First Woman Member of Parliament

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7268, 22 September 1933, Page 6

First Woman Member of Parliament

Mrs McCombs Sworn In OVATION BY FELLOW MEMBERS Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. Mrs E. R. McCombs, the newlyelected 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, flowers, and baskets of tulips. The new member had many callers this morning, and was the recipient of numerous verbal and written congiatulatory messages.