DEATH OF M.P.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21560, 3 August 1933, Page 10

DEATH OF M.P.

. ME. JAMES McCOMBS v ■ • LABOUR PARTY STALWART "v - ' 20 YEARS IN PARLIAMENT LYTTELTON REPRESENTATIVE i [nv TELEGRAPH—rRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday The death occurred suddenly early this morning of Mr. James McCombs, 1 member of Parliament for Lyttelton. He was 60 years of age. Mr. McCombs became ill last week and had a slight stroke on Saturday from which he rallied and appeared to be recovering. His condition yesterday caused no concern, but he died from heart failure in bed early this morning. He leaves a widow? Mrs. Elizabeth McCombs, who is j& member of the Christchurch City Council, a daughter, Miss Patricia McComb.?, and a son, Dr. Terence McCombs, who is on the teaching staff of Christchurch Technical College and is well known as a university oarsman. The funeral will probably take place 011 Friday. Expressive tributes were paid by many public men and former colleagues to-day. The Lyttelton Harbour Board carried a motion of sympathy, several members remarking that Mr. McCombs' death meant a national loss. Mr. E. J. Howard, M.P., said Mr. McCombs was a likeable and lovable man an(l it was remarkable 'that he' was so oftfen misunderstood.

ACTIVE CAREER PARTY'S FINANCIAL EXPERT ADVOCATE OF PROHIBITION By the death of Mr. McCombs «lie Parliamentary Labour Party has lost its senior member in length of service and. a man who throughout his career of 20 years in the House of Representatives did much service to the party's .cause. ' . Jlr. McCombs was born at Train r mora, County Leitrim, in 1873, and came to New Zealand from Ireland with his parents as a child of three. He attended the Sydenham and East Christchurch schools and later studied •with the intention of entering the ministry of the Anglican Church, in which he was for a time a licensed lay reader. Circumstances, however, diverted him from religious to social and - political activity, He secured work in a Christchurch drapery store and bad much to do with forming the Canterbury Drapers' Assistants' Union, of which he became president. As a young man Mr. McCombs was an active member of the Progressive Liberal, Association in Christchurch and ardently espoused the cause of prohibition, later becoming organiser in Canterbury for the New Zealand Alliance. He also helped to form the Christchurch Burgesses' Association and became its secretary. His services as an advocate before the Arbitration Courtwere much in demand by the trade unions. Among causes which he championed at this time and later were the bare majority at licensing polls and. proportional representation at Parliamentary and local body elections. Mr, McCombs first attempted to enter, Parliament, in 1908, when he stood for the East Christchurch seat as an Independent and was defeated. He met the same fate in Avon three years later. Another opportunity came in 1913 through' the death of the member for Lvttelton l Mr. G. Laurenson. The famous 1913 strike had not. long concluded and high political feeling led to a streiftous .by-election contest, in which Mr. McCombs, • who stood a? a member of the Social- Democratic Party, won the seat. He was a foundation member of .the Parliamentary Labour Party, and held the Lyttelton for it, in spite of vicissitudes, until his death. This was in many ways a remarkable feat, owing to the "mixed of the electorate, which includes the town of Lyttelton, the residential suburbs of Cashmere Hills and Sumner, the whole of Banks Peninsula, a dairy and sheepfarming district, and the Chatham Islands. At the general election of 1925 Sir. McCombs was declared to have tied with tho Reform candidate, * Mr. M. E. Lyons. A magisterial recount gave Mr. Lyons a majority of six,-but after an election petition had been heard by two Judges, Mr. McCombs was returned by 11 votes. " m In Parliament Sir. McCombs was long regarded as the Labour Party's financial and statistical expert, and he launched many attacks upon Liberal, Reform and Coalition Budgets. He was equalled by few members in knowledge of the forms of the House/, and was a resourceful stonewaller.

During the Great War and its immediate aftermath, when the Arbitration Court was empowered to adjust the level of wages bv general order in accordance with variations in the cost, of living, Mr. McCombs took a leading -part in attacking, without success, the basis of the Court's computations. In 1931 he represented the workers in opposing the general 10 per cent wage cut declared by the Court. Mr. McCombs married Miss Elizabeth Henderson, of Christchurch, who has taken a prominent part in-'the public affairs of Christchurch. Mrs. McCombs has been a member of the Christchurch City Council x since 1921, and is also on the Hospital,' Tramways and Domains Boards. Her husband was elected to the City Council in 1913 and sat for four years. He again became a councillor in 1931 and was still in office at his death.