MR W. W. TANNER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7029, 6 December 1890, Page 3

MR W. W. TANNER.

A few particulars regarding the career of Mr W. W. Tanner,~the working man representative of Heathcote, will probably be interesting. Mr Tanner was born on June 2, 1851, at Moulton, a. small village near Northampton. His grandfather, who belonged to the old type of English yeoman, the small independent freeholder — a type now unfortunately almost extinct —took part in the Bonapartist wars in the early part of the century, and both his grandfather and father were actively engaged .in the Radical movements ih 1840 to 1850. It will be seen, therefore, that Mr Tanner has inherited his Radical tendencies. He was one of a family of thirteen children, and in consequence of being weakly in health during his early years, he was fortunate to receive a considerably greater share of schooling than usually fell to the lot of the children of people in the position of life of his parents. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the shoemaking trade, and in 1872 he removed to Northampton, the great shoemaking centre. He had from his early years a great taste for the study of social problems, and to an essay wr^tea by him, oft the, BU.bjeffc of strikes, Was awarded a valuable prize given by an ex-Mayor of Northampton. Trade being dull in England, Mr Tanner, towards fche end of 1879, took passage to New Zealand, arriviug in Lyttelton on Christmas eve in that year. Within a few days of his arrival he obtained work at the Zealandia boot factory, where he has remained ever since. He took a prominent part in the formation of the Bootmakers' Union, of which he became Treasurer in 1888 and Secretary in the present year. His first appearance before the public was at the meeting in the Tuam street Hall, during the recent labour troubles, but he has long been widely and favourably known in his own district through his connection with various Societies, and a few monthß ago a number of the electors, deciding that he would be in every way a suitable representative, asked him to contest the election. The result of his candidature it is needless to repeat.