ate. October, 1911. k the chair at 3 p.m., IR. BATCHELOR. that I rise to move places upon record its high great public services of the Lee Batchelor, Minister of Affairs, and tenders its sinbereaved wife and family en whose untimely decease e Commonwealth. lent be requested to convey tion to Mrs. Batchelor. I occasion before, in the a motion which has been n deep regret to me as is To all of us Mr. friend, to me he was a id sincere friend. I had nd the privilege of being him, not only in my own Government, but also at perial Conference. We . from the Conference toclose association we then >ed a friendship which was . I grew to appreciate my many noble and manly a public man he was reparties, and he had friends of the House of which he was d a member. In his perhe was, indeed, a model to 'n. He held his political gly, but they did not affect for men who differed entirely olitics. I venture to say that respect of all, although he pression to his opinions in age, and did not hesitate to felt that he should. He was I zealous administrator, and it be admitted that he has left ent over which he presided h we are all proud. We izen, as a parent, and as all that a man could or loss, not only to this so to Australia, when with a career of such suddenly cut off. We, ques in the Government, feel his loss keenly, and I am sure that it is also felt keenly by all who were associated with him in his political life. His death, in the sad circumstances surrounding it, undoubtedly calls attention to the severe strain which public life in Australia entails upon those who are called upon to take a leading part in it. He was, apparently, in the prime of life, and his untimely end indicates that his strength had been sapped in an insidious way, proI am bably unknown even to himself. sure, sir, that I submit this motion with the entire concurrence of the Senate, and that it is no mere lip service which we tender, but the heartfelt expression of every member of the Senate. We do sincerely condole with the widow and the family of Mr. Batchelor. We trust that, in Divine Providence, the blow which falls so hardly upon them may be tempered by the kindly thought of those who will endeavour to assuage the grief of the loved ones who are left. Moderate in Senator MILLEN (New South Wales) [3.5]-I desire to second the motion so We in this House were not brought so ably proposed by the Minister of Defence. closely into touch with the late Mr. Batchelor as were the members of the House of Representatives. But we neverof both his worth as a politician and his theless had ample opportunities of judging qualities as a man, and we are in a position to say that, judged by his words and his acts those acts which speak more loudly than words-Mr. Batchelor moved according to the high standard of conduct which he himself had set up. his judgments, sincere of purpose, cour teous—indeed, gentle-in manner, he had won a place in the esteem of his fellow members of which, possibly, he was never conscious, and of which, I venture to say, we ourselves were not fully conscious until now, when death has removed him from Sincere and conscious of his own sincerity, he was able to believe in the sincerity of those who differed from him, and by reason of that to establish a deep and abiding claim upon the friendship of his political opponents. As a public man Mr. Batchelor accepted his public duties in no mere perfunctory spirit, and as an evi of that might I remind honorable of the efforts which he made in ad ing certain branches of his Depart make himself thoroughly acquainte the heavy work thrust upon him. l be in the recollection of hor us. ୮ senat |