NEW MEMBERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1919, Page 7

NEW MEMBERS.

biographical sketches. Following are brief biographies of thi new members of Parliament:— LIEUT.-COL. G. MITCHELL, D.5.0., WELLINGTON SOUTH. Lieutenant-Colonel G. Mitchell, D.S.O. Independent candidate for Wellingtoi South, was born at Balclutha, ptago was °ne of a family of foiirtee'r children. He started work at elever years of age, being the driver of n •baker's cart. Ultimately he became a commercial traveller, and later on tool over the management of a wholesale business in Invercargill, occupying thai position for thTee years prior to joinj?S New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. Tor 22 years he has been "connected with the Volunteer and Territorial forces. He saw _ considerable , service in the South AfricaiTWar, and was mentioned, in dispatches for his work jn tlio final operations of that War. On the outbreak of the Great War, Lieutenant-Colonel-Mitchell left in the' Main Body with the rank of Major. He comnjandec} the 4th North Otagp Company on the Suez Canal and at the landing '6* Gallipoli on April 25, lfllS. When in charge of Pope's Hall, o n May 2, he was wounded and evacuated to Alexandria, and on recovering he returned to nw unit, serving round Quiim's and Courtney's Posts until taking part in the big' 'August advance. Badly wounded at Chunuk Bair, he mi'tutirti to Malta and England, and eventually was declared unfit for-further- --Although lame as a result of his wounds, "Hoppy Mitchell," as he was affectionately tetmftd by the troops, went back to Egypt, where he, commanded first the Reserve Battalion, and, later, all reserve battalions. Later, he proceeded. to Eiaples, Ranee; reor-ganised--the New Zealand Base Depot, >nd while there was the outstanding • figurt in' qitelliitg the serious riots which ibroke out among the 80,000 British and 'colonial troops in the depot. Subsequently, after the dispersal of the 4th Brigade, he took over command of the En. trenching Battalion. He was selected to edmidand the New Zealand Tank] Corps, but owing to the Germap .collapse the formation was not proceeded with. 1 After accompanying the New Zealand Division into Geiinany, Colonel Mitchell returned to New Zealand last May. For gallantry on r Gf&llipoli he was awarded a Serbian decoration, and for his services in France he received the D.5.0., , and was again mentioned in dispatches. MR. J, R. HAMILTON, AWARUA. ■ Mr. J. B. Hamiltonj who defeated Sir Joseph Ward, has twice previously contested the Awarua seat in the Reform interests. At the general, election in 1911 he polled very Well, and was beaten •by a little over 800 votes. In 1914 he polled 186S votes, Sir Joseph Ward's mak>rity on that occasion being 1175. Mr. Hamilton, who belongs to a very we'ilknown family inr the northern part of the Awarua district, is a farmer, and raaides near Wintoii. He has taken an active part in local government affairs, Mid for several years he has represented his riding, on ..the Southland County Council, of which he was. chairman for a period.

MB. W. S. GLENN, RANGITIKEI. Mr. W. S. Glenn, Reform member for Rangitikei, is a settler in that part of the district near Marton. He ia beat known to the public of New Zealand as a forward of the famous "All Black" football team which toured Great Britain and Ireland in 1906-7, and he was . accounted one of the best players of the side. In this war he served with the Royal Field Artillery as an officer through most, of the hard fighting of the Tyaj.v He left thjs country very early tctjoin jip in (England, and was at onee given, a commission in the Artillerv branch of the British Artny. He served with distinction,, gaining the decoration of the Military Cr oss„ 0 ss„ and at the' end of the war he had risei to the rank of major, having entered his regiment' as a second lieutenant, fresh from the Training Cdrps. He has not previously taken much paTt in public KK. MB. F. p. HOOKLY, ROTORUA. Mr. F F. Hockly (Rotorua) was born at Orrell, near Liverpool, in 1865. He came to New Zealand in 1884 and engaged in work on the land, at which he has remained ever since. He has had gtrms at Makuri, in the Forty Mile Bush, and near Huhterville, and is at present farming at Parawera, near Te Awawutu.

MR. E. KELLETT, DUNEDIN NORTH. Mr. E. Kellett, who enters Parliament lor the first time, as member for Duneam North, was born in the electorate u C 19 re P. reaen t, and has re.«id- ™■ at Ravensbourne for 43 years. He served on the local School Committee for or ind w «s. a member of the West Harbor Council for three yeirs. He joined the AntalgaiUated So- . Carpenters and Joiners a number of years ago and filled the position of president, afterwards becoming organising secretary—a post which he occupied for five years. MB. V. H. POTTER, EG,SKILL. Mr. Vivian H. Potter (Roskffl), who has lived in and about Auckland for the past 35 years, is a veteran of two wars, iie served in South Africa for two years and as an officer in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force for about three e ./® turned to tsle dominion about the middle of this Tear, then holding the rank of lieutenant.

