Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927), Friday 27 February 1891, page 3


THE HON. DAVID BEWS.

Ou Tuesday morning the Govern-ment Resident (Mr. J. G. Knight) received the following wire:

" Regret to say Mr. Rews died last night after a few hours' illness at

Melbourne."

The news was received here with sorrowful astonishment, and as a mark of respect to the memory of one so in-timately connected with the public affairs of the' Northern Territory the Government offices were immediately closed, and flags were hoisted halfmast. Our telegrams received yester day contain further particulars, from which it will be seen that Mr. Bews died on Tuesday morning after two days' sickness, while on his way to Sydney to attend the Postal Confer-ence ; the cause of death being in-flammation of the bowels. * The de-ceased was of a genial, light hearted disposition in or out of Parliament, and was popular wherever ho was known. In his capacity as Minister for the Territory he had scarcely had time for the display of genius, bub Mr. Knight will bear testimony to the fact that he always showed a ready inclin-ation to increase his knowledge of Northern matters. The following biographical sketch is taken from the South Australian Register of August 19th; 1890 :—

Mr. David Bews has sat in the House of Assembly for Wallaroo since 1885, when he was elected as successor to the present junior member for that district (Mr. H. A. Grainger), who resigned. He was born near Kirkwall, Orkeny Islands, in April, 1850, and arrived in South Australia at an early age with his parents. For some time he was engaged in farming with his father, and altowards entered into the ser'ice of the Wallaroo and Kadina Railway and Pier Company, managing the goods depart-ment of that Company for seven years. When the Government purchased the line and gave no promise of placing the officers on the fixed list Mr. Bews re-signed, and joined the printing and publishing finn of Messrs D. «fe A. F. Taylor, proprietors of the Wallaroo Times, which he has edited for about eleven years. From 18SI to 1884 he occupied the civic chair of the munici-pality of Wallaroo, and among other offices which he has tilled are those of a Commissioner of the Local Board of Main Roads, a member of the Yorke's

Peninsula Licensing Bench, and of the

Wallaroo School Board of Advice. He has also been very prominent in connec-tion with the military organizations of the colony, being at one time a member of the old Council of the R.V.F. Until Monday he was a member of the Public Service aud Queensland Railway Com-missions. At present he is a member of the Select Committee appointed to en-quire into the construction of a line of railway from Canieton to Mannahill. Mr. Bews has always, evinced a lively interest in works of a reproductive character, notably in the inauguration and carrying out of the Beetaloo Water-works scheme. He has been one of the foremost of the Playford party, and during the present session has shown a decided opposition to the continuance in power of the Cockburn Government.

As a debater the hon. member has , gained a good reputation, his utterances being marked by fluency combined with exceptional native wit and humor. His extensive fund of auecdotal lore enabled him at all times to secure the

rapt attention of his hearers, aud he further possesses a remarkable faculty of introducing trite sayings appropri-ate to the occasion. Mr. Bews has been on numerous Commissions and Committees appointed by the Parlia-ment and the Government, and there is perhaps no member better acquain-ted with the colony than he is.

Great interest is said to have been excited among Queensland sugar growers by some experiments con-ducted by M. Gallanty, a French sugar boiler at Habana Palautation, Mackay, who has succeeded in r.iising a number of cane plants from seed. Only some twelve months have elapsed since it was first discovered that cane could be

thus growu.

1 e*

Richard Darley, guard of the first railway train run in Australia, died .recently in Sydney..