OTAGO MEN OF NOTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 45

OTAGO MEN OF NOTE.

Br 1.M.1.

WIIiWAM MASON, 4KOHITEOT AND MAYOR.

For many years the face and figure of Mr faason were familiar to every Duuedinite, tie assiduously attending bLs duties in the fhanifold works he had in hand, buildiDg (ip our city and adding to it many of the splendid buildings by wbioh it is adorned, and which without any question give it the proud position of being the most modern and handsome oily within the colony. The strongest frame will not endure always the Constant grind and worry of active life. At some time we must give in, or it may bo we get satiated or disheartened, severing the ties that bind us to activity, and long for repose and eeolusion, drawing therefrom more tealpleasure and enjoyment than can be found In the excitement and bustle which reign wherever man in crowds do congregate. From one or both of these causes Mr Mason retired from public life and strife, and made for himself a " Paradise " among the wilds »nd fastnesses of "the interior of Otago. He cannot be claimed as onb of the early settlers of the province, but as he spent by far the greatest portion of hia life here his name de3©rves record among our men of note.

ifr Mason was born at Ipswich, England, bn February 24, 1810, and having gained his education at various seminaries of learning, he chose tbe profession of architect as that io which his Hfo and abilities should principally be devoted. He gained his oxpsrience in bis native town, and for some years afterwards was employed under eminent architects in London In the preparation of the plans of the Archiepiscopal Palaco, at Lambeth. The desire for colonial life took fast hold on him, so with his wife he sailed from London, arriving in Auckland towards the beginning of 1840, and there about 20 years of bis HEe wero passed. The comforts of civilised life were considerably interfered with by the conntant state ot alarm and trepidation consequent on tho unsettled state of the Maoris. It might be justly termed a life of continual dread. With all the other male leaidents Mr Mason bad to take part in the eemi-mllitary sorvico which necessity thrust on them. Officially he held the posilion of Provincial Architect for Auckland, designing most of the original public buildings as well as carrying on a considerable private practice ; and in connection with other local works he was prominent. He was member for tbe Pensioners' Settlement in the House of Representatives from 1858 until 1864. He, however, attracted by the discovery of the goldfields, left for Otago before the expiration of his term, arriving iv Dacedin in 1861. He did not come to dig, but to follow bis profession, knowing well that Dunedin must forge ahead beyond any other place impelled by the magic power of gold, and that there would be a great demand for his services, there being plenty of room for improvement and the display of ingenuity, and besides there were few, if any, local men of xepute in bis profession to compete with. He was by no means a stranger in bis new home, as with the members of Parliament he had formed acquaintance during their visits to the seat of government, and a great many Aucklanders had also oomc down as well as bimeelf. He was not long iv get'.in^ together plenty of business, everything being in a hurryekurry, people arriving iv such numbers and goo3s in such quantities that there were no Jbnildings or ooverings to hold them, and they had of course to be provided for at once. It ia not to be supposed that Mr Ma3on had a clear field and overy favour. On the contrary, competitors from other Ntw Z-.-ilind ports, New South Walss, and Victoria were entered for the contest of who should be first and best. Several minor contracts were successfully completed by his firm, but the first of any magnitude and the largest stone building put up until then in New Zealand was the Exhibition Building, now the Hospital. Tbe idea of holding an exposition in Danedin began to \,c mooted in January of 1863. At first it was looked at rather askance, but gradually the idea grew in form and assumed a shape by the appointment of a Royal Commission of about 40 names representing the beßt classes in the community. The next step was obtaioing funds with jwhich to build, and after a little bickering the promise of money was madj by the PfOirlncial Council to tho extent of £4000, tut fthis had afterwards to be extended to the itul! coßt of the whole erection, touching ;EIB,OOO. A- rather disagreeable episode incurred with Mr Mason. He had submitted a crude design to tbe Superintendent and Commissioners on tbe understanding pb&t this design was gratuitous. Tbe Superintendent, Mr Harris, had the conviction that the offer of Mr Mason was to fearry oat the who3e design without fee, to

