UPPER HOUSE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19834, 25 June 1934, Page 6

UPPER HOUSE

THE NEW MEMBERS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Following are biographical sketches of the new members of the Legislative Council— Mr John Alexander, C.M.G., of Auckland, Is by profession a barrister, solicitor, and notary public. He was president of the Auckland Law Society from 1923 to 1925, and has been president of the Auckland Savings Bank since 1929. He is a director of several business firms, and has been a member of the Prisons Board since 1926. Mr Alexander is one of the oldest members of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, of which he has held the offices of rear-commodore and vice-commodore, and he has taken a keen interest in other sports. He was born in Northern Ireland in 1876. Hon. G. J. Anderson. The Hon. George James Anderson was born at Bendigo (Victoria), and came with his parents to Otago in the ’sixties. He learned the trade of compositor, and was later engaged in Christchurch and Dunedin newspaper offices as a reader. Subsequently he secured an interest in the “Mataura Ensign,” published at Gore, and was manager and editor of that journal until he entered politics. He first came into political promince in 1908, when he defeated the then Minister for Lands in the Ward Cabinet, the Hon. Robt. McNab, and represented the seat continuously until the election of 1928. In 1920 he was appointed by Mr Massey to the portfolio of Internal Affairs. From 1921 to 1928 he was Minister for Mines and Labour, and from 1922 to 1928 Minister for Marine. He has been residing in Wellington since his retirement from the Lower House.

Mr Thomas Bloodworth. Mr Thomas Bloodworth is secretary of the Auckland Carpenters’ Union, and has beeen prominent in the Labour movement for many years. He has been a member of the Auckland City Council since 1919, of the Auckland Power Board since 1921, and of the Auckland Harbour Board since 1923. He contested the Parnell electorate as Labour candidate in 1919 and 1930. Mr Archibald Bums. Mr Archibald Burns, J.P., of Auckland, is chairman of the Auckland Education Board, a member of the Grammar School Board, a member of the Thames High School Board, chairman of the board of advisers to the Teachers’ Training College, a member of the Auckland University College Council, and a member of the Council of Education. He is a past Mayor of Thames, where for eight years he took a leading part in public and educational affairs. Mr Eliot Davis. Mr Eliot Davis, of Auckland, lived for some years in London, where he took a keen interest in New Zealand's export trade. He made several suggestions which proved of value. A type of pig suitable for the export trade has been developed on Mr Davis’s stud farm. Mr Davis is also a breeder of Friesians and sheep, and he is a director of New Zealand Breweries, Mr William Hayward. Mr William Hayward, of Christchurch, is managing director of Rink Taxis, Ltd., a director of the Farmers’ Saleyards, Ltd., and of the Farmers’ Insurance Company, Ltd. He is a former president of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, of the Canterbury Employers’ Association, and of the Christchurch Citizens’ Association. He entered local politics in 1927, when he was elected a member of the Christchurch Tramway Board, of which he was chairman in 1930. In 1929 and in 1931 he stood for the Christchurch Mayoralty, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. He is a member of the Christchufch City Council, and in 1931-32 he was chairman of the United Party Political Association of Christchurch. He has been a committee member of the Metropolitan Trotting Club for 11 years, and was formerly treasurer of the New Zealand Trotting Association. Mr Hayward was bom in Christchurch in 1867, and received his early training as an apprentice to Boon and Stevens, the Christchurch coachbuilding firm, later visiting England to gain experience with coachbuilding firms there Mr L. M. Isitt. Mr Leonard Monk Isitt, who nas been a member of th Legislative Council since 1925, is well known for his work in support of the prohibition movement. He was bom in England to 1855, and came to New Zealand in 1875, being ordained into the Methodist Church in 1882. He started the first no-license campaign in co-operation with Mr T. E. Taylor in Sydenham and later toured New Zealand in support of it. He returned to England after the passage of the first No License Bill to the Dominion, and for 11 years lectured in England, with occasional visits to New Zealand to take part in no-license campaigns. He resigned his ministerial status in the Methodist Church, but has since been vice-president, and has held nearly every law office to the church organisation. He was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Christchurch North to 1911, and held the seat continuously until 1925, when he was appointed to the Legislative Council. Mr James McLeod. Mr James McLeod, J.P., of New Plymouth, is managing director of Messrs McLeod and Slade, a printing firm. He started his career as a bank clerk, he went on to newspaper work, and he took part in gold dredging during the boom of the ’nineties. He esumed newspaper work as editor of the “Eltham Argus,’’ and he entered the printing business to 1912. He is a former president of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, and a trustee of the New Plymouth Savings Bank. Mr McLeod was at times president of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and he is now a member of the executive of the New Zealand Racing Conference. Mr T. O’Byrne. Mr Thomas O’Byme, of Invercargill, is secretary to the Southland Sawmills Union. When he came to New Zealand from Tasmania he worked for years on farms and sawmills in the Southland district. He was chairman of the Southland branch of the Liberal and Labour Federation to 1904, and he has been president of the Southland Timber Workers’ Union and various athletic and axemen’s societies to Southland. Mr W. Perry. Mr W. Perry is a prominent Wellington barrister and solicitor. He was bom to Westland in 1885, and was educated at Wellington College and Victoria University College, taking the degree of LL.B. He was president of the Wellington District Law Society in 1922, and was president of the Wellington Returned Soldier*’ Association

