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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Mr. Samuel Vaile

Mr. Samuel Vaile, the present President of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, is the second son of the late Mr. George Vaile, who, with his family, arrived in Auckland on the 23rd of December, 1843, in the barque “Bangalore,” the vessel that brought the second Governor, Captain Robert Fitzroy, R.N., to the colony. Like all the early settlers, Mr. Vaile in his boyhood, and early manhood, shared the hardships of life in a new settlement. In his youth he studied architecture under his father, but, in 1850, not seeing any opening in that profession, he decided to go to California, and accordingly left Auckland in the barque “Noble,” in February of that year. On the 23rd of March they made Pitcairn Island, and with the captain, supercargo and four fellow passengers, Mr. Vaile went ashore. The captain gave the five passengers leave to remain ashore for the night, and, with the supercargo, he returned to the ship. In the night he sailed away, leaving the five passengers ashore, with just the clothes they stood in. Eight weeks later Mr. Vaile landed in Honolulu with a threepenny piece (which he still retains) in his pocket, and not a whole suit of clothes. That was his start in life. He remained in Honolulu for nearly two years, made some money, and returned to Auckland, where he and a younger brother, the late Mr J. R. Vaile, established the well-known business carried on under the style of S. and J. R. Vaile. This business rapidly prospered, and in 1861 Mr. Vaile left Auckland to buy in the English and Continental markets for his firm. He remained in England till the end of 1869, when he returned to Auckland. While in the Old Country, Mr Vaile was elected a member of some of the leading scientific societies, and devoted a good deal of time to working among the poor, and studying the poverty problem. In 1876 the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Vaile started the land and estate agency business, which is now carried on by the widely-known firm of Samuel Vaile and Sons. Mr. Vaile is well-known as a writer on such topics as co-operation, federation, finance, general politics, and especially railway management, and on single tax, which he denounces as “the propaganda of deception, fraud, and robbery.” In 1882 he invented the stage system of railway administration, an adaptation of which, under the name of the zone system, was put in force in Hungary in 1889, with marked success; and in 1894, Russia followed. In
Mr. S. Vaile.

Mr. S. Vaile.

page 304 1886 a Parliamentary Committee was set up to investigate this matter. Mr. Vaile attended, and conducted his own case. This enquiry lasted for ten weeks, when the Committee reported that the stage system ought to be tried. (Parliamentary paper 1—9 1886.) Mr. Vaile has worked at it ever since, but the Government still refuse a trial. In 1887 Mr. Vaile contested the seat for Auckland North, Mr. Thomas Thompson being his opponent. Mr. Vaile was declared to have lost the election by thirty-five votes, thirty-six having been thrown out as informal. In 1893 Mr. Vaile again offered himself for one of the city seats, but owing to Sir George Grey afterwards coming out also for the city, he did not seriously enter into the contest. In 1896, at fourteen days' notice, Mr. Vaile, under considerable pressure, undertook to contest the Parnell seat, against the sitting member, Mr. F. Lawry, and Mr. Arthur Withy, the Prohibition candidate, but Mr. Vaile was again defeated. At the earnest request of a number of citizens, Mr. Vaile, much against his will, was again induced to contest one of the city seats in 1899. A committee undertook to do all the work, and pay all the expense, but again he had only fourteen days to work in, and, as he expected, lost the seat. In 1893 the citizens of New Zealand presented Mr. Vaile with a very handsome silver salver and tea and coffee service, and also a fire-proof safe to keep the records of his public work in. Sir George Grey made the presentation, and, with the other speakers, very warmly eulogised Mr. Vaile for the energy, ability, and patriotism he had displayed in carrying on his public work under many difficulties and much discouragement.