SIR JAMES CARROLL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18193, 14 September 1933, Page 6

SIR JAMES CARROLL

A STUDENT’S BIOGRAPHY

ADDRESS TO TAIRAWHITI GREAT POLITICAL CAREER Memories of the late Sir Carroll, M.L.C., former Minister of Native Affairs and a foremost figure in *be Parliament of New Zealand for a g?*t number of years, were revived at the monthly meeting of tiie Tairawhiti Maori Association on Tuesday evening, when a large number of members beard an effective address on the career of the late Timi Kara delivered by Mr. K. L. Adams, of the teaching staff at tho Gisborne High School. Mr. Adams’ biography of the genial Sir James Carroll afforded an excellent example of intelligent research, and friends of the great Liberal figure in the gathering were deeply stirred by tlie recital of outstanding events and influences in the life of their old comrade.

Introducing his subject, Mr. Adams reviewed briefly the conditions of pakeha settlement in New Zealand, and the early troubles between pakeha and Maori, leading to the final settlement of peace and the determination of the Maori people to adopt the white man’s civilisation. He pointed to the fact that this adoption of a new culture called for the utmost sympathy and patience m the guidance of the native race, and to the emergence from the ranks of the Maori people themselves of a number of great leaders who, by their ability to appreciate the great problems involved, were well equipped to furnish the gentle yet firm guidance called for. Of the long and illustrous list of those who had held the post of Native Minister. none had filled the position with greater distinction, tact, or natural dignity than the late Sir James Carroll, who was Native Minister from 1899 to 1912, stated Mr. Adams. EARLY WAIROA DAYS

. The father of Sir James was Mr. Joseph Carroll, one of the earliest pakehas to settle in Wairoa, the speaker continued. Mr. Joseph Carroll had come to New Zealand as a trader shortly after the signing of the Treaty oPVVaitangi, and in 1842 he settled in Wairoa. He claimed descent from the O’Carroll who ruled in Ireland in the fifteenth century, and was of the same family as the Charles Carroll who signed the American Charter of Independence on behalf of the State of Maryland. A genial type of man, lie found great. fayoi - r with the Maoris, and took as Inc wife Tapuke, of rangatira rank, boasting direct descent from Tamatea, the navi, gator of the Takitimu canoe on its journey from Hawaiki in the great heke or fleet of emigration in the 'fourteenth century. From the mother’s ancestry, the issue of Mr. Joseph Carroll arid Tapuke enjoyed the highest standing m the Maori community, and this was signified bv the rites that accompanied the birth of James, the sixth child of the union. These rites consecrated tho infant son of Tapuke to the service of his tribe and people, and led to his recognition as one of the rangatira of the Ngatikahungunu tribe, of which his mother was a member. Inheriting from his parents the humor, tact, and political expression that flowers m tne Irish people, and the mnnv high qualities of tlie Maori race embodied in his mother, the young limi was an apt pupil of the wharewananga, or school of mysticism in which he spent his younger years. UNDER THE TOHUNGAS In the. higher reaches of the Ruakituri Ri\er and about Waikaremoana, he was brought up purely in the Maori tradition, and did not see a white man from one year s end to another. As an athi u ?“ e,led ln the sports of native childhood, and quickly became skilled in tlie use of native weapons. On the water he became especially proficient, either in handling a canoe or in swimming; and in daily journeys through the forests he learned all the secrets of nature in all her moods. His spiritual education was carefully tended in the wharewananga, and between his fifth and seventh years Timi mastered tlie early courses of the priestly instruction with honors. He was well on the wav to becoming the complete product of the mystic school when his father came to reclaim the boy. At this time Mr. Joseph Carroll had developed a fine holding at Hnrumua. the land being a portion of his wife’s interests in the tribal holdings. The country was on the eve of great commercial expansion, and Mr. Joseph Carloll played his part in developing the primary resources of the colony within Mr- , tl . ,e s P™g 0f'1864 he decided to recall his son, and journeyed to the kainga at Waikaremoana, where for tlie first time he saw the bov Timi i lie elders of the tribe, prompted doubtless by the tohungas, were loth indeed to allow' the departure of the most promising ol the younger members of the kamga, and it was not until long koreros had been held and a virtual ransom fixed that the father gained his purpose.' Leaving the kainga by night, father and son sealed an intimacy that lasted until the death oi Mr. Joseph Carroll in 1901. BRIEF PAKEHA SCHOOLING It was largely to the' steady hand of Mr, George Richardson, partner of Mr Joseph Carroll, that the young James Larroll found his transition into a pakeha comparatively simple. For 18 months timi went to school at Wairoa, makin* a ready pupil, and later he went for a tew months to a private school id Napier. His school days over, he returned to Huruinua, and at 10 years of age outshone in athletics and ‘ general physical ability many of much greater age. A splendid horseman, lie gained a great reputation in the saddle, and at 13 years of age lie was a magnificent specimen physically. By contact with English cadets on the stations ot Wairoa district, he learned many tilings which were of great value to him in after liio. He had an unusually receptive mind, and any discussion of politics, economy, or war was as moat and drink to him. His earlv Maori training kept him a Maori, how-. e\er, and throughout his life he remained tlie true friend of his own people. The possibility of service against the rebel le Kooti was eagerly embraced, and at the age of 14 years Timi Kara was accepted as a member of Hamblin's column for the invasion of the Urewera country, where the rebel leader had his headquarters. In the skirmishing round the western shores of Waikaremoana Timi distinguished himself by his audacious humor as much as by his courageous acceptance of the risks of battle. 1 bough still in bis early ’teens, lie was accepted as a man among men, and thus received another valuable impetus in bis early career. For bis services in the expedition Timi was mentioned in despatches, was awarded tlie New Zealand War Medal, received the thanks of Parliament, and was made a grant of £SO, a rich reward for a lad of 14 years.

