HON. M. J. SAVAGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20284, 6 December 1935, Page 6

HON. M. J. SAVAGE

THE MAN AND HIS CAREER

FIRM, UNSELFISH LEADER Australian-born, the son of a farmer in Victoria; a New Zealander since 1907; a worker since he was 13 years of age; a bachelor; a quiet, earnest man with a vein of Irish humour; a man beloved of his friends. Such is the Hon. Michael Joseph Savage, the new head of His Majesty’s Government in New Zealand. Political considerations apart, there is no man in the House of Representatives who is more respected and more affectionately regarded than Mr Savage. His supporters on the Labour benches give him intense loyalty, and his opponents the regard due to a man who at all times has shown honesty and steadfastness of purpose, fairness and a reasonable spirit. Practical Idealist Mr Savage is a practical idealist. He is an idealist in that his whole political life has been a fight for the ultimate objective of a world where all men and women will live together in happier relationship—and he is practical in that he has never allowed that ideal to cloud his vision with fanaticism. He gives calm consideration to all questions that are presented for his judgment, and those who submit the questions know that his answer is based on a summing up of all aspects. He is not given to emotionalism, and it is known both inside and outside his party that he keeps a restraining hand on such of his colleagues as would allow “their hearts to run away with their heads.” Perhaps it is best expressed in the words of a man who knows him intimately—“ Joe Savage is a builder—not a destroyer. It is indicative of the man that such stories as are told of Mr Savage have their point in expressing some characteristic which is admirable. No one would deny him a senes of humour — he is an Irishman by descent —but it is expressed more in his appreciation of another’s humour than in active witticism. There have been times when his rejoinder to a sally from the Government benches has drawn the laughter of the whole House, but on such occasions he has not been seen to laugh himself or to give any indication that it was conscious humour. That sense of humour can be seen more readily in the twinkle in his eye as he sits in a charactei-istic attitude in an armchair, pipe in mouth, in the fellowship of a few friends. He is an experienced speaker, and an impressive one, with the ability to express himself clearly. His voice is even-toned, and he makes his point without flight or rhetoric. It is said of him that he shares one thing in common with the late Mr W. F. Massey; he rises to greater heights in the House than he does on the hustings. In Parliament he speaks with conviction, slowly and in phrases inviting reasoned consideration. Capacity as Leader His selection as Leader of the Parliamentary Labour party, following the death of Mr H. E. Holland, was welcomed throughout New Zealand. It was the logical selection. Mr Savage was the deputy-leader, and during the latter years of the 1928 Parliament it was generally considered that he shared the leadership with Mr Holland. His opinion was regarded as expressing the policy of the Labour party. His personal popularity and the respect given to his administrative capacity by the members of his party were other reasons. Essentially Mr Savage is a party man and not an individualist, and his concern, it is recognised, is to get the best out of every member of his team. To that end he is prepared to make any personal sacrifice. It is related by Mr J. A. Lee that in 1922, when it was current rumour that Sir Arthur Myers was about to retire, Mr Savage approached him repeatedly with requests that he should contest the seat for Labour. Mr Lee was then in business, and although president of the Labour party was at first unwilling to stand as a candidate. If it meant any business sacrifice, said Mr Savage, he was willing to give every penny he had to assist.

