Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

[introduction]

page break

When the Constitution was first granted to the colony, the province of Otago sent two members to the House of Representatives; one for Dunedin and one for the country districts. The first city member was Mr. James Macandrew, whose public life has been described in other portions of this volume. The country members were Mr. John Cargill, the son, and Mr. W. H. Cutten, the son-in-law, of the founder of the settlement. In 1860 Sir F. D Bell first appeared as an Otago country member; and in 1861 Mr. Thomas Dick and Mr. E. McGlashan was son of Mr. John McGlashan, the original secretary of the Otago Settlement Association. He took an active share in the industrial and pastorla work of the young settlement, sat in the first two Provincial Councils, and, later, between 1871 and 1876, and represented Roslyn and other constituencies in the House of Representatives. Mr. Dick was in turn Provincial Secretary and Superintendent—1862–1867. He was returned for Dunedin in 1861, but retired from politics when member for Port Chalmers in 1866. He entered public life again in 1879, and was a member of the Hall and Whitaker minsistries till 1884. Another new member, elected in 1860, was Mr. T. B. Gillies, who became Postmaster-General in the Whitaker Ministry of 1864 and Colonial Treasurer in the Stafford Government of 1872, and was afterwards a Judge of the Supreme Court stationed at Auckland. Mr. C. H. Kettle, who had undertaken the original survey of the Otago Block, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1861, but died in 1862.

In 1864 Mr. E. B. Cargill, another son of Captain Cargill, was elected member for Bruce. He was Mayor of the city in its Jubilee year, 1898, and died in 1903. By this time (1864) Dunedin had been divided into two electorates. For Dunedin South the choice of the electors had fallen on Mr. W. H. Reynolds, and Mr. J. Paterson, the latter of whom became a member of the Stafford Administration in 1865. For Dunedin North the members were Sir John Richardson, who was a member of the Weld Government, and Mr. Julius Vogel. It is superfluous to dwell upon the public life of Julius Vogel, who first took ministerial office in the Fox ministry in 1869, and then identified himself with that policy of progress and expansion that long bore his name. He was a prime mover in the abolition of the provinces, became Agent-General in 1876, but returned to political life in 1884, and was a member of the Stout-Vogel Ministry till 1887, when he returned to England.

Between 1866 and 1868 Dunedin city was represented by Mr. James Paterson and Mr. W. H. Reynolds, while Roslyn elected Mr. G. Hepburn, and Caversham, Mr. A. J. Burns, a son of the Rev. Dr Burns. In 1871 Mr. Macandrew, who had previously sat for Clutha, was returned for Port Chalmers for Dunedin, Mr. Paterson's place was taken by Mr. John Bathgate, who was Commissioner of Customs in the Waterhouse ministry in 1872, afterwards Minister of Justice, and subsequently became District Court Judge for Dunedin. Caversham was represented by Mr. W. H. Tolmie, and Roslyn by Mr. E. McGlashan.

In 1876, the year of Abolition, Dunedin city was represented by Messrs W. J. M. Larnach, James Macandrew, and Robert Stout. Of Sir Robert Stout, it may be said, briefly, that he was Attorney-General in the Grey Ministry of 1879, retired from public life till 1884, and was Premier and Minister for Education in the Stout Vogel coalition, retired after his defeat in 1887, but again became a member of the House in 1890. He was appointed Chief Justice in 1899. In 1879 Dunedin returned Messrs T. Dick, R. Oliver, and W. D. Stewart, while Roslyn elected Mr. Richard Driver, and Caversham, Mr. Barron. In 1882 the four electorates into which Dunedin was then divided returned Messrs Thomas Bracken, T. Dick, H. S. Fish, and M. W. Green, while Mr. Barron retained the Caversham seat, and Mr. Bathgate replaced Mr. Driver at Rosln. In 1885 another change took place, Dunedin returning Messrs bradshaw, J. Gore, W. D. Stewart, and Stout for the four wards; but in 1887 Mr. Bracken, poet and journalist, took Mr. Bradshaw's seat for Dunedin Central.

In 1891 a further re-arrangement of the Dunedin electorate was made. The three city members were now Messrs H. S. Fish, William Hutchison, and David Pinkerton, while the suburbs were merged together and represented by Mr. Dawson. In 1894 Mr. Earnshaw replaced Mr. Fish for the city. Mr. Fish, it should be noted, had a long and active municipal career. He was chosen city councillor in 1868, and was a member of the Council for nearly thirty years. He was mayor of the city for three consecutive years, 1870–1873, again in 1879–1880, and again for two consecutive years in 1893 and 1894. In 1894 also, Mr. Morrison took his seat for Caversham. In 1897 the triple city electorate returned Messrs Fish, Scobie Mackenzie, and J. A. Millar. In 1900 the three city members were messrs Millar, Arnold, and A. R. Barclay, but the last named was superseded at the last election (November, 1902) by Mr. H. D. Bedford.