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ATKINSON, SIR HARRY ALBERT (1831—1892)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 853 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ATKINSON, See also:SIR HARRY See also:ALBERT (1831—1892) , See also:British colonial statesman, See also:prime See also:minister and See also:speaker pf the legislative See also:council, New See also:Zealand, was See also:born at See also:Chester in 1831, and in 1855 emigrated to Taranaki, New Zealand, where he became a See also:farmer. In 186o the Waitara See also:war See also:broke out, and from its outset Atkinson, who had been selected as a See also:captain of the New See also:Plymouth See also:Volunteers, distinguished himself by his contempt for appearances and tradition, and by the See also:practical skill, See also:energy and courage which he showed in leading his See also:Forest Rangers in the tiresome and lingering See also:bush warfare of the next five years. For this See also:work he was made a See also:major of See also:militia, and thanked by the See also:government. Elected to the See also:house of representatives in 1863, he joined Sir See also:Frederick Weld's See also:ministry at the end of See also:November 1864 as minister of See also:defence, and, during eleven months of See also:office, was identified with the well-known " self-reliance " policy, a proposal to dispense with imperial regulars, and meet the See also:Maori with colonials only. See also:Parliament accepted this principle, but turned out the Weld ministry for other reasons. For four years Atkinson was out of parliament; in See also:October 1873 he re-entered it, and a See also:year later became minister of lands under Sir See also:Julius See also:Vogel, Ten months later he was treasurer, and such was his aptitude for See also:finance that, except during six months in 1876, he thence-forth held that See also:post whenever his party was in See also:power. From October 1874 to See also:January 1891 Atkinson was only out of office for about five years. Three times he was premier, and he was always the most formidable debater and fighter in the ranks of the Conservative opponents of the growing See also:Radical party which Sir See also:George See also:Grey, Sir See also:Robert Stout and See also:John See also:Ballance led in See also:succession. It was he who was mainly responsible for the abolition of the provinces into which the See also:colony was divided from 18J3 to 1876. He repealed the Ballance See also:land-tax in 1879, and substituted a See also:property-tax. He greatly reduced the cost of the public service in 188o, and again in 1888. In both these years he raised the customs duties, amongst other taxes, and gave them a quasi-protectionist See also:character.

In 188o he struck to % off all public salaries and See also:

wages; in 1887 he reduced the See also:salary of the See also:governor by one-third, and the pay and number of ministers and members of parliament. By these resolute steps See also:revenue was increased, See also:expenditure checked, and the colony's finance reinstated. Atkinson was an See also:advocate of compulsory See also:national assurance, and the leasing as opposed to the selling of See also:crown lands. Defeated in the See also:general See also:election of See also:December 1890, he took the See also:appointment of speaker of the legislative council. There, while leaving the council chamber after the sitting of the 28th of See also:June 1892, he was struck down by See also:heart disease and died in a few minutes. Though brusque in manner and never popular, he was esteemed as a vigorous, upright and practical statesman. He was twice married, and had seven See also:children, of whom three sons and a daughter survived him. (W. P.

End of Article: ATKINSON, SIR HARRY ALBERT (1831—1892)

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