Mr. James Crawford, Town Clerk and Borough Engineer, Valner, and Returning Officer for the Borough of Sumner, was born in Liverpool, and educated at Barrow, Wexford, Ireland. Mr. Crawford was subsequently brought up as a civil engineer in Ireland, and came to Wellington in the ship “Alma.” Soon after his arrival, he joined the Public Works Department in Wellington, and was afterwards in Hawke's Bay. He arrived in Canterbury in 1863, and was appointed engineer in the Public Works Department, Christchurch. Under the Provincial Government, he was engaged by the Railway Department in 1872 to survey and prepare plans and sections for the following lines of railway:—Rolleston, Sheffield, and Whltecliffs; Southbridge, Kaiapol, and Lyttelton; Rangiora, Oxford, Pareora, and Waitaki. He was engaged by the late Mr. Doyne, C.E., in making an engineering surrey of the Canterbury plains, between the Waimakariri and Rakaia. This survey extended over an area of nearly 500 square miles. He joined the Survey Department in Christchurch, in 1875, and two years later retired, since which time he has been engaged in private practice as a civil engineer, having been frequently called to supervise works in Hororata and Malvern districts. He also held several mining appointments, notably in connection with the Home Bush Mine. Mr. Crawford was appointed, on the establishment of the Borough of Sumner, to the offices he now fills, and carried out the system of water supply for Sumner which has been so successful. He has also designed the system of water supply for the town of Geraldine, which has been adopted by the Council. For many years Mr. Crawford was the chairman of the Sumner school committee. He was married, in 1870, to a daughter of the late Mr. Slater, of Christ-church, solicitor, and has four sons and one daughter.