COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20531, 24 September 1936, Page 10

COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORT

MR G. C. GODFREY TO RETIRE WILL BE SUCCEEDED BY MR G. LAURENSON (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, September 23. The retirement of Mr G. C. Godfrey, Commissioner of Transport, on account of ill-health, was announced this evening by the Minister of Transport (Hon. R. Semple). Mr Godfrey is to be succeded by Mr George Laurenson, who is at present assistant Commissioner. The Minister said that Mr Godfrey would relinquish his duties in a few days, Cabinet having agreed to the conditions of his retirement. Mr Godfrey would retire with three months’ leave of absence, and it was not until that period had expired that Mr Laurenson coud be officially appointed. In the meantime, Mr Laurenson would act as Commissioner. “I am satisfied from my association with Mr Laurenson that he is a competent, diligent and well-informed officer,” said Mr Semple. “I have always found his advice to be sound, and his judgment on the many difficult technical points which have cropped up has invariably been reliable. He is a man who will go a long way in the task of making the transport service of this country what it should be.” Mr Laurenson who was born at Lyttelton, and was educated at Lyttelton and Wellington College, joined the Public Works Department as engineering cadet in 1911. From 1916 to 1919 he served overseas with the New Zealand expeditionary force, being attached to the 3rd Field Company, New Zealand Engineers. Returning to New Zealand he continued with the Public Works Department until 1930, when he was transferred to the Transport Department as a civil engineer. He was appointed assistant-commissioner of transport in 1935. While in the Public Works Department, Mr Laurenson gained wide experience of different classes of work. He was for some time engaged on irrigation works in Central Otago, and was later associated with the survey and construction of the North Auckland main trunk railway. Other works on which he was engaged were railway construction in the Tauranga district, and railway and road construction and surveys on the West Coast of the South Island, while he was for some time harbour engineer at Westport. He is a son of Mr George Laurenson, who was M.P., for Lyttelton between 1899 and 1913.