THE BIG MAN OF N.Z.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4901, 19 October 1901, Page 4

THE BIG MAN OF N.Z.

The c Windsor Magazine ' for September contains an article by Mr Frederick Dolman on ' Political Leaders ia New Zealand,' in which Mr Seddon figures rather more prominently than will be agreeable to Mr Pirani and some of the Premier's other entice. Mr Dolman, after paying a fitting tribute to Sir George Grey — wbom be rightly describee as the moat eminent man tb^t has ever directed the destinies of the colony — Sir Harry Atkinson, Sir John Hall, Sir Julius Yogel, and Mr John Baliance, declares that Mi Seddon ' can hardly be placed second to any of these able predecessors.' This will be challeDged, of course, by the Premier's less generous opponents j but if a politician ia to be judged by bis Parliamentary achievements, Mr Seddon is certainly entitled to rank with the' greatest men in colonial history. Mr Dolman summarises the local estimates of his worth in a pithy paragraph. 'In New Zealand itself/ he writes, ' you discover the great influence of the man by the manner in which ' Pick Seddou ' is spoken of on all Bides; with enthusiastic admiration by his political friends, who are generally working men, - and with cynical bitterness by bis enemies, who as a rule belong to the monied class. In New Zealand to-day, ' Dick Seddon ' stands for much the same social division is did 'Joe Chamberlain' in England rather more than fifteen years ago. In Wellington and Auckland I was presented with several por. traits of the Prime Minister, varying in hue from the angelic to the diabolic/ Mr Dolman knows where to draw the line between tbese two extremes, and simply represents Mr Seddon as a strong, earnest mas, who would have made his mark on a much larger stage than the one he has found in New Zealand. Mr Dolman's sketch is supplemented by another from Mr H. W. S. Myers, in which the Premier is styled ' a big roan to do big things/ and made, the hero of Btfreial excellent stories. One or these, which seems new to colonial readers, is to the effect that away back in his boyhood Mr Seddon was caved from drowniog by clinging to a trombone which a passing bandsman bad pushed out to his rescue. ' Since then ' he told Mr Myers, in a recent interview, ' I hav.e always encouraged village bands.' Perhaps this incident accounts for certain musical instruments being placed on the free list in the Customs tariff. At any rate i hat trombone's service to the colony | end the Empire deserves to be com* memorated by some abiding memorial.