from 1920 to 1922. He has held the office of Dominion vice-president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association since 1925, and he was president of the Wellington branch of the Navy League to 1930. Mr Perry takes a keen interest in bowling, and is president of the Wellington Bowling Centre. He served for three years during the Great War in the First Wellington Regiment. Sir Heaton Rhodes. The Hon. Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes, K.C.V.0., K.8.E., M.A. (Oxon), V.D.. J.P., has been a member of the Legislative Council since 1926, and has had a distinguished political career. He was born at Furau in 1861, and was educated at Mrs Alabaster’s School, Turrell’s School, Geneva, and Brasenose College, Oxford. He was admitted to the bar of the Inner Temple, London, in 1887, and on his return to New Zealand was admitted to Christchurch. He was elected to Parliament to represent Ellesmere in 1899, and held the seat continuously until 1925, when he was prevented by ill-health from again contesting It. He entered the Cabinet to 1912 as PostmasterGeneral and Minister for Public Health, and the Tourist Department, but in 1915, being the Junior member of Cabinet, he resigned to facilitate the formation of the National Government. During the war he went to Egypt, Gallipoli, and Malta to report on matters affecting the New Zealand troops abroad, and from 1918 to 1919 was New Zealand Red Cross Commissioner in England. After the war he was reappointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Defence, Commissioner of State Forests, and Minister to Charge of Government Life Insurance and State Fire Insurance. In 1926, the year following his retirement from the House of Representatives, lie was appointed to the Legislative Council, and acted as leader of the council to the absence of Sir Francis Bell, and later as deputy-leader.

Mr H. A. Russell. Mr Harold Arthur Russell, a sheep farmer, living at Hastings, is 63 years of age. He is a son of Sir William Russell. He was educated to England and at the Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, and for many years was manager of his father’s stud farm. He has always been interested in racing and breeding, particularly jumpers, and he has a good record and reputation as a gentleman rider. Mr Russell was president of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association from 1921 to 1923, of the Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club in 1923 and 1924, and chairman of the Te Aute College Board in 1923 and 1924. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council and Harbour Board, and of the Napier High School Board.

Mr Fred Waite. Mr Fred. Waite, D. 5.0., J.P., was for many years on the staff of the “Otago Daily Times” before he took up farming. He had a distinguished career at the war, in Egypt and Gallipoli, and he is well known for his official history of the New Zealanders and the Gallipoli campaign. He is a member of the Otago executive of the Farmers’ Union, a director of the Co-operative Dairy of Otago, and a member of the archaeological branch of the Otago Institute. He represented Clutha in Parliament from 1925 to 1931, when he was defeated by Mr P. McSkimming. Mr Vincent Ward. Mr Vincent Aubrey Ward, of Wellington, represented Invercargill to the House of Representatives from 1930 until the General Election to 1931, occupying the seat held by his father, Sir Joseph Ward. Mr Ward began his business career as a cadet In the National Bank of New Zealand in Wellington, in 1905, and later was associated with Lloyd’s Insurance Company in London. He was a member of the staff of the United States Steel Company to New York, and then of the New Zealand Shipping Company in Canada, and served with the Canadian forces during the war. On his return to New Zealand after the war he served with the Ministry of Shipping for a short time, and then joined the firm of J. G. Ward and Company, in Christchurch, subsequently becoming private secretary to his father.