LEYS, THOMSON WILSON (1850-1924) was the son of a Scots supervisor of inland revenue, and was born at Nottingham. Educated at the People's College in Nottingham, he undertook at the age of 12 to teach classes of small boys in the ragged schools, and soon became interested in other social work. In 1862 his father became associated with the proposed Nonconformist colony for Albertland, New Zealand, for which they sailed in the Tyburnia.

Landing at Auckland in Sep 1863, his father decided to remain there, and Thomson served a three-years' apprenticeship at the compositor's case in the Southern Cross. He afterwards became sub-editor, but ill-health compelled him in the early seventies to take a respite from journalism and for some years he contributed articles on commercial subjects and current topics. He then became sub-editor of the Auckland Star (1872) and on the retirement of G. M. Reed in 1876 was appointed editor, a position he held for 45 years. Leys compiled the first Auckland Provincial Almanac and Handbook and wrote the Auckland section of Vogel's Handbook of New Zealand. He edited the history of New Zealand, which was written by Sherrin and Wallace and published by Brett, and compiled the first Colonists' Guide (1883). In 1889 he became a partner in the Auckland Star, the New Zealand Graphic and the New Zealand Farmer, which had been floated into a company, and he was a managing director until his death. He was a director also of the Napier Daily Telegraph Co., the Auckland Gas Co., and the Northern Milling Co.

Leys presided at the meeting held in Wellington at which the first Press agency was formed, which was afterwards amalgamated with the United Press Association. He was for many years the New Zealand representative of Reuters Telegram Co. and of the Sydney Daily Telegraph and the Insurance and Banking Record. In 1920, as chairman of the New Zealand delegation to the Empire Press conference in Canada, he received the honorary LL.D. of McGill University.

Always strongly Liberal in politics, Leys supported Grey and later Ballance and Seddon. He declined a seat in the Legislative Council in the conviction that a journalist should not accept such a restriction on his freedom to criticise. In the nineties he represented a syndicate of New Zealand newspapers at the federal conventions in Australia, and in 1901 he was a member of the royal commission on federation. His services to education in Auckland were noteworthy. He made liberal donations to supplement the bequest of his brother William, in establishing the Leys institute in Ponsonby, and paid half the cost of the building and furnishings. He was president of the Ponsonby boys' brigade band and a councillor of the boy scouts' association. Having been interested in Mechanics' institutes, he was on the committee of the free public library in Auckland, assisted to draft its constitution and was president. He was president of the first libraries' conference in Dunedin, and took a great interest in school libraries under the Buffalo system. Leys was also connected with the Auckland Art Gallery, the McKelvie Trust board and the Auckland War Museum, and presented a number of paintings to the Art Gallery. He was a member and some years chairman of the Auckland University College council, a member of the Auckland Institute and of the council of the Workers' Educational Association. He died on 27 Sep 1924.

Auckland Star, 27 Sep 1924 (P).

Reference: Volume 1, page 265

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