| FIRST OFFICIAL TASKS Returning to his former occupation as a station hand, Timi lost no opportunity of extending his knowledge of the European culture, through his contacts with well-educated Englishmen and a wide course of reading. His naturally selective intelligence was of immense value in this connection, and the gift of oratory, which he had early discovered, was polished in many a debate with his comrades of the station and acquaintances in the township of Wairoa. In that era of progress in the development of the country, Wairoa was frequently visited, too, by many men prominent in political and commercial spheres, and the youngest sou of Mr Joseph Carroll found many chances to improve his knowledge of events outside the somewhat restricted area of his own personal experience. His father was not slow to recognise the possibilities of this budding orator, omnivorous reader, and sound thinker, and took a decisive step in preparing the youth for his great career when he pro cured for him a position under Mr. Samuel Locke, District Native Commis sioner for the East Coast, whose headquarters were at Napier. Office routine was not palatable to the young Timi, but as he advanced in his work he quickly developed a deep- interest in the causes of friction among the tribes, and between the Maori and pakeha. He was already well established in the regard of his colleagues and the people whose affairs he dealt with, when Sir Donald McLean, Minister of Native Affairs from 1869 to 1876. noted his exceptional promise, and had him transferred to the head office at Wellington.

APPEARANCE IN THE HOUSE With necessary brevity, Mr. Adams in the course of his address traced the successive changes of mood and fortune which led to" the appointment of James Carroll as native interpreter to tho House of Representatives, and instituted his first real contact with the political sphere, and began an era of public service which continued from 1879 to 1926. This period in the history of New Zealand at which Janies Carroll took up his appointment was one of the most interesting of all, and in the three years during which his appointment lasted, lie absorbed knowledge and experience as a sponge absorbs water. Finally came his determination to enter politics as a representative of the Maori race. In the election of 1884, James Carroll opposed the strongly-entrenched Wi Pere, Eastern Maori representative, and was defeated by a margin of only 23 votes. His excursion into active politics closed for him the employment he had enjoyed in the House, but he secured an appointment under Judge ilogaii, of the Native Land Court, and by 1887 he had a full grasp of the electorate he planned to represent. In the election of that year, lie defeated Wi Pere by more than 500 votes, bringing to a close a long uninterrupted term of Parliamentary honors on the one hand, and initiating another even longer, and certainly more illustrious. ROMANTIC MARRIAGE Turning back the pages of Sir James Carroll’s history to the early eighties, Mr. Adams referred to his marriage with Heni Materoa, a rangatira of the Aitanga-a-Mahaki and Rongowhakaata people, after a courtship which found only added impetus from the opposition offered by the connections of both ■ parties. It was a romantic match, the opposition of all parties being overcome by stratagem and James Carroll and Heni Materoa being married in Wellington on July 4, 1881. The lecturer spoke with deep appreciation of the part played by Heni in the life and development of Sir Janie.-. Cai ■ roll, and of the womanly attributes, of the highest character, which provided for the rising young man a background of incalculable value. Denied the gilt of issue, they appeased their passionate love for children by a series of adoptions; some 30 foster-children owing much to their loving care. The love ol Sir James Carroll for social life was not shared in any great measure by his wile, who zealously carried out her obligations to her own people, and though of. the most retiring nature, nevertheless won the deep regard of the pakeha people by her gracious personality as much as by her great generosity, instanced by many fine gifts to the town of Gisborne and innumerable acts of private charity and donations to sporting associations. OUTSTANDING INCIDENTS

