OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21647, 18 May 1932, Page 9

OBITUARY

MR W. PEMBER REEVES NOTED LEGISLATOR PASSES LONDON, May 10. The death is announced of Mr William Pcmber Reeves. Mr Reeves, who was horn in Lyttelton on February 10, 1857, was a son of the late Mr William Reeves, M.L.C., who was Minister of Public Works in the Fox-Vogel Government in 1872. At the early age of 10 years he won a scholarship* valued at £4O a year, which entitled him to receive tuition at Christ’s College and Grammar School. lie studied there for several years, and won the scholarship a second time. In 1873 lie won the Somes scholarship, and in the following year he gained two university scholarships, securing first-class honours in classics and mathematics. After these successes he went Home with

the object of studying for the Bar at Corpus College, Oxford, his idea being to emulate the achievements of his uncle, Mr Edward Pember, Q.C., who had for a long time been distinguished as counsel at the Parliamentary Bar. His plans were shattered, however, by ill-health, and he returned to New Zealand without entering upon his projected course of study at the English University. Shortly aftei he came back to New Zealand he wentinto the country for the benefit of his health, blit he soon found that the life there afforded no scope for his abundant energies, and he returned to Christchurch, where he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court, but it was not in the practice of the law that he was destined to make liis mark. For a time he acted as reporter for the Canterbury Law Society, but apart from that he did very little professional work. About this time journalism attracted his attention, and he determined to throw in his lot with the Fourth Estate. He began his new career as a contributor to the Lyttelton Times (now the Christchurch Times),.and his work was so much appreciated that he quickly rose to the position of leader writer. Soon afterwards he was appointed to the position of editor of the Canterbury Times, a weekly publication which went out of existence during the stress of the war years, and in 1889 he became editor of the Lyttelton Times. His labours at that time were by no means confined to journalism, for he made several contributions to the literature of New Zealand. During his residence in New Zealand Mr Reeves reached a position of prominence in the political world. He was elected as the representative of the constituency of St. Albans -in 1887, defeating Mr, Garrick by a large majority, and three years later he was elected for Christchurch City, which scat he retained until his resignation early in 1896. In 1891, when the Liberal Party returned to power, he was selected for Ministerial honours in the Ballance Government, notwithstanding the fact that he had had only a few years’ parliamentary experience. His original portfolios were those of Justice and Education, which he took over on January 24, 1891. He handed over the portfolio of Justice to the late Sir A. J. Cadman on May 28, 1892, and within the next few days took charge of the Stamp Duties Dephrtmcnt and the Ministry of Labour, which he retained until the death of Ballance. When the Seddon Government was formed, following on the death of Mr Ballance, Mr Reeves took charge of the Education, Stamp Duties, and Labour Departments, and retained control of them until January 10, 1896. He. was also Minister of Justice for a brief period in 1893. As Minister of Education his chief works were the revising and modernising of the public school syllabus, the coding of the Native schools, and the passing of a new School Attendance Act. Under his direction the “ working ” average basis of the capitation paid was restored. The Educational Institute owes much to him, fdr he was the first to recognise it and to consult it on education matters. Ho also endeavoured to improve the means of education in the State schools by preparing a national geographical and Historical reader. He was ■ the first Minister to hold the portfolio of Labour, and in that capacity ho did a lot of important work, the effects of which are in evidence even to-day. He was responsible for placing on the Statute Book a large number of Acts dealing with many phases of labour in the Dominion. Amongst the more important measures for which he was responsible were the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, which was designed to facilitate the settlement of trade disputes, the Factories Act, the object of which was to secure better conditions of labour ill factories, the Shop and Shop Assistants Act, passed for the purpose of regulating the hours of work in shops, and the Employers Liability Act, which was passed with the object of protecting workmen from negligence on the part of employers. Mr Reeves was a prominent figure in the parliamentary world in his day, and during his term in the Ministry he was recognised as the most finished speaker and ready debater in the Government Party. In January, 1890, Mr Reeves left New Zealand to assume the duties of Agentgeneral in succession to Sir Westby Percival, and he held that position until 1905. In the latter year the status was raised from Agent-general to High Commissioner, and Mr Reeves had the honour of being the first to occupy the higher position. He carried out the duties of High Commissioner until 1909, when he resigned in order to accept the position of director of the London School of Economics, which he held until 1920. The directorship of the London School of Economics was a very important position, and it was a decided tribute to Mr Reeves that it should'be offered to him. The school occupies a high place in the educational institutions in the Motherland. It makes provision in connection with the British Library of Political Science for research in the economics of political science by courses of lectures on methods of investigation and by tiie award of studentships. During his term of office as Agent-general and High Commissioner Mr Reeves was untiring in his advocacy of the interests of New Zealand, and he displayed a high degree of judgment and tact in carrying out his duties, setting a high standard, which has been worthily upheld by his successors.

