Edward Metcalf Smith (10 January 1839 – 19 April 1907) was an
armourer
Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, ...
and
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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politician in New Zealand, and an advocate of the development of
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
's
ironsand and oil.
Early life
![Mary Ann Golding](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Mary_Ann_Golding.jpg)
Smith was born on 10 January 1839, in Fenny Compton Warwickshire, England. His father Charles METCALF was an Agricultural Labourer, and his mother was Maria Joiner. He was orphaned by the age of 15. He worked, as a youth, in the iron and steel industry in Staffordshire, probably at Bradley Hill Ironworks and in Cradley Heath, then joined gun makers Hollis in Birmingham, England . He became an apprentice at the new Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock, and also had some connection with the Royal Woolwich Arsenal, London. When qualified, he was sent on short term assignment as Garrison Armourer and Small Arms Inspector to the New Zealand field forces. He arrived in Auckland, New Zealand in 1861 on the ''African'', and was based at Fort Britomart in Auckland, New Zealand.
He married Mary Ann Golding on 24 December 1861 in Auckland. She was the daughter of the army officer Nicholas Golding.
His wife was born in March 1846 and was thus 15 years old when she married.
Political career
Smith served as an member of parliament in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, representing the
New Plymouth electorate from
1890 for two terms until the abeyance of that electorate in 1896. In the , he contested the electorate, but was beaten by the saw miller
Henry Brown. At the , he beat Brown, and represented the Taranaki electorate until his death in 1907.
Smith was one of the characters of the house, known for misplacing
aspirates and for concluding speeches with his own verse. He became known as 'Ironsand Smith', lamenting the "hiron hores lying on the beach and never a man to work them", and for introducing himself as "Hi ham He Hem Smith. Hem Haitch Har" (translation: I am E M Smith,
MHR). Apparently a
buffoon
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
, he was a hardworking member, and
Seddon often had him follow—and deflate—serious-minded opposition debaters. His attire—a frock-coat, wide waistcoat with buttonhole, and out-of-doors a
Tam o' Shanter—was unconventional.
Ironsand
![Ironsand, Edward Metcalf Smith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Ironsand%2C_Edward_Metcalf_Smith.jpg)
Due to his background, Smith was interested in utilising
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
's
ironsand. He announced in 1868 that he would experiment with extracting the iron for smelting. In 1873, the partners moved to industrial production. The venture never made any profits and the company was wound up in 1881.
Many people lost money with ironsand ventures, including
Julius Vogel
Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime mi ...
. In 1892, Smith was a consultant at the
Onehunga Ironworks, which was attempting to win a government bonus payment by smelting ironsand. The bonus was paid, but the episode was controversial; critics claimed that little if any of the marketable iron produced was smelted from local ores.
Death
On 19 April 1907, Smith died from injuries he received from a fall from a railway carriage in New Plymouth. He was survived by his seven sons, three daughters, and his wife Mary Ann.
Smith's son,
Sydney George Smith followed in his political footsteps and became the MP for Taranaki in . Mary Ann Smith lived to see her son enter Parliament; she died on 31 August 1923 in New Plymouth.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Edward Metcalf
1839 births
1907 deaths
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
People from New Plymouth
English emigrants to New Zealand
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election
New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
People from Stratford-on-Avon District
19th-century New Zealand politicians
20th-century New Zealand politicians