C.C.N. Barron

Clarke Charles Netterville Barron
Chief Reporter New Zealand Parliament
In office
9 July 1867 – June 1896
Preceded by new office
Succeeded by J. Grattan Grey
Personal details
Born 20 August 1834
Waterford Ireland
Died 10 July 1911(1911-07-10) (aged 76)
Wellington
Spouse(s) Augusta Jessie Curtiss
Children Netterville, Winston, Nugent, Mabel, Ella, Aileen

Clarke Charles Netterville Barron (20 August 1834 – 10 July 1911) was the Chief Reporter of Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) for the New Zealand Parliament for 29 years from 1867. He established the first team of Hansard reporters in New Zealand and set up systems for recording and publishing debates. He was also responsible for the first published compilation of New Zealand Speakers' Rulings and he was Secretary to the Board of Civil Service Examiners for many years.

Early life

Barron was born in Waterford, descending from Irish nobility of County Waterford.[1][2] He was educated in Ireland and Europe and served as an interpreter during the Crimean war.[3] He is reported to have worked as a purser for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company[3] and the Royal Indian Navy,[4] before arriving in Australia.

On 5 September 1861, in Balmain Sydney, Barron married Augusta Jessie, daughter of W.B. Curtiss.[5][6][7] He settled in Goulburn, New South Wales, where he worked as an accountant for the Bank of New South Wales. On 27 September 1862, three months after the birth of his first daughter Mabel,[8] he was arrested and charged with embezzlement from his employer.[9][10] He pleaded guilty to stealing 200 pounds and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour. In passing sentence the judge noted that Barron had committed "nine or ten different acts of forgery by altering the books".[11]

Barron is reported to have arrived in Auckland in 1864, where he found work as a reporter and editor with the New Zealander newspaper. In 1866 he moved to Wellington to become the editor of the New Zealand Advertiser.[3]

Parliamentary Career

In 1867 Barron was engaged by the New Zealand Parliament to establish a team of reporters and systems for recording and printing parliamentary debates in both Houses of Parliament.[12][13] The team was initially established as an experiment and there were many who thought that the trial would be unsuccessful.[14][15][16] However the trial proved to be a success and Barron remained Chief Reporter for 29 years, until his retirement in 1896 at 62 years of age. On the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the NZ Hansard team The Evening Post said of Barron:[17]

"The experience of 21 years has fully confirmed the wisdom of Sir Edward Stafford's choice of a chief for the new venture, and whatever faults may now be found with Hansard, they are certainly not due to any laches or want of skill on Mr. Barron's part. He has filled a difficult and arduous office with conspicuous ability, and if Hansard of today is not the reliable record of Parliamentary utterances which it should be, the fault is not his, but that of the powers by whom his action has been controlled and his authority curtailed."

Barron was employed by the New Zealand Parliament throughout the year, rather than only when the Parliament was in session. When he was not occupied with Hansard business he would assist in other roles, such as translation of documents.[18] In 1868 Barron was appointed by the Colonial Secretary as acting Secretary to the Central Civil Service Examination Board,[19] and in 1870 it was reported that he was "appointed a member of the Local Board of Examiners at Wellington, under the Civil Service Act, 1866",[20] In 1873 he was formally appointed Secretary to the Civil Service Examination Board,[21] an office he held for many years.[4][22]

In 1889 Barron compiled from the New Zealand Hansard reports the publication Decisions of the Speakers of the House of Representatives on points of order, rules of debate, and general practice of the House, 1867 to 1888. An updated version was published in 1900 as Rulings of the Speakers of the House of Representatives: also of the chairmen of committees, on matters arising in committee; 1867 to 1899 inclusive[23] and this was updated again in 1905 and 1911.[24]

When Barron reached his fifties his health meant that he was unable to take as many turns reporting debates, concentrating instead on editing the work of other reporters. This created some friction among his staff[25] and in 1895 Barron was criticized in the House by Premier Richard Seddon[26][27] because of complaints about the length of time it was taking for debates to be published. The Reporting Debates and Printing Committee undertook a thorough review of the Hansard staffing.[28][29][30] William Steward, speaking on behalf of the Committee reported to the House that Barron was "thoroughly competent to retain charge, and has the confidence and esteem of the reporters... discharging his duties with perfect efficiency, not merely as reporter, but as editor of Hansard for the last three or four years."[31][32]

Despite retaining the confidence of the Reporting Debates and Printing Committee, Barron was forced by the Seddon government to retire in June 1896.[33][34][35][36][37] Seddon refused Barron the pension normally available to civil servants on the grounds that, as an officer of Parliament, he was not eligible.[38][39] Barron petitioned Parliament[40][41] and, after considerable debate,[42][43][44][45] he was eventually awarded 1,500 pounds (2.5 years' salary) as compensation for loss of office.[46]

Other interests

During the late 1860s Barren served with the Wellington Rifle Volunteers of the Wellington Miitia,where he earned the rank of ensign[47][48][49][50] and was a marksman.[51]

In 1886 Barron became a founding member of the Council of New Zealand Shorthand Writers' Association.[52]

In 1887 Barron was part of a small group (that included Charles Abraham the Bishop of Wellington, Isaac Featherston the Superintendent of Wellington, Coutts Crawford, Jonas Woodward, Robert Hart, Charles Johnson Pharazyn and his sons Robert and Charles) who drew up the Rules of the New Zealand Society, Reconstituted, November 1867.[53] This group became the Wellington Philosophical Society, a branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand.[54][55]

