THE HAWKE'S BAY SEAT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 5

THE HAWKE'S BAY SEAT.

(•■• N,v,v Zetland Times. ) Tl„. elector; of :Hauk,'>. Ks-y are |vr,<..<tln" .'" 1 "'"Ss <' ( ' ln! ' 1 ' 1!,,i!)1,,r I,vlin was tlir nlhor day mnimeiv. All \Yw Zealand is in ,;!l , li >' AV,UI ,! h ->m because 111'' loss tlio.v have M»s-t:ihu--rl is very serous, oeclare ihnt it is irreparable. U thai ho tni c jr is ail the more reason lor as om.ckly as nossibio vn set about ilv Jlnm,v,i. the (,nifkor they set about {ho. election of !)r .\l :mooes<o! the better will lli-T W :i!l " " , " l>l ' "' honour fhev to his memory. It i, a momorv of the mo,t honourable. A- a man. 'the late !"■ AI Nab shone amour' men liv hicharacter, his devotion to <iuty. no ()!-,• of his o-oiioration -ml voting Now 'now in. middle Wo. rnliug, fontrnllinc. posses-nut the country, and working for its benefit- or of any other ponoratior. of the men oi: tho Dominion, loved New Zealand morn or had licr interest iiiow at heart, or d;d morn t-o vromol.-. it- His monument is the broad shell of <oiunms or various phases of Now Zealand buslory from his industrious and accurate pen. rn this work ho si>er,l. not only labour, hut .ilso time and considerable moans, his research never faltering or turning aside for consideration of cost, or distance, or difficulty. In tins u,reat work ho spent himself for Now Zoa)and in a wav Now Zealand will never forgot, and tim u-sii'ltv of the -.v.ay will over prevent tho fnre;oti our. ho nanm of the man who ransacked: so many capitals so far asunder for the early records of his _ bolni'od country, alone, unaided, sustained V).v Ins patriotic affection, animated by iho spirit of ox act understandnm. will p,» down i>; posteritv as ora> of 'ho Mretvueus father* 'of Now Zealand history. Tn honouring that mi mo posterity will know that tho man whoso .storing merit mtvlft it famous was without fear or reproach. I-n this capacity of historian, Pr M'Nab cannot hj« replaced by tho constituency. rlut to replace hnn With a. man of character is possible. If Is .also tho constituency's bounden duty.

The constituency will need to remember its lost member., not as a man alone, but .'is a party man. He wa-j. however, one, of those rare party men whoso loyalty to party was ever subordinate to bis devotion to principle. Examples of this are bis fidelity to the principles of proportional representation awl the Tiational leasehold principle of land tenure. The. first was not always convenient to the majority of his party, but bo upheld it nevertheless with might ant! main, in .season and out of season. The second had been, in lus opinion, injured by what he considered too much liberality to the tenants at the expense of the State. Therefore when ho reached the responsibility of Cabinet rank be devoted himself to bringing about the amendment which his devotion to principle required. This he did in spUo of the great prestige which the system inaugurated by the most famous, land reformer of his party had achieved, and very soon the support of numbers reworded las courage and fidelity. And now the system he'changed has but few admirers, and all upholders of the national leasehold think as ho thought, They are ready to admit now that in this' great episode I>r M'Nab did not '' give up to the party what was meant for mankind." Ho was, indeed, as faithful to the material interest of his country as he had been to its historical. His Liberalism was thus stamped as true. In all matters his attitude was the same. Truth to principle shone in all he did._ Truth to principle made him as consistent a Liberal as ever stepped. That is the sort of man the constituency must look for to replace. T)r M'Nab if' it .wants to truly.