OBITUARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23141, 17 March 1937, Page 9

OBITUARY

MR J. M‘C. DICKSON The death of Mr James M'Coll Dickson, which occurred yesterday at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr Stewart Pitt, 31 Highgate, Roslyn, removes one who for many years took an active interest in public, affairs ■in Otago until his retirement through ill-health some six years'ago. Mr Dickson was born in Victoria in 1854 and arrived in New Zealand as a boy nine years of age, his education, which had been commenced in Victoria, being continued at public schools in Otago. As a young man he was for many years engaged in sawmilling l operations with his brother, and he then purchased a farm on the Otago Peninsula near Portobello, where he remained for 40 years, achieving considerable success as a raiser of stock. Mr Dickson took a keen interest in the affairs of the district and for many years was a member of the Portobello Road Board, of which he was chairman for 12 years. He was also a member of the Portobello School Committee for 18 years, acting as chairman during a large portion of that time. In 1911 Mr Dickson became a member of the Otago Harbour Board and he held office for the succeeding 24 years as the representative of the borough of Green Island, and the counties of Taieri, Peninsula, Waikouaiti, and part of Waihemo. He served for three terms as chairman, occupying the position first in 1915-16, and later in 1926-27 and 1927-28. It was in 1911 also that he first sought a seat in Parliament in the Reform interest, but at that stage he was not so widely known in the extensive electorate of Chalmers as he was later to become, and he had no effective organisation behind him. Nevertheless it was by a margin of less than 100 votes that he failed to enter the second ballot, the voting being as, follows: E. H. Clark (Independent), 2850; J. T. Johnson (Independent Labour), 1476; J. M‘C. Dickson (Reform), 1376; Arthur M'Carthy (Labour), 578. Mr Clark, who was elected on the second ballot, was not a contestant at the election in 1914, when Mr Dickson again sought election, his opponents being Messrs W. D. Mason (Liberal) and G. S. Thomson (Labour), Mr Dickson was on this occasion elected by a majority of nearly 600 votes over Mr Mason. At the election in 1919, when Mr Dickson again had two opponents, he polled 7 2693 votes against 1810 registered for Mr J. Gilchrist, representing Official Labour, and 1382 for Mr D. Colquhoun, who stood in the Liberal interest. Mr Dickson was once more successful at the general election in 1922, polling 3644 against 2965 votes cast in favour of Mr J. Stephens, who on that occasion represented the Labour interest. In 1925 Mr Dickson was again opposed by a Labour candidate in the person of Mr M. Connelly, and was returned- by the largest number of votes ever registered in his favour. He polled 4321 votes against 2728 given for Mr Connelly. At the conclusion of the Parliament in 1928 Mr Dickson retired from active general political life and did not seek re-election. But for the change of Government that then took place, it is probable that his services in the Lower House would have been recognised by appointment to the Legislative Council. As a young man Mr Dickson took a keen interest in cricket, but was more widely known as a rifle shot. He acted as captain of the Peninsula Rifle Club and as chairman of the Peninsula Rifle Association when those bodies were in existence and was also a member of the New Zealand, rifle shooting team which visited the Melbourne ExhibiMr Dickson was predeceased by his wife, and is survived by three sons and two daughters—Messrs James and Stewart Dickson, of Dunedin, Mr Graham Dickson, purser of the Aorangi, Mrs Stewart Pitt, of Dunedin, and Mrs George Howden. of Christchurch,