Barron and his wife were life members of the Thorndon Tennis Club.[56]

Barron's grandson[57] John Netterville Barron (1911-1992) was an eminent plastic surgeon who performed reconstructive surgery on servicemen during World War II and after the war worked with Harold Gillies at Park Prewett Hospital.[58][59]

The Barron family lived in Hobson Street Thorndon for many years, before building a house at 187 Thorndon Quay.[60][61]

Death

Barron died at the age of 76 on 10 July 1911. The death occurred at his residence in Thorndon Wellington.[62] He and his wife Augusta (30 December 1840 - 30 December 1920[63]) were both cremated at the Wellington City Council crematorium.[64][65] Obituaries appeared in numerous papers.[66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74]

References

  1. ↑ Burkes Colonial Gentry, 1891-1894, page 708
  2. ↑ The Peerage reference 266969
  3. 1 2 3 Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Wellington Provincial District, a897, page 109
  4. 1 2 Otago Daily Times, 25 May 1878, page 3
  5. ↑ The Empire, 10 September 1861, page 1
  6. ↑ The Sydney Mail. 14 September 1861, page 5
  7. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 September 1861, page 1
  8. ↑ The Goulburn Herald, 2 July 1862, page 2
  9. ↑ The Empire, 27 September 1862, page 5
  10. ↑ The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 30 September 1862, page 2
  11. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November 1862, page 8
  12. ↑ Wellington Independent, 11 June 1867, page 3
  13. ↑ Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1868 Session I, D-13, 1 July 1868
  14. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 1.1, 10 July 1867, pages 16-22
  15. ↑ Wellington Independent, 15 June 1867, page 7
  16. ↑ Daily Southern Cross 14 October 1867, page 4
  17. ↑ The Evening Post, 9 July 1888, page 2
  18. ↑ Evening Post, 1 July 1876, page 2
  19. ↑ Archives NZ reference R24204364, Letter from Colonial Secretary
  20. ↑ Evening Post, 13 January 1870, page 2
  21. ↑ Wellington Independent, 14 February 1873, page 2
  22. ↑ Otago Witness, 22 June 1893, page 26
  23. ↑ Otago Daily Times, 29 June 1900, page 3
  24. ↑ National Library of New Zealand
  25. ↑ The Otago Daily Times, 22 October 1895, page 2
  26. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 89, 21 August 1895, page 284
  27. ↑ Evening Star, 14 October 1895, page 3
  28. ↑ Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1895 Session 1, I-08, 8 October 1895
  29. ↑ Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1895 Session 1, I-08a, 18 October 1895
  30. ↑ Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1895 Session 1, I-08b, 23 October 1895
  31. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 91, 8 October 1895, page 163
  32. ↑ Nelson Evening Mail, 18 October 1895, page 2
  33. ↑ Observer, 6 June 1896, page 18
  34. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 93, 17 June 1896, page 72
  35. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 93, 22 July 1896, page 390
  36. ↑ Wanganui Chronicle, 12 June 1896, page 2
  37. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 94, 11 August 1896, page 266
  38. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 93, 21 July 1896, page 339
  39. ↑ Wanganui Herald, 22 July 1896, page 2
  40. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 94, 21 August 1896, page 586
  41. ↑ Star, 29 July 1896, page 4
  42. ↑ Hawke's Bay Herald, 22 August 1896, page 3
  43. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 96, 18 September 1896, page 36
  44. ↑ Parliamentary Debates Volume 96, 15 October 1896, pages 847-854
  45. ↑ Evening Post, 22 August 1896, page 5
  46. ↑ Mataura Ensign, 17 October 1896, page 2
  47. ↑ Evening Post, 25 November 1868, page 2
  48. ↑ Evening Post, 17 March 1868, page 2
  49. ↑ Wellington Independent, 10 November 1868, page 2
  50. ↑ Wairarapa Standard, 3 October 1868, page 3
  51. ↑ Evening Post, 18 October 1869, page 2
  52. ↑ Evening Post, 5 October 1886, page 2
  53. ↑ Wellington Independent, 3 December 1867, page 3
  54. ↑ National Library of New Zealand
  55. ↑ History of the New Zealand Society, 1851-1868, L. Bastings, 24 October 1951
  56. ↑ Evening Post, 15 May 1897, page 4
  57. ↑ Evening Post, 20 April 1939, page 18
  58. ↑ Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966
  59. ↑ Biography Royal College of Surgeons
  60. ↑ Evening Post, 21 October 1929, page 13
  61. ↑ Evening Post, 1 December 1936, page 1
  62. ↑ EveningPost, 10 July 1911, page 8
  63. ↑ Dominion, 31 December 1920, page 1
  64. ↑ Wellington City Council Cemetery Search
  65. ↑ Wairarapa Age, 13 July 1911, page 4
  66. ↑ Evening Post, 10 July 1911, page 8
  67. ↑ Dominion, 11 July 1911,page 4
  68. ↑ Feilding Star, 11 July 1911, page 4
  69. ↑ Southland Times, 11July 1911, page 6
  70. ↑ Grey River Argus, 11 July 1911, page 6
  71. ↑ Wairarapa Age, 11 July 1911, page 5
  72. ↑ Marlborough Express, 12 July 1911, page 5
  73. ↑ Hawera & Normanby Star, 11 July 1911, page 4
  74. ↑ Mataura Ensign, 11 July 1911, page 4
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