SIR ROBERT STOUT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2479, 19 April 1909, Page 2

SIR ROBERT STOUT.

A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER. Sir Robert Stoiifc, the Chief Justice of New Zealand, went Home on a year’s furlough in March. Sir Robert is a Shetlander, and was born at Lerwick some three-soore years ago. He is a man who has had a vast and varied experience of New Zealand life. Arriving in the colony in the early sixties, he looked around the young Otago settlement, and saw there was room for the cultivation of brain as well as muscle. Finding an opening as assistant in the village school, lie set up as a pedagogue, and simultaneously studied law. While thus engaged he entered upon the political arena, and has practically occupied it ever since. In 1871 he became qualified as a lawyer. Immediately afterwards he was elected to the Provincial Council of Otago, and was made Provincial Solicitor. From this onward he has had a marvellous run of good luck. In 1878 he was At-torney-General, Minister of Lands, and Minister of Immigration. The year 1.884 had still'more honors in store for him, for then he. became Premier of the colony, Minister of Education, and At-torney-General. But this was not all, for once Dame Foihuno smiles she smiles generously, and in 1886 the pushing Shetlander was knighted by Queen Victoria. He was not, however, quite satisfied even then, but, Alexander-like, sighed for fresh conquests.. In 1899, to appease the warrior and divert danger, “King Dick” (Mr Seddon) made him Chief Justice, and so the chief citizen of the colony. Nature hath formed sLrango fellows in her time, and is it not passing strange that a wandering Viking from the Ultima Thule of the Old World should become the .chief citizen of the Ultima Thule of the New World ? —His Rise and Progress. — During the years of the rise and progress of the man he has filled many and varied offices. Here are a few of them:—He has been a university student, a school committee man, a school teacher, a member of several education boards, a university councillor, a member of waste land boards, a member of several road commissions, a Judge of the Native Laud Court, a lecturer on law, ait editor of a paper, a preacher, a politician, a Fellow of the New Zealand University, and now Chancellor of the New Zealand University. —His Literary Work.—

In literary work be has been most indefatigable, and. has contributed to the ■following, amongst other journals and magazines:*—“The Nineteenth Century,” the “Contemporary Review,” the “International Review,” the “Melbourne. Review,” the “New Zealand Magazine,” the “Forum,” the “Open Court,” the “Review of Reviews,” the “Asiatic Journal,” Ithe “Journal of the Royal Statistical Society,” the “Law Quarterly Review” (of London), the. “Commonwealth Law Review” (of Sydney). He has written over fifty pamphlets covering a variety of subjects,, and read several papers before the Royal Statistical Society and the Otago Institute. He is a J.P. for the Governments of Queensland and Victoria, and one of his papers on law is used by the Queensland Government as guide to local bodies. Besides this, he has' contributed thousands of articles on a multiplicity of subjects to journals both at home and abroad. —His Leavings.— He has declined more offices than would amply satisfy tlio average man. Amongst them he declined office in the Hall Ministry in 1881, as also a seat in the Legislative Council. Pl© was offered and declined a Supreme. Court Judgship by Sir Harry Atkinson jn 1888. He was offered and declined the Attorney-Generalship or any other office in the gif& of Mr Ballance in 1891. He was offered and declined the office of Agent-General for New Zealand on the retirement of Sir Francis Dillon Bell. He was offered and declined the At-torney-Generalship in 1893, and at -the same time declined the office of Speaker. He knew his capacities, and, Sandylike, he “bided” his time. —His Political Works. — Of his political works the following may be mentioned as samples. Ho introduced the Civil Service Reform Act, based upon admission by examination, and this subsequently became law. He was an advocate of female suffrage, and his Ministry introduced the Bill in 1887. He advocated Government leaseholds, and spoke in favor of them in 1875. He introduced the. Local Option Bill in 1876, and again in 1893. He advocated the endowing of municipalities, and accomplished it in 1886. He introduced and passed an Act incorporating trades unions. He advocated university colleges for each of the four centres —namely, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland—and introduced "and carried. the Act to establish such an institution* in Wellington. He advocated secular education in 1874, and with others saw it enacted in 1877. He advocated and introduced legislation to limit the hours of labor of ?n<i children. Seated the limitation of land areas held by inuividuals in 1877, and this has since been enacted. He advocated the beer tax in 1878, and this also has become law. He advocated numerous reforms in education; indeed, people said he was cranky upon the subjects of land and education, hut, nevertheless, several of his reforms have been adopted. —The Man.— Sir Robert in his prime was a tall, dark, muscular man of commanding personage. He has always enjoyed good health, though of late he has suffered from minor ailments. He is a pronounced Prohibitionist, yet the wags assert thaft during the stress of his Premiership ho was induced to have an occasional “shandy and a whiff.” He is also a non-smoker, and of late years vegetarian. Fortunately he has never acquired that snobbish accomplishment ‘ ‘swelled head,” and throughout his whole career he has remained the simple, unassuming, approachable, yet calculating Scot. As a lawyer he has had few compeers, and as a public speaker he was facile prineeps. In his domestic relations he has been very happy, and is ithe proud father of several sons and, daughters. As a colonist he has been one of the very best and as a citizen irreproachable. Like some others, possessing similar mental endowments, he has had his periods of stress in religious conviction; but his acts belied his words, and time will, if it has not already done so, mellow him into the simple creed of his fathers and Nonconformity. As a warrior he has had few equals, and as a friend kind and forgiving. Ho is a typical example of the irrepressible Scot, a beacon to the limp, and impotent, and a credit to his country. All m all. Sir Robert has been and is a splendid type of man—an Empire-builder and a man of world-wide sympathies.