SIR THOMAS MACKENZIE DEAD
ROMANCE OF SCOT'S CAREER
TO THE PINNACLE UNAIDED
FROM FERNTREE COTTAGE TO PRIME MINISTER'S HOUSE
TWICE KNIGHTED FOR SERVICE
Sir Thomas Mackenzie was warned by his medical adviser some months ago that he must walk warily angina pectoris being definitely diagnosed. He followed those instructions, spent the Christmas holiday quietly with Mr Alfred Dillon Bell at Shag Valley, then put up at the Fernhill Club, seeing none but intimate friends One night early last month the doctor had to be called in, and Sir Thomas was removed to Stafford Hospital, where he died at 12.3 b this morning after being unconscious for two days. The funeral is to be private, at the Northern Cemetery, where his wife’s remains repose.
Some so-called self-made men are unlovely in their ways and undesirable as companions. Of such an one ‘Punch’ said “He truly adores his maker.” Thomas Mackenzie was of the other and perhaps rarer sort. In his ascent he did not domineer over those in the rear, nor did he insult them with patronage. He could carry himself worthily before kings, yet gave equal regard to lowly friends. That was one of his abiding characteristics. Another was his intense love of New Zealand. He never thought of his own personal advancement whenever an opportunity arose for him to further the interests of his country. The proper marketing of our produce at Home was his special concern, to which he unceasingly directed his energy. For his services to New Zealand and its people he deserves to he held in lasting remembrance.
Thomas Mackenzie was born at Edinburgh on March 1 1853, the son of David Stewart Mackenzie and Rebecca Mackenzie, this lady being a daughter of William Noble, who belonged to the village of Lasswacle. The Mackenzies came out to Otago by the ship Robert Henderson in 1858, and Thomas had his fifth birthday here. There were five children — three girls and two boys. James, Thomas’s elder brother, became in due course Surveyor-General, and was invested with the Imperial Service Order. The family’s first home in Dunedin was a fern tree cottage, thatched with rushes, on the margin of what was then a bird-haunted pine forest of Forbury. Its exact location was on what is now named Forbury road, close to the junction of Allandale road.
James and Thomas attended the Green Island School, the master of which at that time was Alexander G. Allan. The Dunedin schools were nearer, but the roads thereto were miry, and the Green Island School had a reputation that drew scholars from far and near, so the Mackenzie boys trudged the five miles each way every day, through an untouched wild, where stray cattle were running, for nigh on two years. Then Thomas was sent to the North-east Valley Public School, and subsequently to the Stone School. Afterwards he had the advantage of private tuition, and then qualified for the High School, to which his mother wished him to go, but he objected as strongly as a well-brought-up Scotch boy could, feeling that the education he had privately received was of more value than any he could obtain in a regular school, and at last his parents consented, somewhat unwillingly, to his wish to go to work. He therefore spent his later boyhood in various business houses, mostly in Dunedin, one at Port Chalmers.
At the age of twenty he went to Wellington to join his brother James, who was then engaged in the triangulation of Hutt Valley. Subsequently he joined the party who were surveying a block called Parikaretu, thus being amongst the first to put an axe into that vast forest that extended from near Manton to Karori. That party’s camping places are now the sites of prosperous towns. After leaving Rangitikei young Mackenzie was in the Manawatu district for a time when Palmerston North consisted of about a dozen houses. Whilst with the surveyors he came across the grave of his cousin Charles, brother of George Mackenzie, who had died of some sort of fever and was buried under a tree on what is now the site of the Manawatu Show Grounds. The party’s next job was to lay out the Manchester block and settle the roots of the Feilding township. Returning to Dunedin, Thomas was engaged tor awhile on the surveying for the Walton Park branch railway.
It was in 1877 that he went to Balclutha, having purchased a business there, and he soon became a prominent figure in the district, for his business took him over a wide range of country, and this led to his acquaintance with many isolated settlers who became permanent friends. At the time of the great flood, in 1878, he took charge of the large boat that was sent from Dunedin to the help of the settlers, and many were thus rescued.
