OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15567, 17 April 1916, Page 5

OBITUARY.

A Sydney message records the death of the Rev. Beckenham, a Congregational minister, formerly of Dainedin. Mr James Angus, who was mentioned in last week's Sydney cablo messages as having been killed by a railway accident, was well known in New Zealand. He was an Auchterarder man. He and his wife came out to Bluff by the ship Helenslee in 1883. By his great energy and enterprise he became one of the stalwarts of Southland. He was one of the first men to go in for saw-milling on a large scale in that part tho country. As one of the firm of _ Topham, Angus, and Smyth he was interested in important railway contracts, notably the line to Bluff and the line to Kingston. About 38 years ago he went to Australia, and undertook the construction of a section of the Geelong railway. Ho became a member of tho contracting firm of Mooney. Angus, and Topham, who executed many big works. One was the laying down of some of the Sydney tram lines. Tho track to Coogeo was one of theso. He also brought the water into Sydney. He owned the Minchinbury vineyards, and sold out to Penfold for £50,000. He was a large shareholder in tjie Linlithgow coal mines, and a director of the Clyde Engineering Company. One way and another ho must have been a wealthy man (says the_ "Otago Daily Times"). He paid a visit to New Zealand about three years ago to see his relatives —David Angus (of Waitahuna), 1 Alexander Angus (of Christchurch), and Mrs Dickinson (of Christchurch), these being his children. He also has three nieces in New Zealand —Mrs D-avic'l Findlay (of Cargill street. Dunedin), Mrs T. C. Harrison (of St. Clair), and Mrs G. B. I>al! (of Wellington): Ho was 81 years old. A prominent civil engineer and surveyor of Otago, Mr E. R. Ussher, passed away at the ago of 77 years, at nis residence in Roslyn on Friday, after a protracted illness. A Canadian by birth, I he was educated at Toronto and Bovmanville, at the former place obtaining his professional. license in 1860. ite was engaged by the Government on survey and railway work till 1863, when ! ho went to Melbourne, and the 6ame year came to New Zealand, landing at Dunedin, where he was appointed an officer of the Roads Department under the Provincial Government. He continued in the position till 1868, when, with, many others, he retired from the service. Until IS7I Hr Ussher engaged in private practice, and was then appointed to tho Public Works Department, under Mr W. N. Blair, engineer-in-chief. In 1887 Mr Ussher was made district engineer. He married in 1873, and had a family of eight sons and one daughter. There died on Thursday at the Wellington Hospital on» of the oldest residents of the Hutt Valley jn the person of Mr Edward Henry Collett. Mr Collett was born in Wellington in. 1841. his 75th birthday being on Monday of last week. H e never married, but is survived by eight brothers anrl sisters. The death is announced of Mr John ]>aac Wardle, a , promirent resident of Wyndham, at the age of 78 years. One of Pctone's most popular citizens and a very old resident died on Friday ip the Wellington Hosnital, in t"e person of Mr John Wood. Mr Wood was born 54 years afro atPipitea Point-, Wellington. His fa+he.r was tho senior partner in the old firm of Wood and Allen, boat builders. He started work at Messrs Greenfield and Stewart's timber mil] (now Stewart Hardware and Timber Co.). and he and his elder brother turned the bannisters for the Government Buildings, were then in course of erection. The lata Mr Wood was a prominent member of many sports organisations, and was one of the members of the Naval Brigade chosen to represent New Zealand at the opening of the Commonwealth Par-

iiamcnt. He was chosen as a member of the first New Zealand native football team to visit England in 1887. but was unable to go owing to the illness of his wife. He leaves a widow and one daughter, Mrs J. W. Eraser, of Petsne. Mr John Christie, whose death at Mosman's Bay, Sydney, at the age of 84 years, occurred a few days ago, was a resident of New Zealand for many years. He arrived in Australia from the Old Country about 50 year? ago, ar y d. was for a long period the representative of Messrs Henry Brooks and Co., of London. After living in Australia'for about ten yeai*s ho settled in "Wellington, and remained thero for somo years. Ho has left four sons — Messrs W. F. Christie (of E. W. Mills and Co.) and E. Christie, of Wellington. J. Christie, of Sydney, and H. T. Christie (Sargood, Soil, and Ewen), Auckland. Mr Matthew Cowan, who was killed a few days ntro at Rieearton, was born on the late .Robert Wilkin's- estate, Dumfries, Scotland, in 1810. Ho came out to the firm of the late Robert Wilkin and Co., at the age of seventeen, wlieii he was employed on one. of their stations in charge of stock. When the gold fever set in at Otago Mr Cowan'' fell a victim to the epidemic. The venture. however, did not prove successful. On one occasion Mr Cowan was carrying a sum of £-500 to the bank for a local butcher, when he was "stuck up" by bushrangers. Thcv fired several shots. 1 but thanks to the horse he was ridinnr. he escaped. He returned to Mr Wilkin's employ, when ho had charge of the imported horse Berlin and several others." On the death of Mr Wilkin he entered the servico of Messrs Garforth and Morrison as head .stockman, and for some years drove their cattle to the West Coast. Mr Cowan was a man of sterling worth and universally- respected. He leaves a widow and two daughters. Mr C. 11. Bowmar, one of the old identities of the Mataura district, died' on Thursday, at the age of 78 years. Ho took a keen interest in the Gore Farmers' Club, and was a prominent member of the Methodist Church and i an ardent supporter of the temperance cause. He is survived by his widow, four sons, and three daughters—Messrs Ernest Bowmar (Lower Hutt), Gershon (Toronto, Canada), Stanley (journalist, Chicago), and Erskinc (Gore), Ymd Mes- , dame s J. Booth (Queensland), C. Evi- ' son (Niue), and E. Tayles (Waipounamu). News has been received of the death, at Whangarei, of Mr J. 3>. Valentine, for many years a resident in tho Feild- ! ing district, and a son of Mr Nathaniel Valentine, of the SBth Regiment. One of Wanganui's.pioneer residents, Mr Edwin Perrett, died on Friday, at the age of 73 years. He was formerly a Borough Councillor and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. j "I cannot speak too highly of the ! patriotism of Messrs K. S. and A. B. Williams, in purchasing land for the purpose of settling soldiers, belonging to Waiapu, on the land, on their return from the war," declared the Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. W. H. Herries, in Gisborne recently. "I only wish that other large laud-owners would follow their example. I shall ; have pleasure in representing to the i Prime "Minister the desirability of see- | ing whether there are any other largo European estates that can bs purchased for returned soldiers, for, indeed, there • are many estates, or portions of estates, wliicli would be most suitable for such purposes. I understand, further, that there is very little Crown land available for the purpose in this district. In Hawke's Bay large blocks have bem purchased by the Native Land Purchase Board from the Natives, and these are alreadv set aside for returned soldiers. Efforts should bo made to do the same in this district."