In covering the period of Sir James Carroll’s political activity, Mr. Adams was forced to confine himself to the outstanding incidents and tho successive stages of the young politician’s climb to the status of national figure and worldrecognised statesman. He traced the association of Sir James with tlie leaders of the Liberal Party of the old. days, when Liberalism was a great and potent force in public affairs, and his development of a native policy which found its great expression in the Validation of Titles Act of 1893. The passing of this Act was one of the achievements of young Carroll which closely followed upon his defeat of Mr. C. A. deLautour for the European seat of Gisborne, and it was the first of a series of enactments for the benefit of the Maoris, and the conservation of the great land endowment of the native people. Not less important than his political activities was his personal intervention, with winning tact, in the occasional serious disputes which arose between the Government and the Maori, an outstanding instance of which is provided by the history of the Urewera troubles of 1875, resulting in the Urewera Reserves Act, which preserved the lands to the Maori people. MINISTERIAL EXPERIENCE

Through the stages of iiis rise in the political world, Mr. Adams followed the history of Sir James Carroll, noting his appointment as Minister without portfolio. his first Ministerial charge in connection with the Stamp Duties —the first occasion on which a native had been given full charge of a department of Government —and his appointment as Native Minister. Thence through the period of Mr. Richard John Seddon’s later years and his death abroad, followed by the rearrangement of Cabinet duties wifh Sir Joseph Ward emerging as Prime Minister, with Sir James Carroll as his first lieutenant. At the coronation of King George, New Zealand was represented by the Premier, whoso departure from New Zealand lelt Sir James Carroll .in the pust of ■ictingiPrime Minister. Among the coronation honors appeared his name with the honor of knighthood attached, the recognition being greeted with - enthusiasm throughout the Dominion, and by the new knight ns a tribute to the loyalty and good service’ of his people, the Maori. Then came the eclipse of Liberalism in New Zealand, lifted lor a time by the exigencies;of the Great War, when the National Cabinet was formed, and Sir .Tames Carroll served his country once again in a conspicuous capacity bv his successful recruiting efforts among the native race. TRIBUTES IN HOMELAND The visit of Sir James Carroll to Great Britain, as a member of the New Zealand Parliamentary party in 1918 was a chapter of especial importance in the history of the Maori race, and Mr. Adams outlined briefly the triumphs achieved by the orator of the southern seas in the course of that tour, touching particularly upon his visit to Dublin, where one of his addresses was hailed by the Irish press as among the greatest ever heard in that land of the mystic poets. Then there was his brief visit to

tlu! Front, where he was received with open arms by file New Zealand Division, receiving such a tribute as could not liave been exceeded if paid to a member of the white race. So the liistory of .'ir James Carroll passed into its filial stages with the cheers of New Zealand s soldiers at the Front still ringing. At the election of 1919, Sir James Carroll was defeated in a contest for I,lie Gisborne seat, .and a Parliamentary career of 33 years closed with general regret, felt even by those, who had helped to defeat tile'great Liberal figure, in 1921 he was appointed to the Legislative Cotmeil on the nomination of his erstwhile political foe. Mr. .Massey, tne appointment constituting a fitting recognition of his services to the Dominion and the Empire. Until the time of his death iri 1926, Sir James fulfilled the duties of his appointment with a line oar.' and a vast exiewienee. and at his death it was universally felt that veritably “the great totara of the forest’’ had fallen Ml v mv Zealand mourned the loss of Timi Kara, and tributes to liis personality and exceptional services were paid in every quarter. At the obsequies, the old-time Maori customs were observed, together with those of the pakelia civilisation, instancing once again the bond which he had wrought between the two peoples, who together sorrowed for his passing. At the close of Iris address, Mr. Adams was tendered a most appreciative vote of thanks for his illuminating biographical sketch, which held his audience for long after the evnirv of the time usually allotted to speakers before the association.