In 1886, some time after marriage, he sold his much-enlarged business, and at the request of many electors he resolved to stand for Parliament at the election of 1887 as a candidate for the Clutha seat. He was brought into special prominence about that time by the great seed case, in which, by the decision of Mr Justice Williams, the vendor of seeds was fixed with responsibility, notwithstanding the non-warranty clause, if the seed when grown did not answer the description. In that case Mackenzie fought for the farmers, and their joy at the result was expressed at the poll, the declaration being against the old Mr J W. Thomson, by a substantial majority.
In after life Sir Thomas sometimes referred to this seeds case as the turning point in his career.
The seat thus won was held for nine years. In the meantime he had taken a great interest in the exporting of our produce, and, realising that New Zealand was not getting a fair deal at Home, especially in regard to meat, he accepted the appointment of three large co-operative concerns — in Christchurch, Timaru, and Napier — to go to England and sell their meat and represent them generally. He accordingly announced to his constituents at the end of the nine years that he was going away for three years. They gave him a dinner, wished, him luck, and said they would be pleased to have him back. On this, his first trip to the Mother Land, Mr Mackenzie also managed an insurance company for his co-operative principal and, finding that a system of fraud was in operation — namely, assessing for damage that did not exist — he exposed the system, and succeeded to a large extent in stopping its worst features This exposure had far-reaching effects. The experience gained on this sojourn in England was of enormous benefit to Mr Mackenzie when he was later on made High Commissioner. The London merchants made him a handsome presentation at the end of his term there.
The vessel on which Mr Mackenzie was returning to New Zealand broke down south of the Cape; consequently he was a day too late to be nominated for the General Election, the law stipulating that every candidate must have been in the country for the three months prior to nomination. In those circumstances he resolved to stand for the first vacancy. That happened to be Waihemo, John McKenzie having resigned. In that election Mr Mackenzie beat his opponent by almost two to one. In 1902 the Waihemo seat was abolished, so he stood for Waikouaiti, and was elected and re-elected; but in 1918 the Waikouaiti seat was eliminated, and Mr Mackenzie stood for and won the Taieri seat. Three years later Taieri was abolished. “Tom” thereupon began to think that there was more than automatic influence at the root of his repeated ejections by boundary alterations and he said from the public platform that it looked like a personal chasing out of himself. But he had no remedy; therefore he turned his eyes to the north, and stood for the Egmont seat, which he won after a stiff contest.
Having presented himself as an Independent, therefore free to follow any party that introduced legislation that was in his opinion for the benefit of the country, Mr Mackenzie came to the conclusion that it was advisable to bring together the then Opposition and the Liberal Party, and as Sir J G Ward had delivered in Auckland a speech outlining a policy which was entirely, in his (Mr Mackenzie’s) judgement, suitable for New Zealand, he openly declared that he would support Sir Joseph so long as he stood up to that policy. Thus it came about that when Mr R. McNab was defeated at the 1908 election Mr Mackenzie was offered and accepted a seat in the Cabinet as Minister of Trade and Commerce, and to have charge of scenic resorts and forests. Later on the portfolio of agriculture was added. In January of 1912 Sir J. G. Ward resigned, and Mi Mackenzie was selected to take his place as Prime Minister. That position was uncertain from the first, and in July of the same year the carrying of Mr Massey’s motion of no confidence by 42 to 34 ended for the time being the administration of the Liberals. Mr Mackenzie went out of office with the respect of friend and foe. One of the Masseyites said of him: “His methods have been irreproachable throughout, and he too his defeat with dignity and grace, upholding the best traditions of honorable party warfare."
In August of 1912 Mr Mackenzie was appointed High Commissioner in succession to Mr Hall-Jones. No doubt one of the chief reasons for choosing him was that he was a recognised authority on questions relating to produce and our export trade generally. Knowledge of those matters is in usual circumstances one of the qualifications for the High Commissionership. In time of war it is invaluable, and Mr Mackenzie so fully proved himself the man for the position when the Great War was on as to justify the Government in extending the original term of three years to eight. Mr Massey’s acknowledgment at the close contained this paragraph. I desire to express to you more than a merely formal recognition by myself and the Government of the faithful, strenuous, and loyal service that you have rendered to the dominion as its High Commissioner in London. The war with Germany forced upon you duties greatly different from and much in excess of those which either you or the Government anticipated for you in 1912, and you have called on to take a leading part in the care of New Zealand forces, especially of our sick and wounded men, and to be the channel of communications between the imperial and New Zealand Governments of a nature which demanded from you both discretion and promptitude, your conduct of the great affairs entrusted to you has throughout had the approval of both Governments, and the thanks of both are due to you on retirement.
