SOME OF THE MEMBERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6662, 7 December 1899, Page 4

SOME OF THE MEMBERS.

Mr Henry George Ell, who classes himself as a Democratic Liberal, was born in Christchurch, and is thirty-seven years of age. He started to earn his own living as a butcher's assistant when he was fourteen years old, and during the next few years found employment in the Christchurch Museum, on survey work, in wool-scouring M'orks and in a tannery. When he was nineteen he joined the Armed Constabulary Field Foroe, and for three years and a half was stationed at Parihaka> in Taranaki, being discharged when the force was reduced. Returning to Christchurch, Mr Ell worked in the "Press" newspaper office for five years, and afterwai'ds occupied positions which gave him an insight into many trades, skilled and otherwise, travelling from one end of the colony to the other. Latterly he has been in the employment of a firm of wholesale stationers. He was for some years a member of the Spreydon Road Board and of the Addington School Committee. He was one of the original founders of the Canterbury Progressive Liberal Association, which, under his presidency, became the strongest and most active political organisation in the colony. Mr Ell stood for Christchurch City at the general election in 1896, and was unsuccessful. Mr David Buddo was born in Edinburgh in the fifties, and arrived in New Zealand at the age of twenty-one. He settled in the Ellesmere district for fourteen years, during which time he was elected to the Springs Road Board and other local bodies. He left for a trip to the Old Country, and returning some "eight years ago, he settled at Fernside. At the election of 1893 he contested the Kaiapoi seat against Mr R. Moore, and was returned with a majority of 87 votes.

Mr Charles Albert Creary Hardy was born in County Armagh, Ireland, in 1843, and came to Dunedin in 1863. He drove sheep from Oaanaru and Invercargill untill he found employment as a bookkeeper, and in 1868 went to the Nelson Goldfields, where the many mining and other companies gave him pleaity of employment as auditor. It was in 1879 that he settled in Rakaia, where he has since conducted a successful general merchant's busines.3. Mr Hardy is a Conservative in politics. He has seen considerable service on local bodies, in the Diocesan Synod and on the North Canterbury Education Board, and he is a prominent member of many public bodies, such as the Agricultural' and Pastoral Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He takes a lively interest in volunteering, which dates back to his first years in the colony, when he was instructor in musketry to the Dunedin High School Cadets. This is the first Parliamentary election in which Mr Hardy has been engaged.

Mr John M'Lachlan is a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and is fifty-nine years of age. He arrived in Canterbury in 1861, and later settled at Bogside in the Ellesmere district. He was a member of the School Committee and Ellesmere Road Board, and on several occasions had contested the Ellesmere seat. He was returned to Parliament as a representative of the district in 1893 against three other candidates. Mr T; M. Wilford was bom in Wellington in 1870, and, with the exception of the period of his education at Canterbury College, has resided in that city all his life. He passed his final examination as solicitor when only eighteen years of age, was in partnership with Mr Travers three years, and then commenced practising on his own account. He won the suburbs election three years ago, but was disqualified. Mr Arthur Richmond Atkinson was born at New Plymouth in. 1863, and is a son of Mr A. S. Atkinson, of Nelson, and a nephew of the late Sir Harry Atkinson and Mi' Justice Richmond. He went to England in 1878, graduated B.A. at Oxford, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1887- He was called to the New Zealand Bar in the following year, and since then has practised in Wellington. He takes an active part in the prohibition movement. He was a candidate for Wellington in 1896, and was within 26 votes of securing the seat. He stood for Wellington suburbs in 1897, and was again defeated. The Hon J. M'Kenzie was born in Rossshire in 1838. He came to Otago when he

was twenty years of age, and was for some years manager of a station near Palmerston. He was defeated for ths Waikouaiti seat in the Otago Provincial Council In 1868, but three years later was successful. In 1881 He entered the Lower House, and was appointed Minister of Lands in the Balance Ministry, and has held that portfolio ever since.

