“FATHER OF HOUSE”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25428, 8 January 1944, Page 7

“FATHER OF HOUSE”

MR FRASER’S TITLE OVER 25 YEARS' SERVICE The member of the House of Representatives with the longest continuous service enjoys the unofficial title of ‘‘ Fatter of the House.- That distinction in the new Parliament the first session of which is expected to be nnened during the third or fourth week °n February, belongs (says the Evening post) to the Prime Minister and member for Wellington Central (Mr Fraser first won the Wellington Central seat at a by-election on October 3 1918, in which he obtained an absolute majority ove five opponents. He has represented the constituency ever since, and thus has an record of over 25 years’ service. He is the first “Father of the House from the ranks of the Labour Party. The honour of being “Father of the House” in the last Parliament was held by Sir Apirana Ngata, a member of the' Opposition. Sir Apirana was defeated in the contest for the Eastern Maori seat in September last. He had represented this electorate in Parliament since 1906. If he had not retired from politics at the end of the last session and had been returned again for Hurunui the “ Father ” would have been Mr G. W. Forbes, who represented the Hurunui constituency in the House continuously from 1908. The Longest Service Although Mr Fraser -has had the longest continuous service of members of the present House, Mr H. Atmore, Independent member for Nelson, entered the House before him, and so also did the Minister of Labour (Mr P. C. Webb). Their service, however, has not been unbroken. All told, Mr Atmore has represented Nelson for 27 years. He was first elected to Parliament in 1911, after having made unsuccessful but meritorious attempts to gain the verdict of the Nelson electors in 1902, 1905, and again in 1908. At the end of his first term in Parliament Mr Atmore was defeated in 1914. but was re-elected in 1919, and has heid the Nelson seat ever since. Not only has he the longest service of any of the present members, but- he also has the distinction on this occasion of being the only Independent. Mr Webb first entered Parliament in July, 1913, as member for the Grey electorate, the seat having become vacant by the death of the Speaker (Sir Arthur Guinness). He was reelected at the general election in 1914, but subsequently was out of politics for some time. He re-entered Parliament in 1933 after the death of Mr H. E. Holland and has been re-elected ever since. Many Years in Parliament There are several others of the present members whose associations with Parliament began before 1920. The Minister of Works and member for Wellington East (Mr R. Semple) is one. He was returned for Wellington South in 1918, but was defeated the following year. After unsuccessfully contesting the Otaki seat in 1925, he was elected for Wellington East in 1928 and has represented this electorate since that year. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry) and the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr D. G. Sullivan), like Mr Atmore, run Mr Fraser very close for the honour of “Father of the House.” Both Mr Parry and Mr Sullivan have had continuous service since 1919 as the representatives of Auckland Central and Avon respectively. Mr Adam Hamilton, member for Wallace and Minister in Charge of War Expenditure in the War Cabinet, is another whose parliamentary career dates back to before 1920, but he was out for three years. He first entered the House as member for Wallace in 1919. but was defeated in 1922. Mr Hamilton contested the seat successfully again in 1925 and has represented the 'electorate since then.