The more that one thinks of the manifold duties that our High Commissioner had to undertake the more it is realised that Mr Massey’s commendation was fully earned. He was a member of the International Conference that was set up to ensure the safety of life at sea. In his seat on the Pacific Cable Board he took an active part in securing a reduction in the cable rates — a line of action that brought him into conflict with the chairman, Sir Henry Primrose, and resulted in that chairman being retired. By the British Government he was put on the Dardenelles Royal Commission that inquired into the preparations for and the conduct of that campaign, and as the main report of the commission did not in his opinion fully set forth some of the serious conditions that existed prior to the evacuation he issued a supplementary report which the London ‘Times’ said was the only part of the report worth reading. He gave a great deal of time and thought to his duties on the War Graves Commission. He sat on the League of Nations. At the Board of Trade he moved a resolution which afterwards had a distinct influence in the protection of certain industries that supplied goods for Army purposes — goods previously sent by the Germans. He was appointed by the London Chamber of Commerce to it at the International Chambers of Commerce conference in Canada and the United States on his way back to New Zealand.
It is appropriate to here mention a fact so far unpublished — namely, that whilst in America Sir Thomas— for by that time he had been twice knighted — was offered the very honourable and lucrative position of general manager for the international Chambers of Commerce Association in Paris, but he declined.
The K.C.M.G. was bestowed in 1916, and in 1920 he was raised to the higher rank of the Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George, he being the first New Zealander on whom that dignity was ever bestowed. Another honour conferred upon Sir Thomas was that of Grand Officer of the Crown of Belgium, and amongst many distinctions may be mentioned the freedom of the City of Bristol and the degree of LL.D., Edinburgh. Testimony to his services came from all quarters, bar the Central Allies. As a prominent example, the London correspondent of the ‘Pastoralist’s Review’ wrote that “Sir Thomas has stood out from all his confreres as one who has not only had a great grasp of all the important questions coming before him as New Zealand’s Commissioner, but one who has had the happy knack of always obtaining the best for his country.”
Working as hard as Sir Thomas did, his fearlessness sometimes brought him to loggerheads with men in influential quarters. So it was when he challenged the wool controller at the time of the wool commandeer, charging him with creating a corner and demanding prices that showed a profit ranging up to 10s per pound weight; and again, later on, when at a dinner given in the London 'Times’ office he exposed the whole wool business, and showed up the pernicious practice whereby meat and butter soared to prices above the reach of the masses. Subsequently Sir Thomas had the opportunity of bringing these matters to the notice of the King. His Majesty was talking about profiteers. Sir Thomas ventured to say that some of the Empire’s own departments were the greatest profiteers of all.
New Zealanders have never been told of the dispute between Lord Rhondda and Lord Derby. Lord Rhondda, the food controller for the civilian population, desired to include the purchasing for the Army and Navy. Lord Derby opposed that proposal. Lord Milner was brought in as arbitrator. Sir Thomas was called into the Wai Office to give his views. He said that if Lord Rhondda’s department did the purchasing for the forces he would tremble for the forces. Later on it came out that a certain Minister brought before the British Cabinet a request that the New Zealand Government be asked to recall its High Commissioner, and that when the Prime Minister (Lloyd George) was told that the High Commissioner was Sir Thomas he settled the matter by declaring ‘‘That man must not be touched.’’
