CANDIDATES’ PROFILES Nelson Smaller; But More Voters

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30279, 4 November 1963, Page 14

CANDIDATES’ PROFILES Nelson Smaller; But More Voters

(Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, November 3. The Nelson electorate is much reduced in size, but the population within the narrowed boundary for this month’s General Election will be slightly larger than in 1960. Formerly, the electorate extended in the east to Kokorua and in the west beyond Mapua. The boundary now reaches from Appleby in the west to Atawhai m the east and it excludes the southeast corner of the former electorate. This has given the electorate a population of more than 29.000. Three candidates are being nominated for Nelson: Mr S. A. Whitehead (Labour), Mr C. B. NichoUs (Social Credit) and Mr P. H. Malone (National) The results in 1960 were:— Mahan (Social Credit) 1223 Martin (National) .. 6752 Whitehead (Labour) .. 8519 Informal .. 76 Total .. 16,570 Mr Whitehead has worked in the Labour movement for more than 30 years and was first elected to Parliament in 1957. He unsuccessfully contested the Nelson seat in 1954. He is 55. married, and has seven children.

Born in Reefton, Mr Whitehead was educated on the West Coast where he worked until 1947. Since then, he has been president of the Nelson branch of the Labour Party, secretary of the Trades Council and a national councillor of the Federation of Labour. He has been an officer of a number of local organisations, including the Nelson Progress. League and Airport Committee; he has been a member of the Nelson City Council for some years and is now deputy-Mayor. As well as working as a

union secretary, he has been a' sawmiller and transport worker. His main recreation is bowls.

Mr Malone, a veterinary surgeon, was born in Dunedin in 1923, and attended university in Dunedin and Sydney, where he graduated with honours in veterinary science. He has been a keen sportsman and now maintains his interests in water ski-ing, badminton and flying. He is a member of the Nelson Aero Club. Mr Malone is chairman of the Stoke branch of the National Party and is chairman

of the Stoke Hall committee. He is married and has five children.

Mr Nicholls is 28, married, and has a two-year-old son. He began a carpentry apprenticeship when he was 15 and is now a director and one of the main shareholders in a Nelson building firm which he started as a partnership in 1959.

He joined the Social Credit Political League in 1958 and is secretary of the Nelson electoral branch. He is a member of the Nelson Ratepayers’ and Citizens' Association.