AN HONOURED STATESMAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21361, 15 June 1931, Page 11

AN HONOURED STATESMAN

LATE SIR JOHN M‘KENZ|E MEMORIAL CAIRN UNVEILED IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT PALMERSTON The unveiling of the new cairn erected on Mount Pnketapu in honour of Sir John. M'Kenzie to replace the memorial which stood for many years on Pukeviti Hill, took place at Palmerston on Saturday. The ceremony was performed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr P. A. de la Perrelle, and the proceedings were in every way appropriate to the nature of the occasion. For the benefit of the older fork, who, it was considered, might find some difficulty in reaching the summit of Puketapu, the formal ceremony took place bn the steps of the Palmerston Town Hall, and on the Minister declaring the cairn unveiled, a signal was given from below, and a flag was broken out bn top of the monument. Brilliant sunshine favoured the event, and there was present a'large gathering of townsfolk and settlers from the surrounding district who' had assembled to do honour to a well-loved legislator who had served them so long and faithfully. Among those present were Mr E. H. Clark, M.L.C., Mr J. A. Macpherson, M.P., Mr J. Hopkins (Mayor of Palmerston), Dr Gordon MacDonald, Mr T/Ritchie (acting chief), and chieftains of the Gaelic Society, Mr J. Hope (president of the Dunedin Scottish Societies), Mr J. McKenzie and Mrs E. Atkinson, a son and daughter respectively of Sir John M'Kenzie, Mr T. M. Ball (representing the Public Works Department), and Mr H. >S. Bingham (contractor for the memorial). DEPARTED STATESMAN HONOURED After* the Minister had declared the memorial unveiled, a gathering was held in the Town. Hall over which the Mayor of Palmerston presided. Mr Hopkins extended a brief welcome to those present, and following the singing of the 100th Psalm, Dr MacDonald introduced Mr de la Perrelle to the gathering. It was unfortunate, he said, that the Prime Minister (Mr 6. W, Forbes) had, on account of pressure of busipess, been unable to attend, but they were under a debt of ■ gratitude to the Minister of Internal Affairs, who, at no little inconvenience to himself, had come along -to perform the unveiling ceremony. He wished to remind his hearers, 1 said Dr MacDonald, that the best friend that those responsible for "the erection of the monument had had in the, matter was the late Sir Joseph Ward. At Dr MacDonald’s request the assemblage stood in silence -for a moment as a mark of respect to Sir Joseph Ward’s memory. ‘ THE MINISTER’S ADDRESS Mr de la Perrelle said he desired to preface his remarks concerning the late Sir John M'Kenzie by expressing his appreciation of the privilege accorded him in being'asked to take part in the , ceremony. . He i had been specially asked by the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) ' to express his regret that through extreme pressure of business in Wellington he had been unable to carry out his inten- / tion of being Mr Forbes had told him how fully ho recognised the valuable work in pioneering legislation of the late,-Sir .John;M‘Kenzie;. It was only fitting the Government should interest itself in perpetuating, in some tangible way, the memory of an honoured statesman, and he was glad therefore that . .Parliament had last year voted a sum _ of money , to re-erect the memorial cairn that had been previously erected by pub-lic-subscription, but which had collapsed. A good deal of thought had been given ' tb. the selection! of a suitable site, said the Minister,- and- when it was finally decided, to acquire the top of the hill Puketapu the Government approached Mr John Philip, who generously offered to give the land to the-Crown. The offer was accepted and the land was set aside for historic purposes., The of i.... n era ton had -also offered a section, but it .was 1 considered that for'a national memorial the lofty site on Puketapu was more appropriate. However, it was no doubt gratifying particularly to the members of the late Sir John’s family and the -Gaelic Society, as well as to the people oi Palmerston, that the cairn had been i *t last re-erected. The occasion was one . when some tribute should be paid to the late statesman. “Greatness comes sometimes from wealth, or by favour, but true-greatness,” said "Mr de la Perrelle, “ can only be achieved by personal merit. Sir John M'Kenzie was a striking example of a man who achieved greatness through personal merit. He was born ' at Ardrosj, in Ross-shire, Scotland, in 1838, and arrived in New Zealand in 1861. at the age of 23., His first employment was on the run of the late Mr ' John Jones, of