Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/147

 Thomas White Melville Winder, of Windermere, Hunter River, New South Wales.

Dibbs, Sir George Richard, K.C.M.G., M.L.A., Premier of New South Wales, is the son of the late Captain John Dibbs of the East India Company's service, and has represented the Murrumbidgee in the Legislative Assembly for some years past. He was Colonial Treasurer in the Ministry of the late Sir Alexander Stuart from Jan. 1883 to Oct. 1885, when he succeeded that gentleman, and was Premier till December following. From Feb. 1886 to Jan. 1887 he was Colonial Secretary in the Jennings Ministry, and formed another short-lived Administration in Jan. 1889, in which he was Premier and Colonial Secretary until March in the same year. Mr. Dibbs is a strong Protectionist. He was appointed one of the representatives of New South Wales to the Federation Convention held in Sydney in March 1891, although considerable objection was made to his appointment by Sir Henry Parkes, on the ground that he had expressed himself opposed to Federation under the Crown. In Oct. 1891, on the defeat of the Parkes Ministry, Mr. Dibbs once more became Premier of the colony, and succeeded in carrying a Protectionist tariff. In June 1892 he visited England on an important financial mission, in which he appeared as the representative not only of New South Wales, but of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. He was created K.C.M.G. in July.

Dick, Hon. Thomas, is a native of Edinburgh, and was born there in 1823. Having gained commercial experience in London, he left that city for St. Helena, but after seven years' residence there resolved on removing to New Zealand, arriving in Otago, accompanied by his wife and family, on Nov. 26th, 1857. After some mercantile experience, Mr. Dick entered the political arena. Mr. Harris having resigned his seat as a member of the Provincial Council for Dunedin at the end of 1858, Mr. Dick was unanimously elected to succeed him in Feb. 1859. During the ensuing session of the Council an adverse vote caused the Executive to resign office, and a new one was formed by Mr., of which Mr. Dick was a member. A Bill having been passed considerably increasing the number of members of the Council, early in 1860 a general election took place, and Mr. Dick was returned at the head of the poll for Dunedin, eleven candidates having been proposed, five to be elected. On the assembling of the new Council Mr. Dick occupied a seat on the Ministerial benches, which he, however, quickly resigned. It was not till 1862 that he again held an official position in the Council. At the opening of the session that year he proposed an amendment on the address in reply, carrying it by a small majority, and thereby relegating the Cutten-Walker administration to the Opposition benches, when he himself assumed office as Provincial Secretary. Another general election took place in May, 1863, when Mr. Dick was again returned at the top of the poll for Dunedin, retaining the position of Secretary at the opening of the new Council. He was however, shortly compelled to resign, but was again reinstated for a few months. He succeeded Mr. Harris as superintendent of the Otago province, in August 1865, but was displaced by Mr. Macandrew in Feb. 1867, when his first term expired. Mr. Dick sat in the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1861 and 1862, but he was not a member of Parliament in 1863-4 and 5. In 1866 he was elected for Port Chalmers. After the first session he resigned his seat, and it was not till 1879, on the general election for the seventh Parliament of New Zealand, that he again appeared on the scene as a Dunedin representative, in conjunction with Messrs. Oliver and Stewart. The result of the election of 1879 placing the Hall Ministry in power, Mr. Dick joined the administration in 1880, holding the portfolios of Colonial Secretary, Minister for Education, and Minister for Justice. Sir John Hall having resigned on account of ill-health in 1882, Sir F. became the Premier, Mr. Dick occupying his old position, with the added responsibilities of Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs. In 1883 Sir F. WhittakerWhitaker [sic] retired, being followed by Major as Premier, but the Government continued, with one or two alterations, the same as that formed by Sir  in 1879. Mr. Dick consequently remained in office, confined, however, on this occasion to the responsibilities of Colonial Secretary 131