CAREER OF PIT BOY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 117, 21 May 1942, Page 3

CAREER OF PIT BOY

SAT IN HOUSE OF COMMONS SERVICE TO COUNTRY ENDS London, May 19. The romance of a pit boy who rose to be member of Parliament in the House of Commons is recalled by the death yesterday of Mr. William Dunn, member for Bothwell Division ol Yorks since 1918. Born in 1872, the late Mr. Lunn was educated at Bothwell Board School, and at the age of 12 he commenced work as a pit noy, and became a cheu>. weighman. Taking an interest in politics, Mr. Lunn unsuccessfully contested the Holmgirth Division in 1912, but he succeeded in entering Parliament six years later. In 1924 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade, and in .1929 became Parliamentary Undersecretary for the Colonies. In the same year he was also appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Dominions Ollice, and Chairman of Overseas Settlement Committee. At the elections of 1935. Mr. Lunn scored an outstanding victory in his constituency as the sitting Labour candidate, for the votes recorded in his favour were 31,472, which was almost 50 per cent, of the total number of votes. The sitting member had nearly a two-to-one victory over the woman candidate standing in the interests of the Conservatives.