Southern Shag Valley , In 1871, Mr M'Kenzie, at the age of 33. was elected a member of tne Provincial Council, and 5 in 1881, when general election for the House of Representatives took place, he was returned as the member for Moeraki. which seat he held continuously for 18$ years. After the dissolution of Parliament in 1884, and upon the formation of the stout-Vogel Coalition Ministry, Mr M'Kerzie was appointed senior whip, and when the Ballance Ministry was formed in 1891 he was appointed .Minister of Lands. He continued to hold that - portfolio in the Seddqn Ministry, until 1900, when, through ill-health, be resigned. During his term of office, 1891- ' 1900, he -prevailed upon Parliament to pass laws not only to .prevent the further accumulation of large estates, but also t break up those already in existence. Furthermore, to assist men of moderate capital to obtain homesteads, he introi duced the lease-in-perpetuity tenure, and thus gave. the farmer a,- title equal to_a freehold, and with a moderate rental. Mr M'Kenzie saw that the best lands of the colony had been acquired by large landowners, while the new settler had to go into the interior, away from roads and markets, and try to cultivate inferior lands.. He therefore introduced the Land for Settlements Act of 1892, which en- , .abled the Government to buy back, between 1892 and 1901, no fewer than 77 estates having a total area of 330,000 acres, and to place thereon over 1700 separate settlers. In addition, he introduced the Cheviot Estate Disposition Act of 1893. Under, that Act 76,000 feres were allotted to 290 settlers, oneof whom, time had then to show was. to hold- Mr M'Kenzie’s portfolio of Lands. That settler was the present Prime Min 16t ft’wa« well known by his friends, continued the Minister, that John M Kenzie had brought with him from hw native countS a deep sense of the hardships and wilt of unrestricted landlordism. educated in a part of .Scotland from which he saw cottars f“ nd „/“fje cleared out of their homes P deer forests and grouse moors for wealtay strangers, he brought to New Zealand a hatred of the selfishness of the large landowner which he never forgot. the House of Representatives, dunng the discussion of one of his Land Bills, t land reform had been his desire ever s he was old enough to thinK. M - Jf opinion on this subject, he said. 7 have been hastened and may h ave j 3 , matured by what I. saw myself when 1 was a young hoy in my native land, saw there beautiful valleys, straths and glens, at the will of one individual landlord, depopulated of a people whose torefathers had held the country for generations. I have seen worse than that u worse can be —and that is people bmps ground down to find rack-rent for tne ’ landlord ae the only condition on which they could hold the .land of their forefathers.” ...... John M'Kenzie was determined, that such a state of things should be imp o5 * aible in the country of his adoption. There

were othgr land reformers-before, him, but none with such a steadfast singleness of purpose as his was. He had depth of mind and a great earnestness of purpose that compelled attention, and the knell of land monopoly was tolled when he became Minister of Lands. John M'Kenzie —“ Honest John,” he was called by many—was essentially the friend of the small farmer. He held that the land was for the many and not for the few, and but for, his early and strenuous efforts who could say what would have been the position to-day in regard to land ownership? Old officers of the Lands Department still spoke of the way in which he applied himself to the great task which he shouldered. There was no doubt that his life was thereby shortened. His giant physical strength—he was a man who stood six feet four inches —faded for want of exercise, but he accomplished what he had set out to do. He was in office not only long enough to pass measures, but long enough to put them into successful , operation. That he had the respect and affection of his own department was shown by a telegram addressed to him on June 26, 1901, by the Surveyor-general:—“May you long live to enjoy the knighthood conferred on you yesterday by the son of the King as a mark of distinguished service rendered to your country. The department in which you began your Ministerial work, and which you left, one of the highest and best in the civil service, joins in congratulating you and in the hope you may yet'again be its leader.” Sir John had then resigned from the Ministry, ‘ proceeded; Mr de la Perrelle, and bad been appointed to the Legislative Council. Some of His old friends would remember the strangely touching scene when knighthood was conferred upon him by the present King—then the Duke of York—at the Shag Valley Railway Station. It was only too evident that he would not long enjoy the worldly rewards of his labour. And so it proved, for a few weeks later he succumbed to the illness which had caused him to give up office; His life outside his political career was typical of that of the old pioneers who came, sawt and conquered. Those old pioneers had**'the capacity for . hard work and the will to achieve—attributes which were not so often apparent to-day. They, lived at remote distances from civilisation; they converted the wilds f ihtp

