THE HON. F. J. ROLLESTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19697, 26 January 1926, Page 6

THE HON. F. J. ROLLESTON.

ELEVATION TO CABINET. PUBLICLY ENTERTAINED. SPEECHES OF CONGRATULATION. (From Our Special Correspondent.) TIMARU, January 25. The Hon. F. J. Rolleston (Minister of Justice and Defence) was to-day publicly congratulated by between 50 and fO of the electors of Timaru on his recent elevation lo Cabinet rank. The Mayor (Mr G. J. Wallace) presided, and he had with him Mr T. B. Garrick (chairman of the Levels County Council), who represented the electors in that port ion of the Levels County included in the Timaru electorate. The Mayor said there were occasions when one was conveying the congratulations of the citizens on a distinction gained when one felt diffident, whether he was conveying the congratulations of the majority, but such, was not the position on this occasion. He had no qualms of conscience in conveying to Mr Rolleston the heartiest congratulations of the citizens whom he represented, and of every section of the community, whether opposed to him politically or not. Ho congratulated Mr Rolleston on his success. Mr Wallace also tok the opportunity of offering to Mr Rolleston his personal congratulations. Ho had known Mr Rolleston for, the past 20 years, during which time he had had to seek professional advice from him, and the advice he had received had been absolutely sound. In fact, Mr Rolleston had got him out of trouble more than once.— (Laughter). No doubt the Prime Minister in selecting the members of his Cabinet had been, guided by the circumstances. ■ Length of service had no doubt sometimes carried weight, but it had not done so in Mr Rolleston’s case. It was purely ability that had resulted in bis appointment. No other had criticised the Government more tellingly than he had done, so it would not have been because of that he had been chosen. The Prime Minister had recognised that Mr Rolleston was one of the strongest men in Parliament, and that he was a man whose arguments would always carry weight. The defence of the country would not suffer in his hands, although, the speaker was inclined to the belief that Mr Rolleston was more of a pacifist than a militarist. In conclusion, on behalf of the citizens, he wished Mr Rolleston long life, not only as a man but as a politician. The present step was only one in a long career, and Timaru might yet be able to boast of its Prime Minister.—(“Hear, hear. , Ho felt sure that step was only one on the political ladder—one that was a stepping stone to something higher, and Mr Rolleston would carry with him the best wishes of the people for his future success.—(Applause.) The Mayor further explained that ho and Mr Garrick had been chosen as the principal speakers, beceuse they v/ere the representatives of the people, and were not bound to any political party. Mr Garrick joined with the Mayor in congratulating Mr Rolleston on his promotion. He felt that the Prime Minister had made a great choice. —(Applause.) He had known Mr Rolleston for many years, and had sat with him on the Timaru Harbour Board for eight or nine years. In his dealings with that body Mr Rolleston had always been just and sympathetic, and had given duo consideration to all matters. Mr Garrick said he had m mind the fine work Mr Rolleston had done in connection with the South Canterbury Patriotic Society, and that work, along with other matters he had undertaken had been done particularly well. Mr J. Knubloy (president of the Law Society) extended to Mr Rolleston the hearty congratulations of the society of which he was a member. Had Mi- Rolleston given as much time to the Supreme Court work os ho had to politics he would have been a King’s Counsel or might even have been elevated to the Supreme Court Bench. There was even time for him to do that yet. They had come to recognise that ho was able to stand, on his own legs, and was not relying on the fact, as some newspapers would have it, that he was “the son of the Hon. Mr Rolleston.” Ho had already made a name for himself, and his children would be as proud of him as Mr Rolleston had been of his father.— (Appplause.) On rising to reply, Mr Rolleston was greeted with hearty applause. He thanked the Mayor and Mr Garrick for affording him the oppportunity of meeting the people in such a pleasant way, and of expressing his' gratitude for the many kind things that had been said at that gathering, and since his appointment had been announced. They would appreciate the fact that the task of replying was a difficult one, and he was sincere when he said that he could not find words adequately to express his gratitude. He looked back on his association with Mr Wallace and Mr Garrick with great pleasure. He realised that now, having gained a responsible position, his indebtedness to the men with whom he had served on local bodies. Only during the past two or three years had he come to realise the splendid training local body work was for fitting a person for national politics. Any success he had gained was due to that. A public position offered considerable difficulties, and no man undertook the position like the one he had undertaken without some misgivings. He hoped he would be able to carry out his duty in some measure approximating the confidence placed in him by the electors. He would possibly be in Wellington for the greater part of the year, but he would visit Timaru periodically in order to give the electors an opportunity of placing their grievances before him. His remarks were quite inadequate to express his feelings, but he felt the honour conferred on him was also an honour on the district which he represented. He hoped that in the future he would in some small way prove worthy of the kind things that had been said about him.— (Applause.)