(Glycymeris laticostatus).

This belongs to the family of ark shells, so named on account of the fanciful resemblance of a Mediterranean species to Noah's Ark. A New Zealand species, Barbatia novaezelandiae, is oblong, is up to 2 in. in length and has an epidermis of stiff, dark brown bristles. At low tide it is attached by threads to the under sides of stones. The dog cockle grows up to 3 in. across, is thick and radially ridged, with a speckled pattern in reddish brown. It lives buried in coarse sand in from 3–25 fm.

Both these members of the ark family are easily recognised by the form of the hinge teeth, which are a series of simple interlocking short ridges and pits.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.

(1855–1934).

Botanist and plant geographer.

A new biography of Cockayne, Leonard appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Leonard Cockayne, the youngest son of William Cockayne, merchant, was born on 7 April 1855 at Thorpe House, Norton Lees, Derbyshire, and spent his boyhood in the country. From Wesley College, Sheffield, he went to Owen's College, Manchester, but abandoned a plan to study medicine. Leaving England in 1876 he taught first in Australia and, from 1880 to 1884, was master of the Greytown (Allanton) Public School, Taieri, Otago. At Styx, in Canterbury, he farmed for a few years before taking over 4½ acres of land near New Brighton, where for 12 years he kept a private experimental garden and, by means of seed exchanges, established connections with leading botanists and famous gardens abroad. In 1898, at the age of 42 years, he published his first scientific paper; in the same year the visit of the German botanist, Dr K. Ritter von Goebel, encouraged him to extend his researches for which, in 1903, the University of Munich conferred on him an honorary Ph.D. His interest centred on ecology “which deals with living plants and their relation to their surroundings and which gathers its data from actual observation in the field”. His horticultural studies were supplemented more and more by field work, especially after he moved to Christchurch in 1903. He described different vegetation types in Canterbury, spent six weeks on Chatham Island in 1901, visited the Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, and Bounty Islands in the mid-winter of 1903, and the Auckland Islands again in November 1907. His reports on botanical surveys for the Department of Lands dealt with Kapiti Island (1907), Waipoua Kauri Forest (1908), Tongariro National Park (1908), Stewart Island (1909), and Sand Dunes (1909, 1911). He wrote lively newspaper articles, of which one series was revised and published by the Department of Education in 1910 as a book New Zealand Plants and Their Story which ran to three editions. His Observations Concerning Evolution, Derived from Ecological Studies in New Zealand (1912) recorded a wealth of details about the growth of native plants. He was elected F.R.S. in 1912 on the proposal of Sir J. D. Hooker and was awarded the Hector Memorial Medal in 1912 and the Hutton Memorial Medal in 1914.

At about this time he moved to Wellington where he was active in the New Zealand Institute, being president in 1918–19 and an original fellow. His flow of papers continued, some demonstrating the application of ecological principles and methods to agriculture (e.g., grasslands of Otago) and to forestry (e.g., beech forests), some dealing with floristic and taxonomic problems. For the Forest Service, to which he was honorary botanist from 1923, he prepared, with E. P. Turner, a small handbook with photographs of twigs of the common New Zealand trees, the first edition appearing in 1928, the fourth (seventh printing) in 1958. His magnum opus, The Vegetation of New Zealand, Part XIV of Engler and Drude's Die Vegetation der Erde, was published in Leipzig in 1921. Completed in March 1914, it brought together facts collected from 1904 when he was invited to contribute a volume to this series. The long delay in publication was due to the war, and in 1928 appeared a second edition “almost entirely rewritten, thoroughly revised and enlarged”. Honours received during this time included the Darwin Medal (1928), the Mueller Memorial Medal (1928), C.M.G. (1929), Honorary D.Sc. (N.Z.) (1932), the Veitch Memorial Medal (1932), and membership of many overseas scientific societies. He served on the Royal Commission of Forestry 1913, the Cawthron Commission 1919, and the Royal Pastoral Commission 1920.