Mr Reeves held numerous other positions at various times. Prior to his departure from New Zealand he was chairman of directors of the New Zealand Times Company (now defunct) for a period. He represented New Zealand at various conferences in Europe. America, and Australia, and hold the positions of chairman of directors of the National Bank of New Zealand, chairman of the Anglo-Hellenic League, member of the Senate of the University of London, member of the Pacific Cable Board, member of the Commercing Intelligence Committee of the Board of Trade, and member of the English Royal Commission on Shipping Kings. Included in the honours conferred upon him were those of doctor of philosophy of the University of Athens and Commander of the Order of the Saviour, G recce. In his younger days Mr Reeves was a well-known athlete in Christchurch. Ho represented Canterbury in seven or eight cricket matches against foreign teams and other provices, and he also took part in one or two representative football matches. He also figured in the cycling and lawn tennis world. Mr Reeves’s best known contributions to literature were “ Colonial Couplets,” “In Double Harness,” “Pharos” (an introduction to the history of Communism and Socialism from the time of Plato to the present day), “State Experiments in Australia and New Zealand,” and “ Aotea-Roa ” (The Long White Cloud). His literary work,was not confined to New Zealand, for in later years he was a contributor to the supplementary volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Dictionary of National Biography. The labours of authorship of “ Colonial Couplets ” and “In Double Ha rness ” were shared by Mr Reeves and Mr G. P. Williams. These two publications met with a measure of success which was previously unknown in the history of New Zealand literature. Mr Reeves married Miss Magdalen Stuart Robison, a daughter of Mr W. E. Robison, who was manager of the Bank of Now South Wales in Christchurch for a quarter of a century. A MARK OF RESPECT. SYDNEY, May 17. (Received May 17, at 9.35 p.m.) The flag was flown at half-mast over the New Zealand Government offices at Sydney to-day as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Mr W. Pember Reeves. CAPTAIN ROBERT DOLLAR NEW YORK, May 16. _ A message from San Rafael (California) announces the death of Captain. Robert Dollar, aged 88, shipping and lumber magnate. He died this morning following two weeks’ illness. LORD EBURY .. LONDON, May 16, The death is announced of Lord Ebury as the result of a hunting fall in March. Lord Ebury was 49 years of age. He was president of the London Employers’ Association, a director of the Hudson Bay Company, the Union Bank of Australia, and the West End Board Royal Exchange Assurance Company. He studied mining, engineering, and chemistry at the Camborne School of Mines, and worked as a labourer and pitman in the mines in the Isle of Man. In 1903 he went to Canada, where he was prominently connected with mining until he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. He had a distinguished war record. “THE SHOPKEEPING PEER.” LONDON, May 17. • (Received May 18, at 0.14 a.m.) Lord Ebury was known as “the shopkeeping peer ” after he became chairman of the Army and Navy Co-operative Society, Ltd. A CENTENARIAN’S DEATH (Per United Press Association.) WANGANUI, May 17. The death occurred at Wanganui yesterday of Mrs Emma Haggett, aged 100 years. She came to New Zealand in June, 1844, in the sailing ship British Empire, with her husband, the late Mr Daniel Haggett, and landed at Lyttelton. She was a keen Congregationalist and prohibitionist. The deceased leaves three sons and two daughters, and two grandchildren, and 34 great grandchildren. MR JONAS MASTERS (Per United Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, May 17. The death occurred at Stratford tonight of Mr Jonas Masters, aged 76, the founder of the firm of Masters, Ltd., and father, of Mr Robert' Masters, the Minister of Education. MR R. S. GIBSON The death occurred at Christchurch on Friday of Mr R. S. Gibson. Mr Gibson was born in Dunedin 73 years ago, where his father was a stoi ekeeper and general merchant in the boom times of the Otago gold rush. His parents removed to Christchurch when he was a youth,, and young Gibson became apprenticed to the engineering department of Scott Bros., engineers and ironfounders. As a young man he assisted in the construction and erection of a large steam engine for the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills, where it is still doing service. After serving his term of apprenticeship ho secured a position in the railway service as machinist, and during all the years that new locomotives were being constructed at the Addington Workshops was leading machinist In charge of all the new work in connection with their construction. All over New Zealand can be found mechanical engineers who are • prepared to acknowledge their gratitude for the kindness and sometimes sternness with which he did his duty in teaching them to become capable mechanics. He retired from the railway service medically unfit in 1918, and, on his retirement, went to reside in Nelson.