NEW APPOINTMENTS.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7262, 23 January 1889, Page 3

NEW APPOINTMENTS.

rp&zss association tilxgrak.] WELLINGTON, January 11. 4 ' At a meeting of the Cabinet this afterloon toe question of Railway Commis- ' aieners was under consideration, and appointments allotted as follows:—Chief Commissioner, Mr Jas. McKerrow (Sur- : veyor-General); A ssistant-Commissioners, Mr J. P. Maxwell (General Manager of BaQways) and Mr Wm. Hannay (Assistant General Manager of Railways). The Bdaries for the positions are—Chief ComBinaoner, .£I2OO per annum; AssistantCcnmnssioners, JBIOOO per annum. The Premier states that no gentleman was recommended by the Agent-General for toe position. The name of one gentleman was submitted by Sir F. D. Bell, but before the matter came under consideration t&e gentleman in question telegraphed to - bare his name withdrawn.

fIXOK OXTB COBBBSFOITDKHT.] WELLINGTON, January 11. fhe long-expected appointment of a -Board of Commissioners to manage the railways was at last made by toe Govern- " Stent shortly before five *j'clock tois even'■itf. The outcome of toe long mncer- _ taaty was quite a surprise in one respect, "aa&Jthe fact of this appointment being Bade before that of the Judge was also a surprise. It was toe new Judge and not jitt Railway Commissioners that everybody was looking for to-day. Hbw*ver, we have got the Railway Board, Mil not the Judge as yet. The Cabinet decided to offer the Chief Comaiasioaership, at a salary of .£I2OO, * year to Mr McKerrow, the Surveyor-"J-J**** of toe colony, and toe two *H&taat Commissionerships respectively teMrJ.P. Maxwell, General Manager of «ailways,and MrW. M. Hannay, Assist«at General Manager, the two latter at Waries of .£IOOO a year each. The offers *•** accepted, with some surprise it is *aaerstood by Mr McKerrow, who was not for the position, and who had |j**®ea «ueh an offer was in contemplation. jjtessrs Maxwell and Hannay expressed perfectly willing to work ■*jto Mr McKerrow. The appointments •era toen formally agreed upon by the **»net, aad will be gazetted immediately. «»Bot yet decided when the new Board watt eater upon its duties, but it will be ' £*£? "* P° asib le- It appears now that m sagbto candidate has been "recom!SS* °y *ke Ageat-GeneraL The who has been so often referred 7*w«y. was mentioned by the AgentStSsT^J?^? 1 * oeenwell recommended, 2"**- Bell has never yet metwito an "*g™ Jfam he could recommend in ■ggtebi. temal Itaeemsthattoegenis not among the "» officers of tie lias on

which he ia employed; bat although his position is not very high up, he was regarded as a promising man. It is probable he would have been appointed, but while Ministers were awaiting full particulars by post he changed his mind, seeing a of promotion at Home, and withdrew his application. The Agent-General cabled to that effect, and so disappeared toe last chance of obtaining an expert from Home. It has been explained to the Government that men possessing the high-standing qualifications and experience that would render them eligible for the post do not care to abandon utterly their career in England with all its brilliant prospects for the sake of a mere five years' engagement even at .£3OOO a-year in the colonies, at the expiration of which they would find themselves out of the running at Home. A would probably have needed a seven or ten years' engagement at JE3500 to .£4OOO a year to tempt them to come to New Zealand. The candidate most recently mentioned was the only approach to a decent chance which has been afforded to New Zealand, and he soon thought better of it when it came to the point. The Government, therefore, had to accept the inevitable and select a man in the Colony who possessed the qualifications which, in their opinion, were most required. Mr McKerrow, the SurveyorGeneral, was the man pitched on as best to fulfil this engagement. He is understood to have dominated his important department with marked ability and success, and to have displayed much skill in directing and commanding a large force of subordinates, and to have shown special tact and courtesy in his dealings with the public, and to have given proof that he can oppose a firm resistance in case of need to outside pressure, while his knowledge of the colony and its requirements is exceptionally large and full. Accordingly he Has been appointed, with Messrs Maxwell and Hannay as his colleagues. It is understood that the Assistant Surveyor-General, Mr Percy Smith, Chief Surveyor of the Auckland Land district, will succeed to the Surveyor-Generalship vacated by Mr McKerrow, on his appointment to the Chief Comuussionerahip of New Zealand Railways. A rearrangement of the Survey Department will probably be carried out at the same time with a view to further economies.

[from our correspondents.] WELLINGTON, January 21. The news having been telegraphed last night that a Dunedin paper had announced, "on authority," the appointment of Mr J. E. Denniston, as Judge, the Government to day officially admitted the correctness of the statement. There is no doubt that the Judgeship was offered to Mr Bell, and that at one time the Government believed him to intend accepting it, but he is said to have thought better of it later. At any rate he declined it. I have the authority of Mr Travers for stating that it was never offered to him, possibly, because it was known he would not take it at hi 3 advanced age. The appointment of Mr Denniston seems to meet with fair approval.

DUNEDIN, January 21. Mr John Edward Denniston, who has just received the appointment of Supreme Court Judge for the Canterbury district, was born at Bishoptown, near Glasgow, in 1845. He was educated partly at Glasgow and at Greenock Academies, and at the boarding-school of Blair Lodge, near Falkirk, after which he completed his education at Glasgow University. Mr Denniston's career in all his school day, was a brilliant one, and in his last year at Greenock Academy he was gold medallist as best scholar in classics and mathematics. At Glasgow University he gained a valuable scholarship open to all students from the populous counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. At College he commenced to study for the Bar, but was interrupted by bis leaving for New Zealand, in company with his father (Mr Thos. Denniston, of Invercargill) and brothers in 1862. On his arrival in the colony he entered the Civil Service, joining the Post Office Department first in Invercargill and afterwards in Christchurch, but after a few months' work he left the Public Service for that of the Bank of New South Wales, in which he served for upwards of six years. During the latter part of this time he read law steadily, and qualified himself for the position he obtained in the office of Mr Stewart, solicitor, just then vacated by Mr (now Sir) Robert Stout. On the expiry of his articles, and on being admitted as a solicitor, after a most satisfactory examination, Mr Denniston joined Mr Geo. Hutchinson in practice at Wanganui for a few months, but afterwards rejoined Mr Stewart in Dunedin as a partner. Mr Allan Holmes shortly afterwards also joined the firm. On toe opening of the Otago University Mr Denniston attended the Latin and mental philosophy classes, becoming a prize man in both.