Sir Henry Marks

The Hon. Henry Harks, C.B.E., of Suva, Fiji, was raised to Knight hood by His Majesty on June 3 in recognition of the admirable service which he has rendered the colony.

Born in 1861, in Melbourne, Victoria, he came to Fiji a few years after it had been annexed by Great Britain, and in 1881 he entered business in Suva as an agent and trader. Soon afterwards he accepted an appointment as a labour agent and visited New Hebrides, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and various other Pacific territories.

On returning to Suva he again entered business as a general merchant and commission agent. He founded the firm of Henry Marks & Co., Ltd., which later merged with Messrs. Morris, Hed strom, Ltd., of which firm Sir Henry is, at present, chairman of directors. To day he occupies a prominent position in the commercial circles of Fiji, being directly associated with most of the big Fiji firms, including Pacific Insur

ance Co., Brown & Joske, Ltd., and the Fiji Pastoral Co.

He has always taken a keen interest in the welfare and advancement of the colony, and as a member of the Munici pal Council has been Warden and Mayor of Suva. It was largely due to his ability and foresight that the Town Hall and municipal offices were erected. When Fiji was granted representative govern ment in 1904 he was elected by a large majority to serve, with a fellow citizen, as a Member of the Legislative Coun cil. Since then he has rendered valu able service not only as a Legislative Councillor but also as a member of the Executive Council and as Commissioner for Currency.

Sir Henry Marks has always been a great public benefactor. During the War he generously donated large sums of money to the funds raised for send ing Fiji troops to France, and equipped the Colonial War Memorial Hospital with a modern X-ray plant. Last year

he supplemented this gift by giving a further donation towards enlarging and bringing the plant up-to-date.

Sir Henry Marks and Lady Marks, who were married in 1883, celebrated their golden wedding on June 6 at the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva. There was a large gathering present, and many congratulations were showered upon the couple as evidence of the high es teem in which they are held.