MR. D. G. SULLIVAN (AVON). Mr. D 0. Sullivan (Avon) is a native of Canterbury, having been born at Christchurch 37 years ago. He was apprenticed to the furniture trade, and served las time as a french polisher. On the completion of his indentures he travelled extensively in Australia. Great Britain, and Europe, working at his trade On his return to New Zealand hj? threw himself whole-heartedly into the Labor movement. He soon attained prominence, was elected president of his union, and represented it on the Canterbury Trades and Labor Council. MR. J. HORN. Mr. J.' Horn, the new member for Wakatipu, was born at Inverthnev, Bajnffsnlre, alid educated at the Gordon School, Aberdeen. He, arrived with his fathers family at Port Chalmers on the first trip of the sailer Oamaru, in February, 1865j and worked as a draper in that town for two years. He then settled at Wairtina as storekeeper, and then went to Cardrona, and afterwards to Bannoekburn, where he Went into business , on his own account as storekeeper. He served on the local school committee for several years, was a memfc«r of tilt Wakatiju Liosn»ing Bunch-

IMS. E. j. Howard (cmisTcmmci j SOUTH.)

. Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) is one of the widest known of the Christchurch Labor group, having been prominently connected with local Labor organisations for the past nineteen years*. A Bristolian by birth, he is fifty-one years of age. He first settled in Christchurch about 1887. MR. JOHN BITCHENER, WAITAKI. Mr. John Bitchener was lorn in the English Midland Counties in 1884. He lost his mother in early childhood, and in 1875 his father came out to New Zealand, and they settled in Waimate. He is chairman of the Timaru High School Board, president of the executive of the South Canterbury Farmers' Union, chairman of the Waimate branch of the Fanners' Union, a member of the board of directors of the Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association. During his early residence in South .Canterbury, Mr. Bitchener lived at Waimate, but later he purchased a property at Hook, which has now been his home for many years. MR. A. I). McLEOD, WAIRARAPA. Mr. A. D. McLeod, Reform member for Wairarapa, is one of the best known and one of the most popular men in the Wairarapa. ; Indeed, "A.D.," as he is always called by his friends, has been the most active man in everything pertaining to local government and farmers' affairs in the whole district. He has been for twenty-four years a member of the Featherston County Council, and for tha past sixteen years chairman of the council. MR. W. D. LYSNAR, GISBORNE. Mr. W. D. Lysnar, Independent Reform member for Gisborne, is one of the best known men in that district. He has at different times been associated with the civic government of the town, and has held the position of Mayor. •

MR. A. M'NICOL, PAHIATUA. Mr. A. M'Nicol, the Reform member for Pahiatua, is a young New Zealander, who was induced to come forward to carry the fanner of the Reform Party in his district at a time when it appeared that it was not going to be possible to find a suitable candidate to succeed JMr, Harold Smith, who was retiring from politics. Mr. M'Nicol bad not a thought of entering politics, but ho was persuaded to do so, and he has fought a good fight. He has had no acquaintance with public life previously except in following his profession as a journalist. He has been for several years editor of the Dannevirke Evening News. MR W. PARRY, AUCKLAND CENTRAL.

Mr. W. Parry is the labor member for Auckland Central. He was secretary of the Waihi Miners' Union at the time of the great strike in the mines on that field, but he did not return to the town After the strike for some time, and ho never returned at all to his old position. MR. M. J. SAVAGE, AUCKLAND WEST. Mr. M. J. Savage,- Labor member for Auckland West, has for many years been associated with the Socialist movement in Auckland. He was at one time accounted too extreme to be followed by ordinary unionists in the' north, but he has probably tempered his own opinions in the light of more experience, and also the unionist movement has "advanced" a great (leal in later years. In hi? own subjects, and from his own viewpoint always, Mr. Savage is a well-informed man, with more than average ability.

MR. F. N. BARTRAM, GREY LYNN. Mr. F. N. Bartram, Labor member for G r ''y Lynn, has only a local fame as a champion of Labor. As the returns show, he was assisted in the contest by the extent to which the vote opposed to Labor was split. MR. THOMAS DAVID BURKTETT.

Mr. Thomas David Burnett, the Reform member for Temuka, is a .native of South Canterbury, where he has spent the whole of his life with the exception of the time he has been engaged in travelling. The second son of Mr. Andrew Burnett,.of the. itfount Cook Station, a .pioneer of Highland stock, Mr. T, D. Burqett was born on his father's station 44 years ago, and received his education at Timaru,, finishing up at the Timaru Boys' High .School. Of a studious turn of mind and devoted to literature, Mr. Burnett is a well read man, and has travelled more extensively than the average colonial. On leaving school he devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, learrit the rudiments of the art oil his father's station, and ultimately beoame the owner of the Mount Cook station, he hold 3 at the present time. Up to the present Mr. Burnett has not been etxensively associated with public life in South Canterbury, and, beyqnd having been a member of the Mackenzie County Council for some years, he has not played a leading part in local government. For some years he was a prominent member of the Can-' terß'ifry Sheepowriers' Union", Ms Bote noire being keas, the systematic detraction of which lie strenuously advocated. During the election campaign Mr. Burnett had not been a conspicuous success on the platfohn, and he had stuck with almost painful fidelity to his manuscript, his matter at all meetings suffering little if any variation.