FIRST WOMAN M.P.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 253, 22 September 1933, Page 11

FIRST WOMAN M.P.

MRS McCOMBS IN THE HOUSE. ACCOUNT OF IMPRESSIONS. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 21. What does it feel like to be the first woman member of the Parliament of New Zealand? Mrs Elizabeth Reid McCombs, upon whom that honour was bestowed officially this afternoon, supplies the answer in a special interview which she accorded the “Standard’s” representative in her room after the excitement of a very full day had subsided. Giving her impressions of her first day in Parliament, the sole woman representative associated with the 79 male members, Mrs McCombs in her own words said: “It is difficult to form a clear impression of Parliament from the inside on such an occasion. One /cannot, of course, help being impressed by the solemnity of the opening prayer and the formalities of the Lower House prior to the ceremony of the entrance of Black Rod bearing the summons from the Gov-ernor-General. The friendly congratulations of members of the House, including the Prime Minister and all the other Ministers, took away any sense of aloofness that might otherwise have embarrassed one, and in taking part in the procession of members to the Legislative Council Chamber I felt that I walked not as one woman, but as the representative of many women throughout New Zealand. “There is dignity, colour and historic charm in the ceremonial of the Upper House surrounding the presentation by His Excellency the GovernorGeneral of the Speech from the Throne. Sitting in the quiet of the Chamber with my fellow members of Parliament about me, the pride in the wonderful honour that has been conferred upon me was tempered by a sense of the responsibility that now is mine. “Following upon the return of the members to the Lower Chamber the swearing-in ceremony took place. This was brief and dignified. Mr Speaker read the declaration of the poll, his deep, resonant tones imparting an air of great importance to the occasion. After this the affirmation was made and my signature attached to the necessary document. Then the House settled down to business which, to me, was very like local body business on a larger scale. With the presentation of petitions and of questions I began to feel more at home. “The whole occasion has had for me a glamour and deep interest that I shall not soon forget and that will colour all my future days in Parliament —days when my desk will not l>e heaped with flowers and when, perhaps, I shall not be so cordially received by my fellow members.” THE SWEARINGHN - CEREMONY. 1 UNIQUE SCENE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 21. Mrs McCombs, the newly-elected Labour member for Lyttelton, was the central figure in a unique scene in the House of Representatives this afternoon when, as the first woman member of a New Zealand Parliament, she was formally sworn in by Mr Speaker. She was sponsored by the Labour Party Whips (Messrs D. G. Sullivan and E. J. Howard), and as she approached the Speaker’s chair she was warmly applauded by her fellow members. The applause, in which members of the ladies’ and public galleries participated, was renewed when she returned to her seat, that in the front row of the Opposition benches formerly occupied by her late husband. When Mrs McCombs took her seat prior to the entry of the Speaker into the Chamber, the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet crossed the floor and extended congratulations, in which other members of Parliament joined. Her desk was decorated with bouquets of flowers and baskets of tulips. The new member had many callers this morning, and was the recipient of numerous verbal and written congratulatory messages.