HON. EDWIN MITCHELSON.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 166, 7 October 1892, Page 5

HON. EDWIN MITCHELSON.

A friend sends us the following paragraph from the “ Canterbury Times” re the Hon. E. Mitchelson. He considers the sketch published last week by our contemporary as evidently written by a cad. The reference to “ scones ” reminds him of an attack made in the same columns upon one of our local J’s P., who was described as having been reared on pumpkins. We add a sketch of the Hon John McKenzie also from the ‘Times THE HON EDWIN MITCHELSON. the member for Eden, and the late aotingPremier, carries the most amiable, pleasantlooking face of any member in the House, and a good head above it. As the Premier he was unquestionably amiable and yielding to a fault; bnt he never makes an enemy, and he attracts good men to his help. He can speak very well indeed where all is calm and plain sailing, but he could never be a reliable debater, as any noisy bully could paralyse him at any time. He is too remarkably humble, and would always be liable to treat a mau vastly infei-ior to himself as if he were his superior. He sits on the left of the leader of the opposition, but his soft, pleasant voice is not often heard, and he shrinks from the sound of the venomous attacks of thoughtless stone-wallers, even more when they are on his own side than when they are directed against him. THE HON. JOHN MCKENZIE. is the last, the largest, and the most lucky of the McKenzies. He could put more weight into a scale than any other man in the House. With short limbs and a very short neck, he stands as high as the slender Speaker or towering Richard Reeves. He sits much higher than either of them, and when stretched at full length in the early hours of the morning, he overlaps on all sides the spacious ministerial bench. Naturally, actually and educationally, he is a farmer, and he would enjoy much better health than he does if he could still cli>nb after his flocks and herds. Still he seems to thoroughly enjoy putting settlers on the land, and hunting speculators off it. Dummies have learned to regard him as the mighty mastiff whose vigilance they cannot hope to escape. He is only a very homely speaker and anything but pretentious, but with the help of veryfull notes he can put a very useful, telling speech into ‘ Hansard.’ The large land dealers regard him as their natural enemy, and, with the Premier, he shares the bulk of their abuse. But intending settlers find in him the most approachable Minister for Lands that New Zealand has yet employed.