Ironsand Dreams

He used this Gladstone bag while on parliamentary duties and its battered condition suggests he covered plenty of miles during that time. The energetic Smith held the seat, except during the 1896-1899 term, until he died in a railway accident in 1907. During this time he never gave up his ironsand dreams, continuing to boost the potential of the industry and travelling to England in failed attempts to drum up capital. His Taranaki Herald obituary noted he was dogged by ill-health in later life and these failures “… had a very depressing effect upon [his] naturally buoyant and hopeful nature”.