On another occasion Sir Thomas fell foul of his own Government. The Rotorua arrived at Plymouth with a million pounds' worth of produce She had had a terrible time dodging submarines, the crew was exhausted to the last degree, and she barely staggered in to shelter, yet the Admiralty ordered her out of port, the instructions being to go to London and tranship part of the cargo for France. Shortly after leaving Plymouth she was, as expected, torpedoed. Luckily the bomb exploded in the wool, giving the crew twenty minutes to escape. Sir Thomas was indignant, and expressed his feelings in a letter to the Admiralty. Subsequently he got a cable from New Zealand instructing him to apologise to the Colonial Secretary’s office, instead of writing he interviewed Sir George Fiddes, the chief man, and asked whether he wanted an apology for the protest. The reply was a negative. Later on the New Zealand Government cabled to ask if an apology had been tendered and the Colonial Office answered: “The incident is closed." That stands as a forcible example of the difficulties the High Commissioner was hampered with.
One of the relics of the war period that Sir Thomas brought back to New Zealand is the seal that he had made for signing the peace treaties with Austria, Bulgaria, and Hungary, and on other occasions. The seal had to be a personal one, not a Government seal.
When the treaty was signed with Austria there was such an assemblage of world famous men that Sir Thomas sent his secretary to obtain all their signatures as a memento. All consented except Clemenceau, who said he never put his name to anything but an official paper. Sir Thomas thereupon went round to “The Tiger” and whispered “New Zealand.” Clemenceau turned and said: “I love New Zealand — give me the paper — I sign with much pleasure.”
After returning to the dominion Sir Thomas was called to the Legislative Council in 1921, and reappointed in 1928. The many acknowledgments of his services included a handsome present from the Maoris, also an historic mere that Sir James Carroll handed over on behalf of the Uriwera Natives. After settling down he devoted much of his time to matters connected with the preservation of native birds and the setting aside of reserves and endowments for scenic resorts, thus resuming the services on behalf of his country, which he began when a younger man. Those services were numerous and responsible. They included the fallowing: — Member of Balclutha Borough Council, 1881; New Zealand representative at Sydney centennial celebrations, 1888; Trade Commissioner to United Kingdom and United States, 1889; member of Otago Education Board for two terms and chairman in 1906-7; member of the Royal Tariff Commission, 1894; Mayor of Roslyn, 1901-5; member of Hospital Board and of Otago High Schools’ Board; chairman of Parliamentary Commerce Commission, 1903. Overseas honours included a governorship of the Imperial Institute and the fellowship of the Colonial Institute and the Royal Geographical Society.
One of Sir Thomas’s engagements towards the end of his life was on the directorate of the National Mortgage and Agency Company.
Right through his career the subject of this notice took a profound and practical interest in exploration. His work in that way, if stated in detail, would fill a large book. Suffice it to mention here that in 1881 he, in company with Professor J. H. Scott and Sir James Allen, walked from the head of Wakatipu via the Harris Saddle to Martin’s Bay; that in 1886, he and Messrs John Sharp and W. S. Pillans were the first to thoroughly explore the Tautuku forest, that he and MV Pillans joined Chief-surveyor Adams in measuring Sutherland Falls and doing topographical work about Milford, and on that trip liberated the first trout in the Arthur and Cleddau Rivers; that he came across Quinton McKinnon immediately after McKinnon had discovered the pass that bears his name; that he led the search for McKinnon; that in 1888, whilst looking for Professor Mainwaring Brown, he found a pass leading from Manapouri into Doubtful Sound; that in 1894 and 1896 he traversed the region between Manapouri and Dusky and, discovering three passes, furnished the Government with maps connecting the explorations made by Captain Cook ; and that in 1907 he continued his observations in the Te Anau-Wakatipu country.
Those who were privileged to know Sir Thomas personally are aware that in his varied work he was stimulated and aided by his wife — lda Henrietta, daughter of Mr Charles Hunter, of Geelong, Victoria. They were comrades in the full meaning of the word. Lady Mackenzie was accomplished and lovable. She died in 1926 in England. Her remains were brought to Dunedin and interred m the Northern Cemetery. There were five sons and two daughters. Mary died some years ago; Helen married Captain McDonald of the Indian Army, and is settled in North-west India. Kenneth, a gold medallist, is a doctor in Auckland; David Stewart, a merchant at Gore; Cusack a farmer at Greenfield; Bruce a radiologist at Auckland; Clutha is director of the Institute for the Blind at Auckland. Five of the family actively assisted in the Great War. -Evening Star, 14/2/1930.
