WAIRARAPA SEAT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 April 1938, Page 8

WAIRARAPA SEAT

THE APPROACHING ELECTION NATIONAL PARTY SELECTS MR. J. F. THOMPSON. FIVE NOMINATIONS RECEIVED. (“Times-Age” Special.) At a meeting of delegates representing all parts of the electorate held at Carterton last evening, Mr. J. F. Thompson, of Greytown, was selected as the National Party’s candidate to contest the seat at the general election this year.

The other candidates were Messrs L. J. Fairbrother (Carterton), J. W. Card (Featherston), J. J. Maher (Upper Hutt), and H. F. Toogood (Wellington). Mr. J. M. Power, of Wellington, occupied the chair, and a full ballot was necessary in order to obtain the decision.

The sitting member is Mr. B. Roberts (Labour) who won by a narrow margin at the last election, in a threecornered contest. Mr. Roberts has again been selected as the Labour Party candidate. Mr. Thompson was born in Westport in 1884, being a son of the late Mr. Thomas Thompson, a pioneer Buller county engineer. He was educated at the Westport High School, Nelson College/ Auckland University College and Victoria University College, which he represented at Rugby football, cricket, athletics and hockey. Mr Thompson entered the Lands and Survey Department, Auckland, as a cadet and was transferred to the Lands and Deeds Department, Wellington, where he qualified as a solicitor. In 1913 he joined the firm of Tate and Thompson, solicitors, Greytown, and has practised law in the Wairarapa ever since. From 1919 he has represented the Greytown and Carterton boroughs on the Wairarapa Hospital Board, and he is an official member of the Rongomako Maori Council (Southern-Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa). He has been president of the Wairarapa Trotting Club since 1918, and is a vice-president of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, the Wairarapa Boxing Association, and the Wairarapa Rifle Association. In addition, he is patron of a number of sporting organisations in the district. As a rifle shot Mr. Thompson, was in the King’s Fifty several times, and was a member of the Greytown team that won the New Zealand Rifle Club’s championship in 1923. Since coming to the Wairarapa, Mr. Thompson has taken an active interest in political campaigns and is chairman of the Greytown branch of the National Party.

PAST CONTESTS KEEN AND INTERESTING POLLS (“Times-Age” Special) With anticipations of a very keen election contest in the Wairarapa this year, electors may be interested in a few facts concerning ..past contests in this very politically-minded district. In the days of the late Mr. George Beetham, “Brancepeth,” when he was a member of Parliament, Masterton was known as North Wairarapa, and what is now Wairarapa was South Wairarapa. When Masterton was changed from North Wairarapa, the South was dropped from Wairarapa, and the name has continued to this day. In about the early eighties, the district was represented by the late Mr. Henry Bunny, who came from England and resided at Featherston. (Many of Mr. Bunny’s grandchildren and relatives reside in the district). In due course a very redoubtable opponent contested the seat with him, usually the late Mr. W. C. (afterwards Sir Walter) Buchanan, a keen Scotchman who came up from the South Island and purchased the Tupurupuru Station, Gladstone, from the late Mr. McMaster, many descendants of whom are still farming in the Wairarapa Valley. Mr. Buchanan was successful in gaining the seat, and this was the beginning of long and successful career in public life. In 1893 his opponents were the late Mr. Geo. A. Fairbrother, of Carterton, and the late Mr. C. A. Pownall, of Masterton, a prominent criminal lawyer, who was Mayor of Masterton for many years, when the town made its first step forward in municipal facilities, and emerged from the pioneel’ stage. The sitting member was successful in retaining the seat. In 189 G a new opponent unsuccessfully came forward, introduced by the then Premier of New Zealand, the late the Rt Hon R. J. Seddon. This was the late Mr J. M. Hornsby, who was then editor of the “New Zealand Times” at Wellington. In 1899 Mr Hornsby stood again and to the general surprise defeated Mr Buchanan by 156 votes. The late Mr Coleman Phillips also stood, but only polled well under 100 votes, so that the successful candidate scored an actual majority over both opponents. Mr Buchanan won the seat back in 1902 by 66 votes, but in 1905 Mr. Hornsby scored an outstanding victory by well over 500 votes. Mr. Phillips was once more a starter, but again failed to reach anywhere near 100 votes. The tables were again turned in 1908, when Mr Buchanan regained the seat, he repeated his success in 1911, when a Welington solicitor also contested the seat. In the War year, 1914, Mr Hornsby scored a narrow victory, and this was the last election Mr Buchanan, who had become Sir Walter Buchanan, contested. He was then called to the Upper House. No election was then held until 1919. as the War had been in progress. In that year Mr A. D. McLeod (who took over Sir Walter Buchanan’s mantle) replaced the sitting member by a margin of over 500 votes. Mr. McLeod was also successful against Mr. J. W. Card, of Featherston, in 1922, and over Mr Arkle, Martinborough, in 1925. A change came over the scene in 1928 as Colonel McDonald, from Wellington, who stood to support the late Sir Joseph Ward's policy, was returned with another margin of over 500. Mr McLeod returned the compli-1

ment in similar measure in 1931, and this was his final contest for the seat. It is recent history how Messrs B. Roberts, J. W. Card, H. C. Thomson and Colonel McDonald entered the seat in 1935, Mr Roberts winning the seat by a small bare majority. Mr. Roberts has been selected as the Labour nomineee for the election this year.