which the Utter demurred ; on the dispute being referred to the Provincial Council, after a mass of conflicting opinions were expressed, the council voted Mr Mason £800 as bis fee, being a commission of 5 per cent. on the tender of £10,250, but which was largely exceeded by omißoions and extras, totalling £18,007 when completed. The cause of the muddle was the divided authority, the Provincial Government and the Commissioners working without proDM consultations and thorough understanding. The buildings were, however, satisfactorily completed, notwithstanding a ory having been raised aa to their stability, and the Exhibition proved a grand success. The next big contract Mr Mason had in hand was for the General Government : the design for and the erection of the new Post Office, now the Colonial Bank. The building is one of the leading features among the architectural structures in Dunedin, and though not claiming to be so ornate or elaborate in design, it holds its own amid the crowd. Following this was the Provincial Buildings, now the Post Office, courthouses, and Lands department. Many opinions have been expressed on the dosigu of thfs rather intricate buildinpr, considerably altered from thefirst proposals; it seems, however, to suit its multifarious purposes very well indeed. It is needless to detail farther buildings in the erection of which Mr Mason was associated. A view of him in another phase— as a public man — will be of more interest. As before noted, he was for five years a member of Parliamsnt, but never took any promiuent position. He was counted one of the silent member?, without being less useful in practical work. In Danedin he was appointed a member of the Exhibition Eoyal Commission, and took an active part in its promotion. It was while the Exhibition was in full swing in 18G5 the old Town Board " was executed " by tbe Provincial Council, and before the ordinance creating the City Council came into force Messrs For/nan, Bssticgß, and Grey were appointed by tho Superintendent as commissioners to conserve the interests of the town and its inhabitant?. On the 17th of July of that year tbo nomination of candidates for the raayorship was made, the result of the poll on the 21st being — Mason, 494 ; Paterson (Provincial Secretary, the only old identity on the list), 393 ; M Gregor, 88 ; Wilson, 72 ; Forman, 10. And so, In epite of a mild protest, Mr Mason became the first mayor of the first city in New Zealand, and Danedin could also lay claim at the pciiod of being of the first commercial importance. Tbe intention originally was to have placed the eleotion of Mayor in the hands of the City Council, but thoattempt was frustrated, and the election was made popular. On the Ist of August tho four wards each returned their two memberp, and on the 6th Mr Mayor Mason and his council of eight membors assembled for the first time. It was a time of considerable excitement. There were quakes shaking the earth, wind and thunder storming the atmosphere. Politically there was also commotion. Mr Harris was obliged to resign the Superinfcendoncy, and Mr Dick was elected. Changes iv the membership of the Provincial Council were taking place, Danedin being required to find two to iill vacancies, for one of which seats Mr Mison unsuccessfully offered himself, bsing beaten by Mr J. G. S. Grant at the top of the poll, with Mr Haggitt for his colleague. The affairs of Southland were in a desperate state £20,000 worth of railway plant sold \mder an execution warrant for £273. Otogo was also financially cramped. Tbe first and second execution took place during the year. The day following his election as Mayor Mr Mason, as chief citizen, had the honour of being present at the laying of the foundation stone of the Benevolent Institution at Oaversbam by Mr Ju&tice Richmond. Tbe institution beiDg a provincial one, and the council contributing" a considerable portion of the funds, the privilege would have devolved on t"hc Superintendent, but this being an interregnum, one Superintendent having resigned and bis successor not yot being elected, the Mayor as a matter of right would have been deputed to take his place, but was not officially installed in office. On the 29di of January 18GG tbe first Mayor's Court was hold in the city, at which Mr Mason presided, and as a very curious circumstance, among the first cases ooming before him was that of bis opponent for the mayoral chair, Mr Format), who was Sheriff of the province, an appointment held under the General Government, and who had been arrested at tbe Heads, just as he was on tho point of escaping, on a charge of embezzlement of public money. Some flaw occurring in the indictment, the charge was dismissed, and before the error could be corrected Forman, with the aid and abetment of soree friend?, managed to get clear away. I Everything appeared to have been arranged < for the purpose, and so one of the greatest miscarriages of justice on our records took place, and for it the Mayor, justly or not, came in for a good share of animadversion. At the end of his first year bb Mayor, Mr Mason was elected for another term by a large mnjorily, receiving 612 votes against bis principal opponent, Mr J. G. 8. Grant, who had only 231. At the end of his second terra Mr M*eon did not again solicit the suffrages of the people for any oflice of political or municipal distinction. He appears to have been satisfied with the amount which bad fallen to his lot. Nor can it. be said that duriug bis mayoralty anything of peculiar interest was developed. Certainly his Worship and bis councillors had their hands full in organising the now order of things. It was a position strange to all of them, and they were right in exercising prudence. There was an immense amount of \roik to do, but where was the money to do It with 1 There were several very clever shrewd business men In the ranks— no born financier, bewevor, who could manipulate evon by the stroke of his m3gic wand tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of pounds without increasing debts or liabilities. And yet there were some hiatorie'events worthy of notice. From time immemorial it bad been tbe custom to advertise publicly on the streets, by the alarm of the bell and the voice of the bellman, that an auction sale would take place at Shadrach Jones's Bazaar or a meeting be held at one place or

