TITLE RETAINED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22402, 24 April 1936, Page 16

TITLE RETAINED

SIX FORMER MINISTERS DISIGNATION " HONOURABLE " [BY TELECRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION*] "WELLINGTON, Thursday According to a notice in the Gazette the following, who ceased to be members of the Executive Council " after serving continuously more than three years, have been granted retention of the title of "Honourable":—Sir Alfred Ransom, Sir Alexander Young, and the Hons. R. Masters, J. G* Cobbe, A. Hamilton and C. E. Mao millan.

Regulations relating to the title of. "Honourable" in Parliamentary government in New Zealand date back to October 30, 1856, when the Secretary of State for the Colonies, by despatch to the Governor, apprised him that the title was conferred on members of the Legislative Council, and on the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Another despatch on June 15, 1893, extended its use to members of the Executive Council, and on March 10, 1894, the Secretary of State announced he was prepared in future to submit for the approval of the Sovereign the recommendation of the Governor that the President of the Legislative Council or the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly may, on quitting office after three years' service, be permitted to retain the title of "Honourable." On November 14, 1896, a despatch intimated that the Sovereign was prepared, if the Government desired, to grant members of the Legislative Council the title on their resignation or retirement after service of not less than ten years. In 1877 retired Judges of the . Supreme Court were granted the privilege of bearing the title for life within the Dominion, and in 1911 it was announced that the title of "Honourable" was conferred on the Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court. Besides the members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, the following ex-Ministers, apart from the ones mentioned in the above message, have been permitted to retain the title of "Honourable" by virtue of having been members of the Executive Council for more than three years:—Sir James Allen, Sir Apirana Ngata, Sir William Nosworthy, Sir James Parr, Sir Heatou Rhodes, and the Hons. D. Buddo, J. A. Hanan, A. D. McLeod, G.-W. K us " sell and W. Downie Steward'.