In his last years, despite impending blindness, he founded the unique Otari Open-air Native Plant Museum in a reserve of 143 acres set aside for the purpose in 1927 by the Wellington City Council, to which he was honorary botanist. The objects were (a) to cultivate as many New Zealand species as possible; (b) to reproduce artificially various types of the primitive vegetation of New Zealand; (c) to bring the forest remnant in the Plant Museum back as far as possible to its original form; (d) to illustrate the use of indigenous plants for horticulture; and (e) to prevent the introduction of exotic plants into the museum. His home was in the nearby suburb of Ngaio, where he died on 8 July 1934. His grave is near the Banks entrance of Otari, and there, too, lies his wife Maria Maud née Blakeney, whom he married in Dunedin in 1879, who accompanied him on many botanical expeditions and who shared the friendship of many of his colleagues.

A. G. Tansley wrote that “Leonard Cockayne played the most conspicuous part in the development of modern field botany in the British Empire during the first third of the twentieth century.” Thirty years after his death Cockayne is still regarded as the most provocative influence in New Zealand botany, and new concepts about vegetation are still measured against his standards. No one has since produced so full an account of the whole vegetation of this country.

A keen grower, but with little formal training in biology, he recorded that G. M. Thomson's small book on ferns aroused his interest in native plants, at first from the standpoint of horticulture. He states “with pride” that he learnt much from the old shoemaker-bryologist Robert Brown, his companion on many travels in the wilds, whose splendid advice was: “Heed not what books or authorities teach, but in order to really learn, go to the plants themselves”. Ecology was a new science in 1900 and “unrecognised and unlabelled at first, Cockayne in New Zealand was already an ecologist waiting for the term to be adopted by botanists, and fully trained, with his keen insight, to lead the way not only in New Zealand, but in the world”. He divided the country into botanical districts, described different types of vegetation in as virgin a state as possible, and recorded how one kind follows another in orderly sequence after disturbance. His knowledge of the relations of plants to their habitats was applied to practical problems of “fixing” moving sand dunes and of revegetating depleted grasslands. By his careful study of plants in the field and the garden, and from seedling to adult, he defined many new species and varieties and became convinced of the importance of wild hybrids. “In the recognition of natural hybrids – which at the time was considered almost heretical in the botanical world – Cockayne opened up a new and very fruitful line of study and stimulated many investigations in other parts”. He was, in fact, a pioneer in the modern field of experimental taxonomy.

In manner, though not in person, Cockayne was a deliberately picturesque figure and his vigorous compaigning brought him the support of Governments, State Departments, local bodies, and innumerable individuals of whom he sought – almost demanded – help according to their various capabilities. Some of his tricks of showmanship were adopted by his son, A. H. Cockayne, and through him have been incorporated in the techniques of public relations work in the Department of Agriculture. He pleaded successfully for parks and reserves where natural vegetation could be preserved for the information and pleasure of the public, as well as for field stations for students, and he deplored the needless destruction of indigenous plant cover by animals introduced for profit or sport.

To younger botanists of two generations he was a source of inspiration. Many of his ideas are now so familiar that it is easy to forget that they originated in his fertile brain. “His overflowing enthusiasm sometimes led him into error, and his love of argument for argument's sake often deceived his listeners as to his real views, but he was always ready to withdraw an opinion on sound cause shown.” Certain it is that if he had had the varied data now at hand about the “dim past” he would not have been slow to formulate new hypotheses. Cockayne brought fame in the botanical world to his adopted country, a land of “peculiar importance” to all those interested in the wider aspects of botany.

by Lucy Beatrice Moore, M.SC., Botany Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lincoln.

• Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, Vol. 1 (1935) (with short bibliography)
• Proceedings of the Linnaean Society, London, Sess: 1934–35. Part V (Obit)
• Trans. Proc. Royal Society of New Zealand Vol. 65 (1936) (Obit)
• J. N.Z. Inst. Hort. 4, 1934, 11–15. Obituary by H.H.A., with photograph of Cockayne's garden
• Kew Bull. Misc. Inf. 8, 1934, 313–17. Obituary by A.W.H.

G.C.M.G., T.D., Baron Cobham; Seventh Baron Lyttelton; Baron of Frankley, Co. Worcester, in Great Britain; Baron Westcote of Ballymore in Ireland; and a Baronet

(1909– ).

Ninth Governor-General of New Zealand.