“I knew he meant it,” said Mr Lee. “He thought more of the cause he represented than of the few shillings he had. Even then I objected. I told him that I was trying to build up a position in life and that I was unwilling to expose myself to a position, where, in a few years, I might be called a humbug and a political faker, and be despised and rejected. Mr Savage’s answer is worth dwelling on: ‘I can’t promise you any better fate than the one which awaits in store for all of us, however sincerely we serve. Thousands are always ready to misunderstand. You’ll share that fate with the rest of us —but all the same we want you.” There are other similar stories, and the enthusiasm with which they are told by his followers shows clearly the affection in which Mr Savage is held. “A gain made by subtlety can only be held temporarily,” Mr Savage Is said to have remarked on one occasion, when insisting that the party should lay all its cards on the table on a particular question, and to that belief he has rigidly adhered in party conferences. Of his generosity, too, they speak. It is related that he gives the greater part of his honorarium away. It was on the motion of Mr Savage that it was decided that in the event of the Labour party gaming the Treasury benches all honorariums should be pooled and equally divided, the party members being teamed under the various Ministers to control different Ministerial Departments. Gentle of manner Mr Savage has yet a firmness which will brook no indiscipline within the party. It is a firmness that he has rarely been called on to exercise, for he has the knack of handling men. “I have watched him closely for a quarter of a century in respeect to his ability to handle serious questions and serious positions,” relates Mr W. E. Parry, “and I have never met a man in my life with whom I would sooner discuss a problem with the object of overcoming it than I would with our leader. The same opinion I know is held by every man in our movement.” Lost Job in Bank Crash Mr Savage has had a life of varied experience, his parents having been farmers at Benalla, Victoria—the same town being the birthplace of Mr P. C. Webb, who was mainly responsible for Mr Savage's coming to New Zealand. His first job was in a general store, and was taken when he was about 13 years old. But after seven years the bank crash of 1893, when many people were ruined, threw him out of work. He travelled to New South Wales and held all types of jobs, from station work and mining, to the management of a co-operative store, which was principally a bakery. Mainly he was engaged in mining, and he holds a first-class certificate for trucking and driving of a winding engine. But from New Zealand came rosy pictures painted by Mr Webb, and in 1907 he sailed to this country. For a time he was employed in the flax industry at Takamarua, and then he

came north to Auckland to join the staff of Hancock’s. He was elected to Parliament for the Auckland West seat in 1916, and he has been continuously a member since then. Mr Savage is an omnivorous reader, particularly on social and economic subjects, but his interests do not rest entirely there. It is recorded that when he first went to Parliament he could dance an Irish jig. Now, when opportunity is available, he is very fond of a day’s shooting—usually in company with Mr Parry. Like all true Irishmen, he Is fond of horses, and he admits that one of his greatest pleasures in these days is a visit to Ellerslie. As a young man he played Australian code football and cricket. Now he has ambitions to play bowls—when he gets the time. But the exercise of a Parliamentarian is limited, and in Wellington Mr Savage finds most of his in a three-mile walk taken in company with several colleagues every evening before dinner. He is a bachelor — one of the few in Parliament. “One of these days,” remarked an enthusiastic colleague,. “Joe will stand on a hunk of granite outside the House—and he’ll be honoured.”

