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Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20763, 25 June 1937, Page 10

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PASSING OF SIR ERIC GEDDES

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received June 24, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, June 24. Tire body of Sir Eric Geddes will be cremated and the ashes scattered on the Imperial Airways Mail route. Sir Eric Geddes, the chairman of j Imperial Airways, bears a name fam- | ous in wartime history. Sir Eric was I one of the men whom Mr Lloyd George. I when Minister Of Munitions, brought into the service of the Government. He had had considerable experience in railway work, and at the time of the war was general manager of the London atid North-eastern Railway Company. In 1915 he became Deputy Director-General of Munitions Supply and the following year was appointed Director-General of Transportation, it being a new departure to give such a position to a civilian. He brought the British lines of communication in France to a high state of efficiency, and in 1916 was given a knighthood. The following year he was transferred to the Admiralty and given power to organise and consolidate the whole of Britain's ship-building facilities so that they could be directed by one authority. A few months later, though he had no Parliamentary experience, he was made First Lord of the Admiralty and was returned to the House of Commons as member for the Borough of Cambridge. After the | Armistice he was given charge of the I co-ordination of various Government

Departments during the work of demobilisation. and left the Admiralty to take charge of a new Department of Transport. In 1920 there was a sudden break in trade, and it was de- j cided that Britain could not afford such a department at the time. His next appointment was at the head of I the small committee which wielded what came to be known as “the Geddes , Axe.” The committee made recommendations for drastic reduction ir. expenditures, most of which were carried into effect. In its various reports during 1921 and 1922 the committee succeeded in cutting down national expenditure by £86.000,000. Later, however, Sir Eric complained that less than half this amount was actually saved. In 1922, Sir Eric, now a P.C.. G.C.8., and G.8.E., left Parliament and became chairman of the Dunlop Rubber Co. and of Imperial Airways.