well-tiled farms and smiling homesteads, and left for those who followed a heritage of which they could well be proud. Lives of great men all remind us, . ■ We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time. , “To-day, in some degree, all of us can leave our impress on the sands of time, ’ said Mr. de la Perrelle, in conclusion. “ Some, like John M'Kenzie, can do so in a national way, but in a smaller way we can all help the lame dog over the stile. John M'Kenzie’s own work is one monument to his memory. Another is the cairn on / yonder hill. It stands as a silent tribute to an illustrious statesman whose, memory, despite the passage of years, is still revered. A man of big stature, big and lofty ideals, a warm and sympathetic heart. Sir John M'Kenzie made this fair land of ours much the richer. by bis presence.” At the conclusion of the Minister’s address. Piper Peter Davidson played the lament “The Flowers o’ the Forest.” AN HONOURED STATESMAN Mr Macpherson said that he was proud to be associated with such a ceremony, which was held to do honour to the memory of a great statesman. After the Minister’s inspiring* address, there was little left for him to add, but he endorsed every word that Mr de la Perrelle had spoken. He felt it an honour to be present as a friend of Sir John M'Kenzie who was a man who had inspired everyone by his exaifaple and set a high standard for them to follow. This, however, was the way of all great men, and it wa.s for the .present generation to take courage and try to emulate their great work. He felt sure that had Sir John been allowed to put his whole policy into operation, the depression to-day would have been 50 pep cent, less than it w aa, but unfortunately the Parliaments of his day were not able to see as far as he could. So far as the progress arid betterment of New Zealand were concerned oiv John was -one of the greatest statesmen the country had ever had. GAELIC SOCIETY’S TRIBUTE Before speaking on behalf of the Gaelic Society, Mr Ritchie '.read the following telegram from the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes):—“ I had sincerely hoped to have been able to officiate at unveiling ceremony of tbe M'Kenzie Cairn, but now find that unfortunately extreme pressure will prevent my getting down to Palmerston on Saturday next. I regret exceedingly my inability to be present, and am arranging for Mr de la Perrelle to act in my stead. I extend my very good wishes for a successful function. Mr Ritchie also read the following telegram of apology from the chief of the society, Mr Roderick Mackenzie: — 4 Exceedingly regret on account illness unable to be present unveiling M'Kenzie Cairn, and to do honour to a great Highland man who did wonderful work for his adopted country, and brought honour to the Highlands of Scotland.” Mr Ritchie said that had their chief been with them that day, he would surely have expressed the gratitude of the society to various publicspirited men—particularly the late Sir Joseph Ward, Dr Gordon MacDonald, and Mr John Philip, the donor of the land on which the cairn stood, by whose efforts and generosity the erection of the memorial had been made possible It was particularly fitting, said Mr Ritchie, that the Gaelic Society of New Zealand should be associated with the

unveiling of the cairn to the memory of the late Sir John M'Kenzie. The Gaelic Society represented in the Dominion the peoples of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and one could say with truthfulness that no finer representative of the Highlands of Scotland ever set foot in this favoured country than Sir John M'Kenzie, whose memory they were met there that day to do honour to. His physique was that, of the Highlander at his best, his wide sympathies were born of the stfuggles of his forbears and his people, his vision was as broad and wide as his frame, and his intellect as keen as the air which he first breathe 1. He was, in a word, a true Highland gentleman. , „ _ . . The members of the Gaelic Society remembered with justifiable pride, continued Mr Ritchie, that Sir John