A new biography of Cobham, Charles John Lyttelton appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Charles John Lyttelton Cobham was born on 8 August 1909, the son of Sir John Cavendish Lyttelton, K.C.B., Ninth Viscount Cobham, and of Violet Yolande, youngest daughter of Charles Leonard, of Gloria, Cape Province, South Africa. He was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained B.A.(Hons.) in law in 1932. In 1933 he joined the 100th (Worcestershire Yeomanry) Field Brigade, Royal Artillery (Territorials), but, in 1940, transferred to the 53rd Anti-tank Regiment and served in France. A year later he was seconded to the 3rd Maritime Regiment, Royal Artillery, and, in 1943, was promoted to command the 5th Regiment Maritime Royal Artillery, where he remained until the end of the war.

In his earlier years, as the Hon. Charles Lyttelton, Lord Cobham was a fine cricketer. From 1936 to 1939 he captained the Worcester County team and was vice-captain of the M.C.C. Eleven which toured New Zealand in 1935–36. In 1955 he served as president of the M.C.C.

After the war Lord Cobham became interested in British politics and in 1947 was president of the Worcester Conservative Association. In 1948 he was designated as the Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate for Dudley and Stourbridge, but he was obliged to relinquish this appointment when he succeeded to his father's titles in 1949. On 5 September 1957 he succeeded Lord Norrie as Governor-General of New Zealand and held this office until 13 September 1962, when his term expired. In April 1964 he was created a Knight of the Garter.

On 30 April 1942 Lord Cobham married Elizabeth Alison, younger daughter of John Reeder Makeig-Jones, C.B.E., of Southerton House, near Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire, and they had four sons and four daughters.

The Lyttelton family possesses interesting historical connections with New Zealand. The Fourth Baron Lyttelton (1817–76) was chairman of the Canterbury Association which founded the Canterbury settlement in 1850. In this connection the port and town of Lyttelton commemorates the family name while Hagley Park in Christchurch is named after the family seat – Hagley Hall. A less well-known link is that furnished by the Third Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823–89) who was also Seventh Viscount Cobham. The Duke was Secretary of State for the Colonies (1867–68) in the closing years of the Maori Wars and was responsible for Sir George Grey's recall in 1868.

The University of Otago's arms are: Azure, a saltire argent, the saltire cantoned with four stars also argent, and an escutcheon of pretence gules in the centre with a fifth star of the second.

The University of Canterbury has arms similar to those of Canterbury Province, which are: Argent, on a chevron gules three Foisons d'or (golden fleeces) between three ploughs proper, on a chief Azure, a Cross Calvary between two archi-episcopal palls of the first.

The arms of Victoria University of Wellington are: Vert on a fesse engrailed between three Crowns Or, a Canton Azure charged with four Estoilles Argent (in the form of the Southern Cross).

The arms of the University of Auckland are: Azure between three mullets argent an open Book proper edged and bound Or with seven Clasps on either side Gold on a chief wavy also argent three Kiwis proper.

Many New Zealand ecclesiastical organisations, schools, commercial enterprises, societies, and institutions have coats of arms, but it is beyond the scope of this article to list them all.

by John Sidney Gully, M.A., DIP.N.Z.L.S., Assistant Chief Librarian, General Assembly Library, Wellington.

The many aspects of New Zealand life are symbolised on the national arms, the emblems of which re-occur continually in local coats of arms, the arms of the four major cities proving this.

City of Auckland:

Arms: Argent, upon waves of the sea a two-masted ship in full sail proper flagged Gules, on a chief per pale Azure and Gules to the dexter a Cornucopia Or, to the sinister a Shovel surmounted by a Pick, in Saltire proper.

Crest: Issuant out of a Mural Crown Or a representation of the Phormium Tenax flowered proper.

Supporters: On either side an Apteryx (or Kiwi) proper.

Motto: Advance.

City of Wellington:

Arms: Quarterly Gules and Azure, a Cross Or between; In the first quarter a Fleece Or; in the second quarter on Water barry wavy proper in base a Lymphad sail furled pennon and flags flying Argent; in the third quarter a Garb Or; in the fourth quarter five Plates in Saltire Argent.

Crest: On a Mural Crown Argent a Dolphin Naiant Azure, Mantled Gules.

Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion gorged with a Collar and Chain reflexed over the back Or, and on the sinister side a Moa proper.

Motto: Suprema a Situ (supreme by position).

City of Christchurch:

Arms: Or on a Chevron Gules a Mitre between a Fleece and a Garb of the first in base two Bars wavy Azure on a Chief of the last four Lymphads sails furled also of the first.

