I move as an unopposed motion—

The death of Nico van der Merwe, coming so suddenly and unexpectedly, caused a tremendous shock, not only to the country, but more particularly to members of this House. Comparatively speaking, he was a young man in the full strength of life and ability, with an apparent brilliant future before him, when suddenly and unexpectedly he was taken away. His death was an overwhelming blow to his beloved family, with whom we deeply and sincerely sympathise in their terrible bereavement; but even more, it was a loss to the public and to the country, and especially to those in this House who were his colleagues, and who had had the privilege of beholding his labours, and of observing the conscientiousness and zeal with which he carried out his duties in this House. I may say that there are few members in this House who did their work as conscientiously and as zealously as Nico van der Merwe. During all the years that he was a member of this House, and that I have known him, he impressed me as one of those younger members who always had his case well prepared and who was always in a position to submit his case in this House, and it always struck me that he devoted his attentions to the subjects which he had studied before coming into this House to speak on them. Especially of late years, since the change which had taken place in the Parties, since he has had to deal with financial affairs on behalf of his Party, this was a point which impressed me, as it must have impressed all members of the House, that he used his best endeavours to master his subjects, and that he did all in his power to be thoroughly conversant with his subjects and to do justice to his difficult task. He was an example to many other younger members of the House in his modest attitude as to the necessity of studying matters before taking part in a discussion. We shall no longer have him as an example in this House but he also had his labours outside. He was not merely a useful, zealous and devoted member of this House, but outside this House he always took a very active part in matters affecting the deeper and greater concerns of the people. He contributed his share, inter alia, and I consider it to have been a very important share, to the translation of our Afrikaans Bible, which is, and will remain, a mile stone in our history in the development not merely of the Afrikaans language, but also of our Afrikaans literature. For years he was a leader of the Voortrekker Movement, and in that way he enabled large numbers of our Afrikaner youth who otherwise might have been debarred from the advantages of a Movement such as the Voortrekker Movement among our own young people, to take part in it. In that way they secured a certain degree of discipline which is so greatly needed in our country among our youth. Both in this House and outside the House in the country he was a useful citizen, a patriot, and he gave promise of even more, of developing into a leader who would still contribute greatly to the future of South Africa. He is no longer with us. We can do no more than deplore his loss to the country and to ourselves in this House, and we can do no more on this occasion than to express our deep and sincere sympathy with the young family he leaves behind him and to those who were near and dear to him.

I desire sincerely to second this motion. I do not think there is anyone among us who does not feel deeply for the widow and the family of the hon. member to whom, undoubtedly, as the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister has said, his sudden death must have come as a tremendous blow. I also feel that the suddenness of his demise must have come as a shock to everyone of us. I particularly think that our thoughts must immediately go out to that mother of our Afrikaner people—because Mrs. Steyn is certainly a mother of our Afrikaner people—and that our sympathy must go out to her in her terrible loss which deprived her so suddenly of a son-in-law, and of one who was very dear to her. For those reasons I sincerely wish to support this motion.

I should like for personal reasons to add a few words to what has already been said by the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister and by the Hon. the Leader of the Opposition. I am doing so as one of those members of this House who has known our friend Nico van der Merwe for many years. I first got to know him as a student nearly thirty years ago. In those days he was one of the prominent students of the old Victoria College and I occupied a similar position at the old South African College. This resulted in our coming into touch with each other a good deal, and even at that time I learnt to appreciate his ability. In those days he was the President of the Christian Students’ Association, a society with which I was also connected. In that capacity he gave a lead t0, and gave inspiration to a body which became of high service to South Africa. After our student years our paths diverged. But I well remember being handed for review his biography of the late President Steyn and it was a pleasure to me in that way again to get into touch with him. I still look upon that book written by him as a very important contribution to the recording of the history of South Africa. It was a great work of the late hon. member. In latter years we again came together in this House and I am very pleased to be able to say that notwithstanding the political differences which existed between us we always remained on a footing of friendship with each other. That particularly was so when we together were members of the Parliamentary Delegation to India some four years ago. Those Hon. Members who accompanied us on that voyage will recollect what a pleasant travelling companion he was and what an excellent impression he created in India. He undoubtedly did a great deal to uphold the name of South Africa in that difficult country. I do not wish to enlarge on the other services of our deceased friend and I do not wish to add anything to what other hon. members have already said. I felt, however, that I should like to add my tribute to the memory of the hon. member who has passed away.

I wish to associate myself with what has been said in connection with this Motion proposed by the Prime Minister. I feel that it was a shock not only to the relations of the deceased Hon. Member, but that it was a shock to everyone of us that he was taken away so suddenly. We feel here to-day that one of our most indispensible members has been removed from our midst. In this House it sometimes takes a shock of this kind to bring us back to reality—a shock of this kind has that effect more than any other happening. It is after a happening of this kind that we feel the person who has been taken away in reality was closer to us than we had imagined in the preat percussions of life with which we have to deal here every day. We know only too well that the old saying still holds good, that when a man has passed away, nothing but praise is forthcoming, but Mr. Speaker, I think I am touching on something which was felt by all of us when we received the tragic news of his death—that in spite of the difficulties and troubles of life we were always closer together that we really thought. The hon. member’s seat in this House is vacant to-day; a vacant place is also left in his home. We are deeply conscious of the fact that his seat is vacant, but we are unable to feel what his family must feel as a result of his passing away. The country in general will miss him and his services, and this applies particularly to the Province which he loved so dearly. It is not my duty, but it is somebody’s duty, to draw the attention of members to the fact that it is sometimes those who are most indispensible to us who are removed from our midst. This should be a reminder not merely to his Province and his family, but also to members of this House, and with these few words I wish to support and to associate myself with what has already been said.

With a sense of deep appreciation I also wish to lay my wreath on the vacant seat which we have to-day in this House. Nico van der Merwe was one of the younger members of Parliament, but in spite of that he often inspired me. As has been correctly stated by the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister, and also by the Minister of Finance, he had a tremendous ability for work. He was not a force in this House only but also in the country and among our people, and when I speak of our people I speak of that section which was dear to him and which he always had in mind first of all and which always held him in high esteem. He was a man who used to be in the pulpit, and in this House no charge could ever be made against him that he had acted in a manner which in any way detracted from the dignity of the pulpit. On the contrary he gave evidence of the fact that it was possible in public fife to be true to Christian principles. For that reason we wish to express our appreciation of him and I also wish to place my wreath on his grave, and I want to say this to our people—“Follow his example, be faithful, and all will be well with you.’

I desire to associate myself and those whom I represent in this House of my Party in all that has been said in the expression of regret at the loss which this House has suffered through the death of our friend, Dr. Van der Merwe. I desire to associate myself also in all that has been said in our desire to express condolences with his family in the great loss they have suffered. The absurdities of political life are constantly with us, but they are buried and put aside in the presence of death, and in the presence of death we recognise the boldness and the courage and the good points of him with whom it may be we have sparred in times of good health and times of prosperity. As I say I desire to associate myself with what has been said on this occasion.

Motion agreed to unanimously, all the members standing.