Mr Edmund G. Allen was born in. 1844 in Somerset, and ten shears later *came to Tasmania, where he acquired a knowledge of agricultural and pastoral pursuits. In 1863 he removed to New Zealawd, and engaged in contracting, carrying out railway works in Canterbury, Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Otago. Since 1879 he has devoted himself principally to developing the stone trade in Port Chalmers. Elected Mayor of that borough in 1884, he retained *h© position until 1893, when he contested the Chalmers seat against Mr J. A. Millar, but suffered defeat. Mr Allen has served as chairman of the Otago Dock Trust, and has taken much interest in social and athletic organisations. In 1893 ihe described himself as a Moderate Liberal, bub at the general election of 1896 he stood for the Waikouaiti seat as an out-and-out supporter of the Seddon Governmtent, and was returned by a substantial majority over four candidates. Mr James Allen was born in Adelaide in 1855, and came to New Zealand when a child. He was educated at Clifton College, England, where he gained a natural science exhibition, tenable at St John's College, Cambridge, where he\took his B.A. degree in 1877. Returning to Dunedin, he was elected to the City Council, and gained some reputation in the football field. In 1883 he again went to England, and studied at the North Kensington Royal School of Mines, passing his examination with credit. In 1887 he entered Parliament, defeating Sir Robert Stout for Dunedin East. Aft the bye-election in 1892 he defeated the Hon A Lee Smith at Bruce, dn 1893 was returned unopposed, and in 1896 won the seat handsomely against Mr Auld. Mr J. W. Thomson is a Scotchman, about sixty-six years of age, and took the degree of M A. at Edinburgh University. He came to New Zealand in 1859, and settled in the Clutha district. In 1864 Qic was elected to the Provincial Council, and retained his seat till the Abolition of the provinces. In 1870 Clutha preferred him to the late Mr Macandrew for, the honour of M.H.K., and he represented the district till 1887, when Mr Thos. Mackenzie defeated him. When a Convention met in Dunedin mlß7o to protest against the abolition of the provinces, Mr Thomson was elected president. In 1884 Mr Thomson joined the Grey Mmistrv as Minister of Lands, and ihe {had, as the "mover of a no-confidence motion in the first Stout-Voeel Government, an opportunity of forming a Cabinet, but he failed to do so. At the general .election m 1890 he was elected for Bruce, but shortly afterwards resigned. On the retirement of Mr Thomas Mackenzie from colonial politics to accept a position in England, Mr Thomson again offered his services in 1896 to the electors of Clutha, who returned him at the head of the poll by a majority of 941 over Mr Edie, the principal Ministerial candidate, and a clear majority over all his opponents. Mr John A. Millar was born m Julmder, East Indies, in 1855, and is the eldest son of Major-General B. C. Millar, B.S.C His parents removed to Scotland, and he received liis education in Edinburgh, coming to New Zealand in 1870 to follow sheep-farming, but on the voyage out he took a fancy to the sea, and decided to follow it. After remaining a few months in Dunedin, he was apprenticed to Messrs Patrick Henderson and Co.'s ships, and he served his time in them. Afterwards he was an officer in several of their vessels, and also served in Shaw, Savill and Co.'s line ; but on resolving to settle in the colony he left the latter's employ in 1881 and went into the coastal service. He sailed out of Wellington for six years as officer or master of differenb steamboats, but finally left the sea in 1887, upon being appointed to the position of general secretary of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand. In 1890 he came into prominence in connection with the great maritime strike, and in 1893 found his way into Parliament as member for Port Qhalmers, having unsuccessfully contested that seat in 1890. In 1896 he was the only Labour-Liberal returned for Dunedin City.

