ho introduced a ' series of resolutions dealing with tho subject, and these were endorsed by most of , ! tlio Labour associations in Iho colony. Mr Bolt has published essays on "Thq Social and Religious Conditions of Europe a Century Ago," "Land and Labour." "Industrial Settlements," and other sub- ; jects. His political ideal is the gradual advance of tho people in their oollcctivo capacity—that is, by means o[ general '-J industrial co-operation. When Mr Bolt's first term as n. member of, tlio Legislalivo Council" expired ho. was W reappointed, and his term wa3 again extended last year. The do- . ceased gentleman loolt a prominent part in tho affairs of Iho Dunedin Progrossivo Society, of which body ho,was president at tho time of .his death. Mr Bolt's father died in New .Zealand at tho advanced ago of 93. Mi-Bolt-was- i , married in 1861 to a daughter of Captain ' ■ F. Lawson, of Lerwick, and has surviving fivo sons and llireo daughters.