OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20024, 4 September 1930, Page 14

OBITUARY.

THE REV. JOHN OLIVER. The death occurred on August 17th of the Rev. John Oliver, the Methodist minister, of Palmerston North. Mr Oliver was 82 years of age, and came to New Zealand' when ne was twelve years old. In 1899 he entered the Methodist Church, and became engaged on mission work. He- spent two terms of seven and three years respectively at Palmerston tnd Norse wood, and was also at Little River and Kimbolton. He retired from active work at the end of his second term at Norsewood. An unassuming man, Mr Oliver excelled as a pastor, and the sick, bereaved, and aged were always his especial care. For some months previous to his death * his health had steadily declined.

Mr Oliver is survived by hip wife, and bv six daughters: Mesdames SchimcK, Christchurch. Badeley. Auckland. 01/ sen Wellington, Parsons, Norsewood, Thomson, Carterton, and Coghill, Palmerston North. The Rev. W. C. Oliver, who died in 1922, was a brother. MR W. W. GIBSON. In business and other circles, the announcement of the death of Mr William Wallace Gibson, general manager of G. McClatchie and Co., Ltd., which occurred yesterday morning, will be received with much regret. Mr Gibson was well known in the City's coal trade by the members of which, as well as by all with whom he came in contact, he was held in the highest esteem. Born at Whiteclifis, Canterbury, in 1882, Mr Gibson was a son of the late Mr Lewis Gibson, a well-known railway officer. He was educated at the Lawrence District High School, and finished his education in Oamaru. In IDOB,. Mr Gibson joined G. McClatchie and Co., in Christchurch, and rose rapidly in that firm's service, and was promoted to the managership of its Wellington branch, and later to the position of general manager at Christchurch. He held the position, also, of secretary of the Blackball Coal Mines Proprietary Company. While taking a fairly active interest in outside affairs, Mr Gibson always shunned publicity. He was a member of the Wellington Coal Trade Committee, which rationed coal supplies during the war period; and he also was a member of several coal committees. At the time of his death Mr Gibson was vice-presi-dent of the North Canterbury Coal Merchants' Association, a member of the executive of the Canterbury Employers' Association, and occupied several positions in connexion with coal interests generally. In the settlement of labour disputes with coal miners Mr Gibson possessed great tactfulness and a capacity for seeing the other fellow's side of the case as well as his own. By the exercise of these qualities Mr Gibson was successful on several. occasions when, outwardly, a settlement of the matters in dispute seemed almost hopeless. Towards the end of last ypar his conciliatory methods were largely responsible for the settlement of thp dispute at Blackball. ; Mr Gibson married, in 1912, Miss McOracken, a daughter of the wellknown Addington coal merchant, who,, with three sons and one daughter, survive him. He is survived also by two brother® and several si-ters One brother is Mr H. L. Gibson, Transport Officer, N.Z.8., Christchurch, and the other is Mr Alexander Gibson, of the Railway Department, Oamaru.

DR. W. G. SCOTT. (PRZSS ABSOCIATIOH TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND September 3. Dr William George Scott, who died at Onehunga, aged 78 years, was once Mayor of Onehunga. In 1900 he was elected president of the New Zealand Medical Society, aB well as the New Zealand branch of the B.M.A. He made it hii basing to collect data ojn public Health legislation in Grew Britain, America, arid Australia. In his day he was regarded as one of the cleverest surgeon* in the Dominion.