George James Anderson, 1860–1935
George Anderson came to Lawrence from Victoria, Australia. He became a newspaper editor and then entered parliament in 1908 for the Reform Party. From 1921 to 1928 he was minister of labour and of mines and was responsible for the Coal-mines Act 1925 and the Mining Act 1926, which improved safety regulations for coal miners.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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Mark Anthony Fagan, 1873–1947
The son of a mine manager, Mark Fagan worked his way round Australian mining towns before arriving on the West Coast in 1900. As secretary of the Inangahua Miners’ Union, Fagan became a voice of thoughtful militancy within the ‘Red’ Federation of Labour. He put much energy into fighting for improved safety and health for miners, especially publicising the danger of miners’ phthisis. Appointed to the Legislative Council, he was a member (without portfolio) of the first Labour cabinet of 1935.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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