was their honoured chief for many years. Those who had the privilege of serving under his chief ship testified to the atmosphere of the Highlands which all Ins activities during his term of office, and •how the society itself reflected his love and veneration for the Highlands ot b Gotland. They honoured the memory of Sir John because he did so much for the land of his adoption, and because of that he added lustre to the name of the Highlands. Standing as they did at that moment, under the shadow of the hill whereon young John M'Kenzie in his early days in New Zealand tended his sheep, they could easily visualise how, as he wandered over the mountain tops, his whole being was stirred as he saw the fertile plains in the valleys below, and bow he realised the possibilities of better things for the young New Zealander than was the portion ol those whose lives were passed in that part of the Highlands which gave him birth. The record of Sir John M'Kenzie s achievements from the time he landed in New Zealand until illness set him aside from active participation in the affairs of this great country, should be an-. inspiration not only to every true Highlander, but to every Scotsman. They, as members of the Gaelic Society, were proud to think that as the years went by, the many thousands of people who traversed that countryside would, by the Memorial Cairn, be brought to the knowledge of a great. Scotsman Who worked for the cause of humanity, and of whom it could be truly said: “His works do follow after ’him.”

They were proud'to think that Sir John M'Kenzie was connected with their society and was chief of it for many years, but better still to think that that remarkable man was a product of the Highlands of Scotland. ' A GREAT LAND REFORMER Mr Clark expressed pleasure at being present to do honour to one of the greatest men in public life that New Zealand had ever had. It was fortunate for the people of his electorate that they had had sufficient vision to choose out a man like John M'Kenzie to represent them and fight their difficulties. Sir John was the greatest land reformer of his time, and no doubt he saw, as they all realised now, that the difficulties of the world could be smoothed away by the settlement of the. lands question. There was hardly one of them in the hall that day who had not benefited by the work done and the fight put up. by Sir John, and in hie case the words of the poet were particularly fitting:— “When a great man dies, \ For years behind our ken The light he leaves behind him Lies in the past of men.” Mr C. R. Smith and Mr E. Atkinson (a son-in-law of Sir John M'Kenzie) also spoke briefly.' Mr Atkinson'made special reference to the public-spirited action of Mr J. Philip in giving the land on which the monument was erected. At the conclusion of the ceremony a hearty vote of thanks was accorded, to the Minister for having performed the unveiling, and the Mayor reminded' those present that the cairn was their own property, and appealed to them to prevent it from being disfigured in any way. After lunch the Minister was escorted, to the railway station by the piper, members of the official party and others, and left by the express on his-return to Wellington. He was accorded an enthusiastic farewell as the train drew out. A GENEROUS GIFT Prior to the departure of• the visitors a pleasant social half-hour was spent in the Mayor’s room, and on the proposal of Mr-Hopkins, the health of Mr Philip, through whose generosity the erection of the cairn on its present site was made possible, was drunk with musical honours. ORIGIN OF CAIRN Sir John M'Kenzie died in 1901. For several years he had been chief of the Gaelic Society of Dunedin, and during that period had endeared himself to the members of the society. He was a sociable, kindly disposed man, and so made friends readily. The Highland people have a great admiration for such of their race as overcome difficulties and rise to distinction, and one has merely to _ read the inscription placed upon the original cairn to grasp his difficulties and to see how he overcame them. To him opposition was merely the breath of life, while obstacles were matters to be overcome. He saw his goal, and he attained to it. Shortly after his death, the Gaeljc Society appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs Roderick Mackenzie (the present chief), J. F. M. Fraser, William M'Leod, and Dr Gordon MacDonald, to collect funds and erect a cairn on some suitable