Crest: On a wreath Or and Azure a Kiwi proper.

Supporters: On either side a Pukeko proper.

Motto: Fide Condita, Fructu Beata, Spe Fortis (founded in faith, rich in production, strong in hope).

City of Dunedin:

Arms: Argent above a Fess Dancette Vert, a Castle Triple-Towered Sable on a Rock issuing from the Fess, Masoned Argent, with Windows, Vanes and Portcullis Gules. In the base a Three-Masted Lymphad with Sail Furled Azure, Flagged of Scotland, a Ram's Head Affrontee Horned Or between Two Garbs.

Coronet: A Mural Crown.

Supporters: On the dexter a Scotsman Habited with Philabeg and Plaid of the Clan Cameron, supporting in His Exterior Hand a Cromach; on the Sinister a Maori Chief Attired in Korowai (waist mat), Two Huia Feathers in his hair, an Aurei (greenstone ear pendant) and a Hei Matau (greenstone neck pendant) and in His Exterior hand a Taiaha. Motto: Maiorum Institutis Utendo (by following in the steps of our forefathers).

In recent years, as many local bodies celebrated their centenaries or boroughs reached city status, attention has been focused on the designs of their coats of arms. Many of those in existence which have been found unsuitable or inexpertly drawn or perpetrating heraldic errors, have been redesigned and approved by the College of Arms or the Lyons Office in Edinburgh. Amongst these is Invercargill, whose badge was a quartered shield; in the first quarter a plough; the second a garb; the third a wool bale; and the fourth a ship. The new coat of arms granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, Edinburgh, on 25 July 1958, is:

Arms: Or, on three Bars Wavy Gules a Ram's Head Horned Affrontee proper, on a Chief Wavy Azure a Lymphad Argent, Flagged Gules between two Garbs Or.

Crest: A Mural Crown Argent.

Supporters: On either side a Takahe proper.

Motto: Pro Communi Utilitate (for the use of the community).

Arms of famous families have been adopted by some local bodies. Wanganui which was once known as Petre, on attaining city status on 1 July 1924, adopted the Petre arms, while the arms of the Temple family, of which Lord Palmerston was a member, form the sinister side of Palmerston North's arms.

Until 26 August 1911 New Zealand used the British coat of arms. On that day the first distinctly New Zealand armorial bearings were authorised by Royal Warrant. This is their description:

Arms: Quarterly, Azure and Gules on a Pale Argent three Lymphads (sailing vessels) Sable. In the first quarter four Mullets in cross of the last each surmounted by a Mullet of the second (representing the Constellation of the Southern Cross); in the second quarter a Fleece; in the third a Garb (wheat sheaf); and in the fourth two Mining Hammers in Saltire all Or.

Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours a demi-Lion rampant guardant Or supporting a flag-staff erect proper thereon flying to the sinister the Union Flag. Supporters: On the dexter side, a female figure proper vested Argent supporting in the dexter hand a Flag-staff proper, hoisted thereon the Ensign of the Dominion of New Zealand, and on the sinister side a Maori Rangatira vested proper holding in his dexter hand a Taiaha all proper.

Motto: Onward.

The present New Zealand arms are a 1956 revision of the 1911 design. The crest was changed to the Crown of St. Edward, the quarterings were redrawn, and the supporters, instead of facing the front, now faced each other. The motto was changed to “New Zealand”.

This was designed by B. Wyon, R.A. The design depicts Queen Victoria in Treaty (1840) with a group of Maori chiefs. This served as a seal of the colony until 1911.

(1878–1943).

Statesman, administrator, and Prime Minister.

