BARON BLEDISLOE AND HIS CAREER.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 11 December 1929, Page 5

BARON BLEDISLOE AND HIS CAREER.

A iPHAfiTJCAL AND SGIENTIFJG fASMCR.

Lard Bledisloe's appointment as 'Governor 'General of New Zealand aad its dependencies furnishes still another example of the Old Country's real Itrperialisni. While the war was still a recent event, we enjoyed as a link with ithe Crown such prominent Navy and Army chiefs as Lord Jellieoe and Sir Charles Fergusson, and, when our thoughts are directed to scientific farming we reoeive as Grovernor General, Lord Bledialoe (,says the Wellington Free Lanew.) His greatest hobby ia the secret of New .Zealand's prosperity—grassland farming. . Not only (has Lord Bledisloe been a practical agriculturist from his youth up, but he is a man of wuusual intellect, who took his M.A. degree at Oxford, was called to the Bar, following ihis lather's profession at the lumer Tempte Beyond tli&t he has hold responsible Army positions,- directo rates of insurance companies and banks ; and graduating from the coiutuonplace duties of M.P., has discharged thesinost difficult duties the Uriti.sk Parliament and Public Service can alter.

A NOTED FAMILY. The Barou Bledisloe (Bir Charles Bathurst, P. 0., K.B.E ) comes of a <e>ry ol<d Gloucester family tracing its linkage hack through that dough y family man Benjamin Bathurst (third sou vi Siv Beujamin Bathurst and younger brother of the first Earl Bathurst), who had 22 children by his h'rst wife and 14 by his second : 36 in all 1 Lord Bledisloe has two sons and a daughter. The ancestors of the GoyernorGeueral elect have been dedicated to | the Church and the Anuy, and some have achieved eminence, such as Sir Cuarles Bathurst, who was Secretary of the Navy, Secretary tor War, Mmn ster for the Miut, and other important things in tv« days of tlin Dukn of Wellington and the Peniusular War. Sir Charles Fergussou's successor is 62 years of age. tie is lord of the manors of Lydney, Purion and Ayiburton, a J.P., an alderman of the county of Gloucester,, and a Verderer of tho Forest of Dean; His seats are Lyduey P*.. k, Gloucester, aud Tefftmt ALagna, Wilts. He includes "agriculture " as a sport, with golf and shooting. It was the war which disclosed the

taleut oi the new official head of our Dominion. In 191/» he was a member of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster and chairman of the Central U'ouucilof Agriculture. To these posts he added the duties of assistant mili tary secretary to the Salisbury Trainiug Centre.. The following year his organising aud administrative ability won for him the position of Parliamentary Sac erary for the Ministry of F'»od, and, when sugar was heavily hit by the "sub" campaign, he wa.i appointed Chairman of a Koyal.Coin mission to de«l with the niatier.

A.G the ccmoiusiou of the war Lard Bledisioe's capacity was rewarded by a peerage, fcle has lately served on various agricultural bodies an t as Pnrliauieutaiy Secretary to the Ministry of Agricultuie Lord Birdisloe has been married twice. He married, thirty years ago, tiie Hon. Bertha Susan Lopes, daugh ter of tiie tirst Lord Ludlow. Theie wore three childreu of the marriage, tie married again, last year, a daughter of Baron Glentawa (Sir Johu Jen kius), v W«jlsh industrialist* She was formerly Mis 'Cooper Smith, a noted Euglisb beauty, who has beau closely identified with social work, especially in the country.

DR. REAKES' IMPRESSIONS. Very few New Zealanders have had the pleasure of speakiog to our Governor-General elect, but it almost seems as if fate had takeu a band in the matter —oue of these is our Diiector General of Agriculture, Dr. G. J. Ke ikes, who to day is probably oue of the most jubilaut officials in the country at ieeemug the ouauoe of practical advice from one of the wot Id's best authorities on tne secret of New Zoa iauu'» prosperity —grassland farming, la ihe course of a chat with the 'New Zealand Eree Laucw" Dr. Keakes said:

"I came a good deal in general con tact with Lord Bledisloe during the Imperial Agricultural .Research • Con ioreuee of 1927. He whs chairman of that luiponauc gatueriug, and I was a member of several special committee's which acted iv close personal touch with him. I had a talk with him re garding our. own conditions and methods in New Zealand. He was keen to receive information, and took more than a passing interest in what was

i being done here. For his own part he was carrying on fairly exteusive farm operations. Though I did not visit these, I gathered that they were conducted on very sound lined. Afterwards, when I went to Balgium, I was interested to find that the Ministry of Agriculture there was in communication with Lord Bledisloe in relation to important farming questions. A solid capable man, he evidently regarded his responsibilities seriously, ■but was nevertheless likeable and could unbend and be excellent coinipany. Apart from the sittings of the conference in London, the delegates visited centres in England, Scotland and Ireland, paying particular attention to research institutions. Lord Blednloe accompanied us, and it was evident that he was in close touch with the developments in agricultural research at Home and with the men at the head of it. He was also" thoroughly at home with the ordinary farmer, while one of the conversations I enjoyed with him turned on the All BlacKs He is keen on sport, including ci icket, rugby, golf and particularly polo." It is of interest to note that at the ■conclusion of the conference New Zealand established what was probablj' its first link with the new GovernorGeueral wh< ju Dr. lieakes was .entrusted with the following motion : "That the delegates to the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference desire to tender to the chairman their warmest thanks for the time and labour which be has devoted to presiding over their proceedings, and to record their adniration of the ability, courtesy and irmness with which he has conducted the business vi the conference."