THE ECONOMY COMMISSION

Evening Star, Issue 21012, 28 January 1932, Page 13

THE ECONOMY COMMISSION

Tho personnel of the Royal Ecouniny Commission to investigate economy measures was announced yesterday. Brief biographies of members follow. Mr George Shirtcliffe, chairman of tho commission, is chairman of directors of Messrs A, S. Paterson and Co. Ltd., and is ono of Wellington’s leading business men. He was born at Worksop, England, in 18G2, but came to New Zealand as a hoy. Ho was educated at the Riccarton School and Christ’s College. Mr Shirtcliffe entered business in Canterbury, and was at ono time manager of the Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association at Timaru. He then became associated with the firm of A. S. Paterson and Co. Ltd. Ho served on the Wellington City Council for several years, and was also a member of the Wellington Harbour Board and president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Taxation Commissions set up by the Government in 1922 and 1924. Ho is chairman of tho Board of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Mr James Begg is a retired sheep farmer, who, since his retirement, has taken a keen and active interest in public affairs, and particularly in agricultural matters. During the war period he was a member of the Efficiency Board, and later ho held a seat on the Board of Agriculture. For a term he was president of the Otago Branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, and he is also an ex-president of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society. In 1924 he was appointed to the Taxation Commission, and in the same year he assisted in promoting the freezing merger. Ho was also a member of the commission set up to report on tho Piako Swamp, in the Auckland province. He is at present a vice-presi-dent of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and is also a member of the board of' directors of the ‘ Otago Daily Times ’ and ‘ Witness ’ Company, the Westport Coal Company, the Perpetual Trustees and Agency Company, Messrs W. Gregg and Co. Ltd., and an ex-director of the South Otago Freezing Company. Colonel .1. J. Esson was formerly Secretary of the Treasury. Ho was a member of tho Economic Commission and the Uniformity Commission, and was chairman of the Rural Intermediate Credits Board, and first chairman of the Government Railways Board. Mr J. L. Griffin is a member of the firm of Clark, Menzies, Griffin, and Ross, public, accountants, of Wellington. He was born at Nelson 40 years ago, apd was educated at Nelson College and at Victoria College University, where he took the degree of_ B.Com. After some commercial experience he entered his present firm, in which he has been a partner for the last fifteen .years. He was president of the New Zealand Society of Accountants in 1929, and for the past eighteen _ months has been representing the society on the committee which is revising the Companies Act. Mr Alex. Macintosh is well-known throughout Australia and New Zealand as a banker and as a leader of commercial thought. After being associated with various banking institutions in Australia he came to New Zealand in 1898 as chief auditor for the Bank of New Zealand. From 1903 to 1906 he was general manager of the Bank of New Zealand. On leaving tho bank he was appointed president of the Savings Bank Commissioners of New South Wales. When he returned to New Zealand, he did so as superintendent in the dominion for Dalgcty and Co. Ho retired from that position in 1916.