A new biography of Coates, Joseph Gordon appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

J. G. Coates was born at Pahi on 3 February 1878, the son of Edward Coates, and Eleanor Kathleen, née Aickin. Coates received primary education at the Matakohe School, and then worked on his father's farm. Later, with his brother Rodney, he established a well-known herd of Herefords. While still in his twenties, Coates was elected to Otamatea County Council, and was its chairman for four years before his election to Parliament. He was prominent in the local and Auckland Farmers' Union, in the Kaipara A. and P. Association, and in the Otamatea Mounted Rifles. Coates was drawn into politics at the end of the long Liberal epoch and his début was symbolic of the transition to Reform. The “roadless North” was despairing of the Liberals, but not yet prepared to trust Reform. Its members had always been independent, whatever their label, and won their votes as local notables. Coates, a vigorous local body chairman, came forward in the traditional guise, with ambiguous backing, label, and policy. He styled himself an “Independent Liberal”, but was nominated chiefly by Oppositionists. His pledge to the Liberals could hardly have been more limited and lukewarm: he would support Ward if his land policy was freehold, and would give him a year to bring forward the necessary legislation. Coates defeated the sitting Liberal, John Stallworthy, at the second ballot, with the help of Reform votes. Though solicited by both sides in February 1912, Coates kept his counsel, and voted with Ward. When the Mackenzie Ministry was formed, Coates claimed that it was “leasehold”, and that his pledge to the Liberals was now voided. He crossed the floor with three other freeholders, and helped to vote Reform into power, to the chagrin of the local Liberal paper, the Wairoa Bell.

When he left for France in 1916, Coates had shown himself a good local member, but had not made any marked advance in the Reform ranks. He proved a brave officer and leader of men, gaining the M.C. and Bar, and the rank of Major. Returning to New Zealand, in May 1919, he was given a tremendous welcome in Dargaville. With the collapse of the National Government in August 1919, Massey was free to reconstruct his Cabinet from the Reform Party. Passing over the claims of some senior men, he made Coates his Postmaster-General, Minister of Telegraphs, and Minister of Justice, an odd combination for the inexperienced newcomer. It was suggested that Massey's strongest motive for promoting J. B. Hine and Coates was the urgent need to demonstrate his Government's concern for the returned soldiers. Thus, within a few days of his return to the House, Coates took his place on the front benches. His immediate preparation for the post was three years of soldiering. Yet Massey got a fine (perhaps unexpected) bargain in his “returned soldier” Minister. Among a rather mediocre team Coates stood out for initiative and vigour. By his sustained use and encouragement of experts, by his disregard for the time-honoured “roads and bridges” system, Coates broke new ground in New Zealand administration. As Minister of Public Works (1920–26), he was the first to modernise equipment, and make substantial improvements in the conditions of public works camps. To keep pace with the demand for new construction, he went outside the Department and the old cooperative system, letting large contracts to British firms, notably for the Arapuni dam. As Minister of Railways (1923–28), he tried to bring the system up to date, and to enable it to compete commercially with road haulage. He played a prominent part in ending the railway strike of 1924. By the establishment of the Main Highways Board, in 1922, Coates eliminated a great deal of the old political scramble for public works.

When Massey died in May 1925, Coates had a wide and justified reputation as administrator, which in the event was to win him the Premiership. Yet it is only just to add that claimants further up in the party hierarchy eliminated themselves in various ways. D. H. Guthrie's health gave out, and Willian Nosworthy had no clear claim beyond that of seniority. A. D. McLeod was virtually Massey's deputy in the Political Reform League, but was junior to Coates, and still had his reputation to make. Massey's deputy in the House in 1924 was W. Downie Stewart, the party's best debater and most intelligent mind. Stewart, however, was a war cripple, and was actually in New York undergoing treatment in 1925. There is some evidence that Massey looked to Stewart to succeed him. By the time that Bell, as stop-gap Prime Minister, called a Reform caucus, Stewart had withdrawn, recognising his physical limitations. Yet a ballot was held, Nosworthy's name being put forward out of respect for his seniority. The result was a foregone conclusion – almost a victory by default for Coates.