Mr William Fraser is the only surviving son of the late Captain Hugh Fraser, of the oth Madras Cavalry, a brother of the late Captain Fraser, M.L.C., who was several times Deputy-Superintendent of Otago. He was &lucated partly at St Peter's College, Guernsey, and partly in France, and arrived with the late Captain Fraser in the colony in 1859. For some years he was on the Waihemo Station, formerly owned by Captain Fraser, and then he joined in the purchase of the Earnscleugh Station, Clyde. Mr Fraser represented his district in the Provincial Council, and for many years he filled the chair of Vincent County Council succeeding the late Mr Pyke in that position. Mr Fraser was appointed in 1895 'a member of the Assets Realisation Board, who have the winding up of the globo assets of the Bank of New Zealand.

Mr J. F. Arnold was born in St Peter's, Port Guernsey, in 1859, and is the son of the late Mr Julius Arnold, "who was a member of the legal profession. In 1864 he came to New Zealand with his parents, and arrived at Lyttelton in July of that year. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to the " clicking," and continued at that trade in Christchurch for eight years. During that time he became an active member of various societies, passing through the chairs in the Good Templar Order and the Ancient Order .of Foresters. He was also one of the founders of the first Juvenile Lodge of Foresters in Canterbury, and took great interest in this class of work while in the above town. In October, 1882, he went to Dunedin under engagement to Messrs Sargood, Son and Ewen, in whose employ he has continued till the present time. In 1890 the Bootmakers' Union decided to admit clickers as members, and in the same year Mr Arnold was sent to Wellington as a delegate to the first Federal Conference held by that trade. In April of the following year a conference between employers and employees was held, and by his debating power and business ability he was marked by his co-delegates as one worthy to lead them, and thereafter he had been chairman' at all conferences held between the two parties. He was selected to conduct the bootmakers' dispute before the Conciliation Board in 1896, the chairman being a solicitor. The Board decided to send part of the matter filed on to the Arbitration Court. Mr Arnold protested, and when the case came before the Court raised the point of the Board's jurisdiction, with the result that Judge Williams decided in his favour. The case was sent back to the Board, and since that date he has been known as the "Bootmakers' Lawyer." At the close of that case he compiled and published the proceedings in book form, and has thus assisted most of those who have conducted cases of the kind since. He has conducted all the bootmakers' disputes since that time, and last year was the means of bringing Auckland and New Plymouth under the same log as that paid in the south. The Hon J. Q. Ward was born in Victoria in 1857, but arrived in New Zealand when he was a child/ He has held many positions of authority in the Province of Southland, and was captain of the Bluff Naval Artillery Volunteers, which corps was raised during the Parihaki trouble In 1887 he entered Parliament for Awarua^ and was returned unopposed for the same constituency at two subsequent elections. On the formation of the Ballanoe Ministry he was appointed Postmaster-General, and on the rearrangement of portfolios consequent on the death of the Premier, he took over the department of Colonial Treasurer. His retirement from the Government by reason of the failure of the Ward Farmers' Associa-

tion, of which he was managing director, is familiar to all our readers, therefore there is no occasion to refer to the circumstance beyond saying that through good and ill report the Liberal Party stood manfully by him, whilst his constituents of Awarua never for a moment lost their confidence in him. At the bye -election he was returned without opposition, and at the last general election he was opposed by Mr Cuthberfc Cowan, an old-time parliamentarian, whom he defeated by nearly two to one. In, the interval, it is understood that business has prospered with Mr Ward, who, last session, found time to visit England, where he settled in full with his creditors in the Old Country, and through his wife, to whom they made a presentation of a carriage and service of plate, received a very gratifying acknowledgment of his action. It is understood that all through the recess Mr Ward's counsels on commercial matters were sought by his ex-colleagues, and that he was in truth a "power behind the throne." At the end of November the Premier, speaking at Tauranga, made the statement that when Cabinet reconstruction takes place, Mr Ward will rejoin the Ministry — an announcement that was received with satisfaction by a large number of the colonists, irrespective of political leanings, for there is a general acknowledgment of his administrative ability and power as a debater.