FORMER M.P.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19141, 9 October 1936, Page 4

FORMER M.P.

LATE MR. P. F. HOCKLY SERVICE FOR ROTORUA Ml-. Frank Franklin Hockly, the first member of Parliament for the Rotorua constituency, whose death occurred in Auckland ibis week in his seventy-first year, was born at Orrell, near Liverpool. 'Mr. Hockly came to New Zealand in 1884 and engaged at work on the land. He was one of the earliest members of the Farmers Union, being on several occasions a delegate to Dominion conferences, and was for two' years a member of the advisory committee of theorganisation. He was the first chairman of a subprovincial branch in the Dominion. Deceased had farms at.Makuri, in the Forty-Mile Bush, and near Hunterville, and later near Te Awamutu, where he took an active interest in local affairs. A staunch member of the Reform Party, Mr. Hockly presided at the first Reform conference, held shortly after Mr. W. F. Massey became Prime Minister. He first conte'sted a seat in Parliament in 1909, when he was defeated on a second ballot. He had an easy victory over three other candidates when he contested the Rotorua seat in 1919, and he went to live in that district. Mr. Hockly served for several yeavs as chairman of the Lands Committee of the House of Representatives, and in 1926 was elected chairman of committees, following the elevation of Sir Alexander Young to Cabinet rank, and also became deputy-Speaker. Ho was narrowly defeated in the 1928 election by Mr. C. 11. Clinkard, who stood in the United interests. Mr. Hockly then went to live in Auckland.