In his last years, Massey had dominated the House as well as his party, holding the political reins tightly in his own hands. His death left a vacuum in political management, which Coates, with his very limited debating powers and inexperience in party control, could not possibly fill at once. Boldly and astutely, Coates's campaign manager in 1925, A. E. Davy, set out to recapture the initiative for Reform and its leader. He engineered the greatest advertising campaign in our political history, using the image of “Coates, the Young New Zealander”, “Coates, the Man who Gets Things Done”. With “Coates and Confidence”, Reform was blazoned forth as virtually a new party. J. A. Lee, with some feeling (and truth) called Coates “a jazz Premier”, but it was Davy's Coates, not the straightforward, unvarnished original, he was castigating. Various factors (including Davy's campaign) combined to give Reform 54 seats in the House. It was an unwieldy and largely inexperienced following that Seddon could have managed at the height of his powers, but it is perhaps fair to say that Coates in the 1926–28 Parliament did not show himself a successful leader of Cabinet, House, or party. Yet the fundamental factors in Reform's defeat in 1928 were that New Zealand's overseas markets were crumbling, and that the speculation of the war and post-war periods had left the country with a cost structure that became crippling as the depression deepened. The electorate's reaction was to blame the Government, especially one headed by the political Moses of 1925. Coates was caught in the backwash of Davy's campaign, and as harshly cried down as he had been extravagantly praised. He became the centre of more slanderous rumours than any other New Zealand politician except Seddon, but lacked the Seddon touch in fighting back. His reaction to attack was characteristically defiance, sometimes headstrong, occasionally even impudent. He had too little of Massey's old combination of courtesy and cunning in dealing with party notables, and made powerful enemies in the highest councils of Reform. Right wing business men formed the “1928 Committee” to demand “less government in business” from Coates, whom some of them branded as a “socialist”. Debt-burdened dairy farmers, on the contrary, looked for relief from the Government. Coates could not prevent a large desertion to the new United Party, organised by Davy, with whom he had fallen out.

The strange election of 1928 ended the long reign of Reform, and many were only too ready to blame Coates. Paradoxically, he made the speech of his career in gallantly surrendering power to Ward. Determined to make a come back in 1931, Coates set about reorganising his party, with considerable success. However, Reform leaders in business and farming forced him into coalition with Forbes in September 1931. Thus he was deprived of the chance of again becoming Prime Minister, though he was in fact to be the leader, in all but name, of the Coalition Ministry of 1931–35. Historians now recognise the courage and ingenuity which Coates and his “Brains Trust” showed in tackling economic problems that were overwhelming governments on all sides. A strong imperialist, Coates negotiated in London and at the Ottawa Conference (1932) to keep open British markets for New Zealand, deserving well of his country. At home, he outraged right-wing supporters by mortgage relief, the forcing down of interest rates, and the lowering of the exchange rate. The establishment of the Reserve Bank (1933) ensured better monetary planning, and the Executive Commission for Agriculture (1934) was a startling (though abortive) essay in state control of farm production. Coates got little credit for his leadership and initiative in a desperate situation. Instead, he became to a great number of New Zealanders the hated symbol of Depression government. The defeat of 1935 released him from thankless tasks, but not from ingratitude in his own party. He concurred unwillingly in the merging of Reform into National (1936), and recognised that he could not seek leadership. His friend, Adam Hamilton, was elected to the position, and possibly Coates hoped that the way might be clear for his return in a few years, as Depression memories faded. However, there was a strong movement in the National Party, especially outside Parliament, to break with the men of 1931–35, and S. G. Holland was chosen leader in 1940. The well-known antipathy between Coates and Holland underlined the fact that the party was casting Coates aside. Yet, by a strange turn of historic justice, the latter had just entered (August 1940) on his third, and perhaps greatest, period in office. With Hamilton, he joined the War Cabinet, (August 1940), and as Minister of Armed Forces and War Coordination, demonstrated all his old powers, now fully matured. Fraser, formerly among his bitterest opponents, came to value Coates as a loyal colleague and close friend. When Holland resigned from the War Cabinet and Administration (October 1942), Coates considered him to be putting party before country, and remained in office. He planned to continue his political career as he had begun it – by standing as an Independent for Kaipara. A contest between local loyalties and party feeling in the constituency was forestalled by his death in Wellington on 27 May 1943.

Gordon Coates's career, when seen in perspective, is one of the most remarkable in New Zealand politics. It compels reconsideration of what constitutes success or failure in a party leader. By the crude tests of popular reputation and tenure of chief office, Coates may be reckoned a failure. Seddon, Massey, and Fraser were skilful managers of party and House. Coates, by contrast, did not show enough judgment and patience in handling politicians. His laudable readiness to accept new men and new ideas was not necessarily an asset to him as Reform leader, and he showed the defects of his virtues in giving his confidence to plausible but unsound men who damaged his reputation in the party. Coates was unhappy, dilatory, and not greatly successful in his political promotions. Yet, in significant contrast, he was usually wise, and sometimes brilliant in his appointments of, and relations with, civil servants. His practical mind could choose between competing schemes of development, but not between competing politicians. In a word, Coates was great as a leader in government, as a statesman, but not as a politician. Potentially, he may have been our greatest political leader, but he lacked full control of his many gifts.

