THE ELECTIONS

Grey River Argus, 11 June 1935, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS

DUNEDIN SEATS. (Per Press Association). DUNEDIN, June 10. lion. W. D'ownie Sitewart will seek re-election as member for Dunedin West. Mr A. E. Angell will defend the Chalmers seat. The pc sition in Dunedin Central is at present indefinite. On ihe night of t'hc last General Election Sir Charles Stratham declared it hat he would “put his gloves on” at the next poll and his statement was accepted as aa indication that he would tight the elec tion on political issues. The Speaker was nominated in 19.31 as an Independent, and there are no means of ascertaining at present whether he wi’l again keep clear of party or stand in the National interests* against Labour. Many rumours have been circulating as ,to Sir Charles’s intentions, and in National quarters the belief ’is held that if a seat easier to win than Dunedin Central were found for him in the North Island he would change the locale of the fighjt.

No name# have been put forward for Dunedin South. Mr D. C. Cameron. who stood in the National interests four years ago, will not be a. candidate. and it is unlikely that Mr W. I’.. Taverner, who was a member of the United Cabinet, will seek election. In Dunedin North, too, no opposition to Labour has been announced.

Late Mrs. McCombs

THOUSANDS AT FUNERAL. CHRISTCHURCH, June 10. Citizens of all ranks joined in paying tribute to the memory of Mrs E. IL McCombs, ALP., whose funeral took place yesterday afternoon. From 11 o’clock in the morning the body lay in state in the Council Chambers, and from then until the coffin left for ihe Waiiuairi cemetery in the afternoon, hundreds of men ami women filed through the doors of the chambers to pay respect, while thousands lined the route along which the funeral procession passed on its way in the afternoon to the cemetery. The Government was represented by the Hon. J. Kitchener. and there were also present the Mayor (Mr D. •< Sullivan, M.P.) and Ihe city councillors, Members of Parliament of both parties, representatives of trade unions, the Labour Party, local bo<li ,,si and many other organisations. An impressive tribute was paid by the city’s workers, especially 300 r.:de unionists, who preceded the fuller..! procession from the Council Chamber.-. to the boundary of the city, while employees of the Tramway Hoaid, of which Mrs M-c Combs was a member, formed a. guard of honour. The cofiin lay in the centre of the main floor of the 'Council Chambers, mrrounded by wreaths. Al each corner stood a representative of the tramway men and the Ci y Council’s Inspectors who remained on guard for 20-minute periods. From one o’clock

••here was a constant, stream of men and women past the coffin and during the short service before the coffin was taken from the building all the available ground space was occupied.

Outside, the council's traffic inspectors under the Chief Inspector, Mr IL Macintosh directed the heavy press .if motor traffic, the cars in the official party being drawn up in front

of the Council Chambers and in Gloucester Street, the other cars stretching along Manchester Street to the north and into Armagh Street. Trade unionists assembled in Latimer Square, where they were marshalled by the chief city inspector, Mr J. VV. Huggins. The pall-bearers at the Council Chambers and at the grave were the Mayor, representing (he city and

council, as well as of Parliament; Messrs E. .1. Howard A1.1'.. representing Members of Parliament and the Christchurch Tramway Board; J. S. Barnett, representing the North Canterbury Hospital Board; and G. T. Thurston, representing the trade unionists. The chief mourners were Mr T. 11. McCombs (son), Miss A. P. McCombs (daughter). Mrs D. Robinson. MissChristina Henderson and Mrs F. Car ter (sisters), Messrs A. G. Henderson and J. Henderson, (brothers).

The service at the chambers and at the graveside was taken by the Rev. .1. A. A Pan, of SI. Ninian’s Presbyterian Church, Riccarton.

As the coffin was borne from tin* Council Chambers, the Woolston Band played, by request of the relatives, the hymns “Lead. Kindly Light”, “Jesu, Lover of Mv Soul”, am 1 “Abide With Me.’’ Tn the centre of the city the footpaths of the streets along which the funeral procession passed wore crowded, in spite of the unpleasantly cold aveather. The route taken was a< follows: Manchester Street to Worcester Street, along Worcester Street past the north side of the Cathedral, thence round the front of the Cathedral and along Colombo Street to Cashel Street, along Cashel Street to Oxford Terrace to the hospital, thence via Riccarton Avenue, Riccarton Road Straven Road. Fendalton Road, Burnside Road, Graham Road, to the cemetery.

The procession left at a foot pace, regulated by Ihe speed of the marching unionists, and a-quarter of ar hour elapsed from the time it began until the last car loft. At the Christchurch Public Hospita’, at the begin-

ning of Riccarton Avenue the unionists drew to the side of the road, and Ihe rest of the procession went ahead through a line of motor cars on each

side of the road to Str.aven Road. From here the crowd thinned, but along Fendalton Road and Burnside Road were to be seen many small groups waiting. At the cemetery were scores of motor ears, many of them parked inside, and many pedestrians who were undaunted by the cold and heavy easterly rain. The coffin was laid in the grave of Mrs McCombs’s husband, Mr James McCombs Member of Par’iament from 1913 to 1933. MEMBERS DIE IN HARNESS. CHRISTCHURCH, June 10. Tn the last 48 years there have only hoen four members representing the Lyttelton seat in Parliament, and each has died in harness, the passing of Mrs. McCombs within two years of her election being the fourth. All have died with tragic suddenness. Mr. John Joyce represented Lyttelton for 12 years from 1887, and was conducting his campaign in 1899 when, four .days before the election, he complained of feeling unwell. That night he died in his sleep. Mr. George Laurenson was his successor. He held

the seat until 1913, when he died comparatively suddenly. The electors of Lyttelton selected Mr. James M’Combs to succeed Air. Laurenson. He represented the constituency for 20 years until, on August 2, 1933, after a short illness which few suspected to be seri ous, he died. His widow was elected to succeed him on “September 13 of that year.