another, for which the bellringer and orier received from half a sovereign upwards, Bpeoially paid If ho rang the pooplo well up and in. Sandy Low— a Scot, of course, though born In the West Indies — had held undisputed possession of the post. The aforesaid Jone*, who was as great a wag as ever lived, introduced a rival in the person of Joe Munten, and nothing pleased Jones batter or proved more successful in the attainment of his object than to set the two bellrlngers up in opposition. Things went high, or at any rate the clappers of the bells and tho voices of the criers went higher and more shrill than was pleasant ; so a bylaw was passed — the same in subatanco as the recent No. 2— by which bellringing on the streets was made an offence punishable by fine and possibly imprisonment, and the tinkling sound was no more to be heard, being supplanted by the more sonorous and awfulvoiced trumpet, at whioh Joe Munten became proficient, and for wliich poor Sandy Low had neither wind nor ear, and so his pipe was put out. The councillors were not one whit more easily managed than they are now. The disposition to kick over tbe traces was sometimes exhibited, but the Mayor had considerable tact and showed no disposition to be overbearing, at tbo same tims keeping a firm hold of tho reins. Among the first acts of the oouncil was votiDg the Mayor's salary, which was fixed at £450, and it turned out a considerably bigger claim was made on his time than would ordinarily have arisen. Neither tbe city clerk (Lozaar) nor the engineer (Millar, F.S.A.) wero in good odour, sotheir services were dispensed with after a ! considerable amount of trouble. The collector of the city rates (Boucher), who had been a prominent figuro as a teetotal advocate and an example to the community generally, turned out to be not so good as he should have been. Hii abstinence proved to be bofore the pubiic cwly, as on the ftly he took more than did Mai good, and in an evil hour he was caught rioting and had up bafore the court. On examination his accounts showed a considerable deficiency between the sama collected aud thosu paid in to the treasurer, and for tkis very properly he was severely punished. City Council funds were low. To raise the wind and fill the pails of thfi municipal treasury, a resolution was come to and cartied out of dividing the Town Belt into sections and leasing them for a term of years. The plane were piepared, the auction sale advertised, and on the day appointed Mr William Hepburn mounted the rostrum, and, proceeding to read tho conditions, was met with a volley of hisses and jeer 3 qaite enough to upset the nerves of any ordinary man. Mr Hepburn could retort in the best of tempor, even with such a formidable protester as Mr (now Sir Francis) Dillon Bell. The sale waa gooe through, prices ranging from 18s to £10 an acre— splendid rents, Mr Bell himself securing two or three sections near his own residence. Tho feeling of the public was, however, so adversely expressed that the bargains in most cases were not completed. Many matters of groater interest were engrossing the attention of the citizens. The. tide of commercial prosperity was flowing pretty freely so far as tho province was concerned. A feeling of grave doubt, however, existed as to the Colonial Administration being either fair or prudent. This wave or backwash was felt or feared individually and collectively. Parliament bad been iv session, and the representatives for the city were expected to rel urn immediately. The Major was requisitioned to call a public meeting to demand an explanation of their conduct. This ha did, and in the theatre, on October 15, 1566, an overcrowded meeting gave one o£ the representatives a terrible heckling for his action during the past session. The Mayor, who presided, did his level best to keep good feeling prevalent, but unfortunately without avail. The laßt public appearance of Mayor Mason was at an enthusiastic meeting of the citizens, also called by him on request, in the theatre, and at which he presided. The purpose was to consider the relationship existing between the General and Provincial Governments. This meeting was held on May 31, 1867, and it waa a resolute one. Each speaker spoke straight out, saying if words would not do actions should follow. His Worship was known not to be in sympathy with the feeling of the meeting. What, however, could he do but submit the motions to the meeting, and on their being carried transmit them to Wellington 7 wbicb was done. During bin mayoralty Mr Mason did the city good BCTvice in ths iuauguratlon of the first water supply. It was somewhat hard work to get the company formed and arrangements made for carrying out the undertaking, and during its progress several difficulties occurred. He was not one of the fire!; provisional directors, but becoming a shareholder he gave willingly and gratuitously his advice and assistance professionally in sotting to right any differences which cropped up with the engineer or contractor ; and &t the formal opening of the works, when he had ceased to be mayor, be received a unanimous and hearty vote of thauks for his valuable and disinterested services rendered on many difficult and delicate points in dispute. Oa the expiry of his second year in office Mr Mason; quietly retired Into private life, and did not again become a candidate for any publio position, devoting bis attention to his business. This was soon afterwards rendered more imperative, as there was considerable competition In the profession, and also by a dissolution oE the original firm of Mason and Clayton by the departure of tbe latter to Wellington, on which Mr Wales was associated with the remaining partner in carrying on an extensive business until late in the eighties, when he finally withdrew from the profession, and' choosing as a place of residence the remote interior town of Queenstown, on the very verge of civilisation, h« retired there, and in the society of his wife spent several years of pleasant seclusion apart from the busy haunts of life, the pair devoting their attention to botanical studies and tbe collection of specimens of the rare plants with which the region abounds— a pursuit in which they had a congeniality of taste, and which afforded them Immense enjoyment. When Qaeenstown became more accessible, and the inroads of visitors and touristß became more frequent and numerous, they went further back to the Head of tho Wakatipu at

Glonorcby, and there for a season settled down in st ohoice little spot named Paradise Flat. Age, howaver, began to toll its tale on both, so in late years they came back again to the neighbourhood of the city, where greater facilities could be obtained in ministering to declining faculties.