THE NEW MINISTER

Southland Times, Issue 18973, 21 June 1923, Page 5

THE NEW MINISTER

SKETCH OF HIS PUBLIC CAREER. (Special to the Times). WELLINGTON, June 20. The Hon. R. F. Bollard, who has attained to Cabinet rank, was born at Avondale, Auckland, in the ’sixties, and was educated at a public school and by a private tutor. His first public position was Clerk of the Avondale Road Board for a period of seven years, but he resigned to take up his residence in the Waikato, where he has lived for the last 35 years. For 10 years, he was owner of one of the largest sawmills in the Waikato, which had an output of 40,000 feet per day, employing 40 men. He was a member of the Road Board and the Waikato County Council for a number of years, as well as a member of the Hospital Board for seven years. He resigned this position when he was elected to Parliament. In 1919 he was appointed junior Government Whip and in the following year he was promoted senior whip, a position he has held since. He has been chairman of the Railways Committee of the House of Representatives since 1918. He has seven children, all of whom are adults. His home is at Tamahere. Mr Bollard is one of the best known members of (he House, and it is questionable whether there is one that is more popular. He is a bluff man of simple speech, but he is trusted equally by Liberals, Labour men and Reformers. He was congratulated by members of the Legislative Council, as well as members of all the parties in the House of Representatives.