A SAD DAY.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11668, 2 July 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

A SAD DAY.

(" Colonist," June ]2tb.) j Tho grief-spreadiner news received yesterday, that the Premier of the Colony, after just concluding an arduous round of duties in the Commonwealth of Australia, had suddenly been called away, has inflicted a sore blow on the people ot New Zealand, and has caused mourning beyond its boundaries. Mr Seddon was a man who was educated in the school of experience, and who digested the fruit of knowledge as he ' gained it from those about him and •■ from the stern realities of life. In I the engineers' workshops, on board j ship, and amongst the West Coast j gold miners, drawn from every grade of society and from every portion of the kingdom, he had opbortunitios of study that were not thrown away. His very experiences made him selfreliant, and gave him confidence in himself, while his courage led him on at all times to take up what he believed to be his responsibilities. That he possessed the utmost confidence in the Capabilities and the

destinies of his adopted country were abundantly evident, and found voice in his frequent allusion to New Zealand, in the words of Bracken, as being "Qod's own country." By dint of perseverance he overcame, immenae obstacles, and, having served on various local bodies, he prepared bimsslf for the high porttioQ he held for over thirteen yeara with credit to himself, and with advantage to the State and the Empire. When first he took Ministerial rank a feeling of despondency was abroad,, employment was lacking by many, and labor was writhing under conditions that threatened wreck and ruin. His great hearted confidence alone had an inspiring effect, and by the measures which, with the assistance of his colleagues, the Party, and the people behind them, he was able to pass into law the way was paved for a brighter morrow. In no instance was his great courage more evident that when he saved the Bank of New Zeaand from ruin, and tho Colony from financial disaster. He grasped the situation at once, and though assailed by a not inconsiderable section, he stood in the vau,tirm and determined, and with what result the people all know. With like assistance he broke the power of the money lender by means of the Advances to Settlers Act, and releived the farmers from the burden of high interest : and, by other Acts, he succeeded in placing men of small means on the land, substituting men and women for sheep, relieving congested centres, and increasing the measure of comfort, contentment, and happiness, in the same way, too, under his leadership, a check was placed on greed : sweating was put down, and the conditions of the workers was vastly improved from a sanitary and moral point of view, while the rights of labor were provided for and protected, and. incase of accident, the worker was relieved from the degrading necessity of begging. The aged, too, were given pensions, so that their declining years might be spent I free from tne carking cares of posij tive want. A point that forcibly shows his force of character and his courage is, that whilst the foremost, advocate of Liberalism, and of care for the "rear ranK," he stolidly objected to go the length that was' urged by the extremists, and, as a consequence, many who were at first his strongest opponents, because they feared be would go to excess, became staunch friends. As an Imperialist the late Premier stood in the very front rank. He went as the representative of New Zealand to pay due honor to the kite Queen on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee, and he also represented the Colony at the coronation of his present Majesty. He also attended the two great conferences of the Premiers of tho Empire, when his firm faith and his strong personality made him ;v conspicuous figure. His last mission to Australia was mainly in the interests of the Empire, and though the fruit of his latest efforts has yet to ripen, it mayi well prove to be more revivifying than any that has so far matured. To those who were privileged to know the man his loss must indeed be great. It is when we exchange coniidences that we aio best able to judge the inner workings of the mind, and such an exenange with Mr Seddon was to prove that he was I actuated by tbe noblest desires. Of ourse he was human, and therefore imperfect, but his imperfections were such as resulted from qualities that, are estimable. He had the rare gift of never forgetting anyone. He would remember an old man whom he had seen but rarely in the early i days on the West Coast, and many j an old associate upon whom fortune (had failed to smile has been gladi dened by his hearty haod grasp and hiß cheery greeting. He was always ready to acknowledge his indebtedness to his wife, who was Invariably the devoted helpmate, and his successes, his triumphs, and perhaps his shortcomings, provide a fine example of a full regard for tho greatest of our social institutions— -the family circle— an institution he never neglected even in his busiest days, and in which circle he was revered. The loss of such a man is indeed great, but. happily lie was spared to accomplish much, and his work and example remain to us and to future j generations.