Perhaps his occasional lack of self-restraint (some thought, even self-respect) sprang from his uncompleted education, and from his limited rural background. It was not so much that he came, like Reeves, too quickly to power – he was 47 in 1925 – but that he came too easily, and by a wrong route for a party leader. What Massey had learned years before 1912, Coates had to absorb in the humiliation of defeat after 1928, when it was too late for his highest ambitions. Though capable of a dapper showmanship, Coates was fundamentally sincere and honest. Breezy, and even brusque in manner, he inspired personal devotion in a wide and varied circle of friends, and his mana among the Maori people was unsurpassed, at least till 1935. The Maori legislation which he introduced, with Ngata's help, was most promising, but some of it was, unfortunately, allowed to lapse. His courage and coolness in the face of hostile crowds during the Depression won respect for the man, but could not efface the unpopularity of the political figure.

As a speaker, Coates was probably the least like an orator in our front rank of politicians. His delivery was staccato, and his sentences frequently jerked along in chaotic fashion. Observers noted with amusement that he often started with “point number one”, and did not get beyond it in his promised sequence. Yet the force of the man's character shone through even his most involved periods. Those who saw it cannot forget the way drowsy Labour benches awoke to alert hostility as Coates rose to speak in the House. It was the greatest compliment they could pay to the one man who was their master in the art of applying State power to practical, progressive ends, but who was the principal obstacle in their road to office.

On 4 August 1914, at St. Peter's Church, Wellington, Coates married Majorie Grace, daughter of Dr Walter Coles, of Sydney, and by her he had five daughters.

by William James Gardner, M.A., Senior Lecturer, History Department, University of Canterbury.

• N.Z.P.D., Vol. 262 (1943) (Obit)
• New Zealand People at War, Wood, F. L. W. (1958)
• Sir Francis Bell, His Life and Times, Stewart, W. D. (1937)
• Ends and Means in New Zealand Politics, Chapman, R. M. (1961)
• New Zealand Herald, 28 May 1943 (Obit).

The name of Cobb and Co. is inseparably linked with the history of coaching in New Zealand, but this firm was by no means the first to function here, for McIntosh, for example, ran a coach service in Otago in 1857. There were other pioneer services in Canterbury, Wellington, and possibly in other districts, although the conveyances, wagonettes or buggies in some cases, were too light to warrant the description of “coach”.

Late in 1861 Charles Cole arrived in Dunedin from Victoria, Australia, with some 50 horses and several goods and passenger vehicles. He adopted the firm name of Cobb and Co. although the Cobb brothers, who had run coaching services in Victoria since 1853, did not come to New Zealand. It was to be an achievement of Cobb and Co. that it brought efficient long-distance transport equipment for travellers at a time when it was urgently needed. The few existing coaches were heavy, rigid vehicles quite unsuited for primitive, badly formed roads. Cobb's first “Concord” coach had a capacious body resting on straps of six to eight thicknesses of leather, instead of on rigid metal springs, and the tare weight of the vehicle was low. It could carry up to 16 passengers and the driver, although loads varied according to the particular vehicle and the route. Generally five horses were used. Some of the early coach drivers – men such as Cabbage Tree Ned Devine – were justifiably famed for their skill. It was a further achievement of Cobb and Co. that it brought to coaching that degree of urgency and efficiency so essential in modern transport. In its first venture it reduced the time for the trip from Dunedin to Gabriel's Gully goldfields at Tuapeka (Lawrence) from two days to nine hours. The company moved to Canterbury in 1863 and was able, in favourable circumstances, to do the journey from Christchurch to Timaru in a day. Its efficiency became a byword, and in the course of a few years coaches under the firm name of Cobb and Co. were to be found in many parts of the colony, although the firm's name was often used without authority. New Zealand's first steam railway from Christchurch to Ferrymead on occasions suffered losses of traffic due to the coach services run by Cobb and Co.

In the 1870s the improvement of roads made it feasible for horse-drawn omnibuses to be used in the urban areas. The great advantage of these vehicles was their larger seating capacity, and passengers experienced more comfort. The tendency of a “Concord” coach to sway violently was alarming to many people in the towns.