HON. W. E. PARRY The Hon. W. E. Parry, M.P. for Auckland Central, was bom In NewSouth Wales and came to New Zealand as far back as 1900. He was president of the Waihi Miners’ Union at the time of the strike and was a prominent man for some time in Labour movements at Palmerston North. For the Auckland Central seat he defeated Mr A. E. Glover In 1919 and again In 1922, and has held the constituency ever since. HON. F. JONES The Hon. Frederick Jones, Dunedin South seat, was born in Dunedin, and after serving his apprenticeship as a clicker was employed in Messrs. Sargood, Son, and Ewen’s boot factory for 21 years, for the greater part of which period he was secretary of the employees’ Sick Benefit Society. As a member of the Bootmakers’ Union for 31 years, he has held nearly every official position in that body, and in 1928 he was appointed by the Government to act on the Footwear Inquiry Committee. For many years he has been actively associated with the Otago Labour Council and the Otago Labour Representation Committee, and has been president of each body on three occasions. He has also been a member of the National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party. Always keenly interested in the question of adult education, he was one of the original members of Mr. H. D. Bedford’s class in economics, and is at present a vicepresident of the Workers’ Educational Association. Recently he was elected patron of the Dunedin Homing Pigeon Club, of which body he was for some years an active member and latterly a vice-president. He is also a member of the Royal Oak Druids’ Lodge. The Caversham Kindergarten has always found an active supporter in Mr Jones, who is a past chairman of the Parents’ Committee of that institution. Mr Jones unsuccessfully contested the city mayoralty in 1929, but was successful, in 1931, in winning the Dunedin South seat against Mr D. C. Cameron and Mr W. B. Taverner. In 1933 he was elected a member of the Otago Hospital Board, the Otago Harbour Board, and the City Council, and was re-elected to the City Council and Hospital Board in May last when he did not again contest the Harbour Board election. HON. R. SEMPLE The Hon. Robert Semple is one of the most powerful personalities in the New Zealand Labour movement. He is an Australian by birth, and for 34 years has been in the forefront of the Labour ranks. He was previously elected for Parliament at a by-election for Wellington South, but lost his seat at the General Election In 1919. In 1928, however, he was returned for Wellington East, defeating two Reform opponents. Mr Semple is well known in Wellington, and gained a great deal of credit for. the manner in which he led a co-operative company of workers who carried out the Orongorongo tunnelling contract for the City Council. At the 1925 General Election he contested the Otakl seat, but was beaten by Mr Feld by a two to one majority. He served as a city councillor since 1925 till April of this year, when he unsuccessfully contested the Mayoralty. He is a member of the Harbour Board. MR. J. A. LEE Educated at the Albany Street School, Auckland, Mr J. A. Lee, the Labour member for Grey Lynn, served with the N.Z.E.F. and received the D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry at Mesines, capturing a machine gun position single-handed. He is now the proprietor of a manufacturing plant in Auckland. Mr Lee won the Auckland East seat in 1922 and 1925, was out of the 1928 Parliament, and came back in 1931 as a member for Grey Lynn. HON. P. FRASER The Hon. P. Fraser was first elected at a by-election In 1918, when he secured an absolute majority over three opponents. He was re-elected the following year with an increased majority, and In 1922 he received the highest total of votes cast for any candidate in New Zealand, the largest majority, over the next highest candidate, and second largest absolute majority. He was born in Ross-shire, Scotland, in 1884, and was a member of the Labour Party before he came to the Dominion. He arrived in New Zealand in 1910, and has been prominent in the Labour movement ever since, as well as being on the Wellington City Council for a number of years. He is at present Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party. He was elected to the Wellington City Council last May, as well as to the Harbour Board. HON. W. NASH The Hon. W. Nash Is a well-known Labour leader, and was born in Kidderminister, England, in 1882. He came to New Zealand In 1909. In 1920 he represented the Labour Party at the International Socialist Conference at Geneva. For some years prior to 1921 he was a member of the National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party, and in that year was elected to its national secretaryship. He was defeated by Sir Thomas Wilford at the General Election of 1928, but in 1929, when the Hutt seat became vacant owing to the appointment of Sir i Thomas as New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Mr Nash won the seat, which he has retained ever since. He is a member of the Wellington Harbour Board. HON. W. LEE MARTIN The Hon. W. Lee Martin was bom in Oamaru 60 years ago. He was educated at Waimate and lived for many years in Wellington, where he was engaged in the oil and colour trade. He was then a member of the Painters’ Union. After a period in Wanganui he went to the Waikato 22 years ago and took up farming at Matangi. Mr Lee Martin served for many years on school committees, road boards and factory suppliers’ committees. He has been a member of the Central Waikato Electric Power Board since its inception 15 years ago. He unsuccessfully contested the Hamilton seat In the interests of the Labour party in 1925. When the Hon. R. F. Bollard died in 1927, Mr Lee Martin stood for Raglan, and won the seat, which he successfully contested again in 1928. He was defeated by Mr D. S. Reid in 1931.

