Mr. Charles Craven Dacre represents importers, shippers, and payers of dues on the Auckland Harbour Board. He is a grain merchant in Queen Street, Auckland and has his private residence at Devonport. Mr. Dacre is a son of the late Captain Dacre, page 138 who was well known in the early days of Auckland, and was formerly of the Royal Navy, in which he was mess mate with Captain Marryatt, the celebrated novelist. Mr. Dacre was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1848, and came to Auckland with his father in 1859, by the barque “City of Melbourne.” After receiving his primary education in Auckland, Mr. Dacre went to England and studied with a view to joining the Army, but changed his mind and entered the Royal Agricultural College, where he studied for some years. He returned to New Zealand in 1870, and started farming at Whangaparoa, where he successfully kept sheep for over six years. Unfortunately scab then made its appearance in the district, and the disease made such inroads in his flock that Mr. Dacre was compelled to give up sheepfarming. He then removed to Auckland, where he and Mr. Hendry started as grain merchants, under the style of Hendry and Dacre. After about four years Mr. Dacre retired from the firm, to enter on a partnership in the well-known business of E. Mitchelson and Co., gum and grain merchants. In four years, he retired from this firm also, and started his present business. Mr. Dacre was elected a member of the Devonport Highways Road Board in 1880, and was a painstaking member for three years. He was elected as member of the Harbour Board in 1900. Mr. Dacre has been connected with the Auckland Regatta for over a quarter of a century, during the greater part of the period as honorary secretary. He has rowed for the Auckland Rowing Club for about ten years, during which he has not been beaten. As a footballer, he was one of the representative players of Auckland, and a member of the first Rugby football club formed in the city. He played in the first interprovincial game held in Auckland, against Canterbury, whose men were beaten, and the match was the first win on the banner of the Auckland Rugby Union. In 1867, during the period of his education in England, Mr. Dacre was one of the founders of the Association game, in which he represented the county of Surrey. He was also well known as a cricketer in England, and was offered a seat in the Surrey team in 1868 by Mr. Noble, a gentleman player, well known at that time. While in England Mr. Dacre won the Royal Agricultural College Victor Ludorum Medal, awarded to the winner of all round sports. Mr. Dacre was one of the founders of the Takapuna Jockey Club, and was secretary of the North Shore Native Regatta and Aquatic Carnival, held in 1898. As a yachtsman he stands in the front rank, owning the yacht “Ripple,” one of the crack boats of Auckland during her time. Mr. Dacre has been a volunteer officer for eight years, captain of page 139 the Devonport Naval Artillery, and was senior lieutenant of the Ponsonby Navals, of which he is still an honorary lieutenant. During his residence in England at the time of the Fenian scare in 1868, Mr. Dacre acted as special constable in London after the Clerkenwell explosion.