The expansion of a national railway system from the seventies onwards meant that coaches disappeared from the arterial routes. They remained, however, for many years in an ancillary capacity. Coaches bridged the gap in the railway line between Canterbury and the West Coast of the South Island until the opening of the Otira Tunnel in 1923. The coaching firms pioneered many of the routes over which modern motor transport runs today. The final demise of the coaches was hastened by the advent of the motor vehicle, particularly when larger and more modern types became available.

by Norman Frederick Watkins, M.COM., Research Officer, Transport Department, Wellington.

From time to time the claim is made that the Clutha, measured in terms of the volume of its discharge, ranks among the great rivers of the world. The following list provides a basis of comparison. The figures given vary with authorities, but they may be accepted as being reasonably accurate. (Ed.)

The Maori name for the Clutha from its source to the sea was Mata-au, meaning “surface current”, a reference no doubt to the river's swirling eddies. The early whalers and settlers of South Otago called the river and the district the Molyneux, and the name survived well into the gold mining era. It has often been stated that Cook gave the name Molyneux to the river, but this is incorrect for he never saw it.

What he did name was Molyneux Harbour which was probably in the vicinity of Waikawa. The correct name is the Clutha, first suggested in 1846 when the Scottish emigrants were preparing to settle in Otago.

The river has the largest catchment in New Zealand (8,480 sq. miles), and is reputed to have the greatest volume of water. It is the largest river in the South Island, being 150 miles from the lakes to the sea and 210 miles from its headwaters to the sea.

Its catchment area is most diverse. On the far west the country is mainly mountainous with peaks up to nearly 10,000 ft and a varying rainfall from 35–150 in. Large intermontane basins, with the intervening ranges rising between 3,000 and 6,000 ft, occupy the centre, along with extensive river flats and terraces between 900 and 500 ft altitude. Rainfall is as low as 12 in. per year at Alexandra, Central Otago. On the eastern and southern catchment area the country is generally lower, with hills to 3,000 ft and with a more rolling and mature landscape. Rainfall is higher, varying from 30–50 in. Approximately 2,800 sq. miles of catchment are held by the Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka, and Hawea, which total 240 sq. miles of water surface.

Major tributaries below the lakes include the following rivers; Shotover, Nevis, Arrow, Roaring Meg, Bannockburn, Cardrona, Lindis, Fraser, Manuherikia, Teviot, Pomahaka, Waitahuna. Towns situated alongside the Clutha River or on the lakes drained by it are; Queenstown, Wanaka, Cromwell, Alexandra, Roxburgh, and Balclutha.

Inchclutha, a fertile delta formed between the two branches of the Clutha River below Balclutha, is famed for its production of vegetables, dairy products, and meat. The Matau is a narrow deep channel, the Koau is a wide shallow channel, and they join together at the sea coast. Mining and dredging operations in the interior of the province have deposited large quantities of tailings in the river scheme. The Clutha and its tributaries were a rich source of gold. Gabriel Read discovered gold at the Tuapeka in 1861, but the greatest rush was in 1862 when Hartley and Reilly made their discovery at the Dunstan, a little below the junction of the Kawarau and the Clutha. Towards the close of the century the dredging boom began and in 1900 – the peak year – there were 187 dredges at work.

Eleven major floods and nine minor floods have occurred in the Clutha, the largest being in 1878 when the flow was estimated at 200,000 cusecs. In 1957 a flood of 107,000 cusecs affected 17,000 acres and cost New Zealand £650,000 in damages and loss in production. The river is well bridged and one punt still operates at Tuapeka Mouth. The deep entrenchment in gorges between Alexandra and Tuapeka Mouth permits no storage of flood waters. A £1,366,000 detailed flood protection scheme is under construction to protect Balclutha and some 23,000 acres of farm land from a possible 200,000-cusec flood.

The Roxburgh hydro-electric station was opened in July 1956 and control gates on Lake Wakatipu and Lake Hawea regulate the water supply. Smaller hydro-electric schemes within the catchment are on the Roaring Meg, Fraser, and Teviot rivers.

by James Wallace Ramsay, B.AGR.SC., Farm Planning Officer, Otago Catchment Board, Dunedin.