HON. D. G. SULLIVAN The member for Avon, Christchurch, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, was born in 1882 in the city which he represents. He is widely travelled, having toured throughout Europe and America, and has long been actively interested in the furtherance of Labour’s cause. Besides being Mayor of Christchurch, Mr Sullivan at various times has been president of the Trades and Labour Council, president of the United Furniture Trades Federation, president of the Political Labour League and president of the United Federation of Labour. He first won the Avon seat In 1919. HON. H. T. ARMSTRONG A member of the Labour Party who has been long actively engaged in the movement is the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, member for Christchurch East. Born at Bulls in 1875, Mr Armstrong has been prominently associated with many organisations. Among other offices held, Mr Armstrong has been president of the Waihi Miners’ and Workers’ Union, vice-president of the New Zealand Labour Party and general secretary of the West Coast Workers’ Union. Mr Armstrong was first elected for Christchurch East in 1922. HON. H. G. R. MASON The Hon. H. G. R. Mason is one of the two members of the party In the House who have the experience of the law profession behind them, the other being Mr W. E. Barnard. Mr Mason was bom In Wellington and commenced practising as a solicitor in 1911. He was Mayor of Pukekohe from 1915 to 1919. He is the only member Auckland Suburbs has ever had, the electorate having been newly created just before the 1928 election. MR E. J. HOWARD Mr E. J. Howard, M.P. for Christchurch South, has held every position in the Labour movement, from secretary of the Political League to President of the United Federation of Labour. He was a seaman In the Royal Navy in his early days. Mr Howard has been the member for Christchurch South since 1919. HON. W. E. BARNARD. Coming to Napier from Helensville, where, in 1925, he unsuccessfully contested the Kaipara seat against the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, the Hon. W. E. Barnard, who retained the Napier seat for Labour, is a barrister and solicitor by profession, though he has not practised for the past four or five years. A returned soldier, he has practised his profession in Te Aroha, Helensville and Napier, where he has resided since 1928, when he defeated Mr John Mason, member for Napier from 1925 to 1928, in the Reform interests. Mr Barnard retained his seat in the 1931 election against Mk J. S. Butler. He has taken a prominent part in many local movements. HON. F. LANGSTONE The Labour member for Waimarim, the Hon. F. Langstone, was for many years associated with the Shearers’ Union. He represented the Waimarino electorate from 1922 to 1925. when ha was defeated by the Nationalist, Mr R. W. Smith, subsequently regaining the seat in 1928, and defending It in 1931. HON. R. McKEEN The Labour Party retains the Wellington South seat as a result of the success of Mr R. McKeen, who has formerly secretary of the Grocers’ Union. Educational matters have received much attention from him. Mr McKeen was first elected for Wellington South in 1922. HON. P. C. WEBB Upholding a traditional Labour stronghold, Mr P. C. Webb has been returned for the Buller seat, which he won at a by-election in November, 1933, following the death of the then leader of the Labour Party, Mr H. E. Holland. Mr Webb previously concentrated his efforts in the Grey electorate, where lie was returned in 1913. He resigned in 1917, but was later reelected unopposed. On being called up for military service, he declined to take the uniform, and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in May. 1918, his seat being declared vacant. Mr Webb was a member of Mr ft. Semple’s tunnelling party at Orongorongo from 1921 to 1924. Also worthy of note is the fact that Mr Webb was instrumental in inducing Mr Savage, the present Labour leader, to come to New Zealand originally. In the byelection of 1933, Mr Webb defeated Mr J. H. Powell (National), the only other candidate in the field, by 2467 votes. HON. MARK FAGAN The Hon. Mark Fagan, MX.C, wasL bom in Tasmania, and as a young man he was engaged in mining In practically every State of Australia. He arrived in New Zealand about 1900.. and was engaged in gold mining at” Reefton for many years. He was gen-eral-secretary of the Inangahua Gold and Coal Miners’ Union for 16 years - and was also workmen’s inspector, frequently appearing in Court. As advocate he obtained many improvements in working conditions, including the weekly half-holiday for quartz miners and he also helped to promote the Miners’ Phthysis Act of 1915. Ha was a member of the Buller Hospital Board for 10 years, seven of which ha was chairman. He was a member of the Reefton Domain Board, president of the Inangahua Prospecting Association, secretary and treasurer of the Reefton Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association, a member of tha Repatriation Board, president of tha Inangahua Trotting Club for three years and of the Reefton Cricket Club, He was also a member of the executive of the Miners’ Federation and the New Zealand Federation of Labour. He contested the Motueka Seat in 1925 and later removed to Petone. He was a member of the National Executive of the Labour Party in 1930, in which year he received an appointment to, the Legislative Council.