hill at Palmerston in memory of - their beloved chief. In a very short space of time the committee collected about £7O, chiefly from members of the society. Then the late Mr Lee Smith, M.L.C., came upon the scene as a friend of Sir John, and he’canvassed the members of both Houses of Parliament, and from them received some £l5O. So successful was he that he undertook to find all the money required, and the local committee handed over its funds to him on the terms laid down by the Gaelic Society. Messrs Lawson and S almond were then commissioned to draw plans and call for tenders. The wish of the society was that the cairn, if possible, should be placed upon the top of Puketapu, and, failing that, upon the top of Pukeviti, immediately behind Sir John’s home at Shag Point. The owner of the land refused permission to have it erected on Puketapu, but Pukeviti was available. Messrs James Ferguson, David 'Given, and William Clyde, masons, of Dunedin, were the successful tenderers, the price being £440. There was an abundance of sandstone on the site, which was quarried, and the Messrs M'Kenzie Bros., of Heathfield, sons of Sir John, did any carting required free of cost. The cairn was unveiled by the Premier (Mr R. J. Seddon) in 1902. It stayed there as a most prominent landmark for several years, and became the Mecca of trampers from over a wide stretch of country. There was, however, some weakness in the structure, for one night in 1918 it collapsed. ; By this time the friends of bir John M'Kenzie were scattered, and the prospects of re-erecting it were remote. The Liberal Party were out-of office, and there had arisen a new party. In 1916, however, the National Government was formed, and Sir Joseph Ward became Finance Minister. Then some members of the Gaelic Society approached bir Joseph and asked him to place a sum of money on the Estimates to assist in rebuilding the cairn. Sir Joseph agreed, and £SOO was voted for the purpose. During the war prices began to _ soar, both men and money were urgently required for / other purposes', and the cairn fell into the background. Dr Gordon MacDonald happened to visit Wellington in 1918 during the summer session of that year, and he met Mr G W. Forbes, then a rising politician, and now Prime Minister. Conversation turned-upon Sir John M'Kenzie, and Mr Forbes mentioned that the money for the cairn had been voted year after year, and that the Gaelic Society should apply tor it. The society did apply immediately, and there began a most intricate series of correspondence and personal interviews. The society had appointed a committee to prosecute the matter with as much vigour as possible, and its efforts never ceased. Sir Joseph Ward was out of politics for some years, and the society was practically friendless in the House. At length, Mr W. Downie Stewart became Minister of Finance, and it was thought that _ he, being a local man, would lend the society his support. The committee wrote to him and interviewed him several times, but, though he was always sympathetic, he was equally non-committal. Finally, the committee persuaded him *o promise to spend the £SOO voted for the erection of the cairn, but he made a proviso that the committee should employ Mr Salmond to draw the plana and estimate the cost. Upon tenders being called it was found that the cost would be about £7OO. The committee then appealed to Mr powme Stewart to vote the extra £2OO, but he declined. Matters moved unpromisingly then, but in 1924 Mr Massey was at the Dunedin Winter. Show, and the committee approached him, asking that the cairn be re-erected. An election was approaching, and. Mr Massey said that if he were returned to power he would see that the cairn was re-erected. Mr Massey and his party were returned, but the committee heard nothing about the cairn. In 1929 Sir Joseph Ward became head of the Government. Shortly afterwards he happened to be in Dunedin, and the committee waited upon him. Sir Joseph heard their story, and said he knew the many troubles they Had had in trying to get the cairn re-erected, and finally assured the committee that he and his party would sooner or later have the cairn rebuilt. Saturday saw that promise fulfilled. THE NEW MEMORIAL Erected on Mount Puketapu, the summit of which is 1092 feet above sea level, the new cairn stands 43 feet in height. It is 11 feet square at the base, and whilst the i principal structure is of reinforced concrete, it has been faced with local stone gathered on the hillside close to where the memorial is erected, the corner stones having come from the bed of the Water of Leith. Inside, there are two floors through whiclj a spiral stairway ascends to the top platform, where a trig station has been erected. The cairn, which was constructed by Messrs H. S. Bingham and Co., was designed by the architects of the Public Works Department, the total cost being £1447.