PERSONAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS.

The present' location-, of the Ministers is as follows:—The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, the Hon. J. M'Gowan, the Hon. J. A. Millar, the Hon. R. M'Nab, the Hon. t>r. Findlay, and the Hon. Cr. Fowlds at Wellington, and tiie Hon. J.: Carroll at Waikato. Mr, J: G. Wilson (President of the Farmers' Union) is a visitor ,to Wellington; :• The Rcv.W. A. Evans yesterday resumed 'his duties as chairman of the Benevolent Trustees after qn enjoyable holiday of three weeks. * Mr. F. W. Mansfield, Chief Electoral Officer for New, Zealand, has returned to Wellington from an official visit to. the Registrars of the South Island electorates.

Mr, F. C. Douglas, 8.A., who has sovered his connection with the local branch of the \ Valuation Department, in order to take up a. position with the Scrauton Correspondence ! School, was tho recipient of a travelling bag. and oaso of pipes from-his fellow-olßcers last evening.: Mr. Douglas will be stationed in Wellington.

The following' have been reelected without opposition to the Victoria College Council :—Dr. Knight, Parliamentary representative; Messrs. BY P. Wilson; graduates' representative ; R.; M'Callum, Education Board representative; H. D.. Bel), professorial representative ; and the Rev. W,. A. Evans, teachers' representative. : ~| . Mrs. Chas. Swiney, who passed away on Monday at her! residence, . Adelaide Road, was.born at Bunerana, co. Donegal. Sho is. survived by her husband, two sons, two daughters, and eleven grandchildren. Deceased had been a resident in Adelaide Road ' for 36 years. Mr, Swiney's shop and dwell-' ing was, it is understood, the first building to front that street. « Mr. H. Thompson, Land Purchase Officer of the Public Works Department, who is retiring on superannuation after 24 years'.; service, was presented by , his: fellow-workers yesterday with a beautiful silvor afternoon tea set. " Mr. Hi J. H. Blow, Under-Secre-tary for Public 'Works, mado the' presonta-', tion, and referred in high terms to . Mr. Thompsons personal and official qualities. .. At a dinnor oil Monday night'to celebrate thodivisioh of the Waipawa County (says a 'Press Association message) the past and present. Councillors presented tho chairman, Mr. A. E. Jull, with a gold watch, in recognition of his services, and Mrs. Jull with a silver cake-basket.... ' The clerical staff; presented' Mr. Jull with a gold sovereign-case. Speeches oulogistic of Mr. Jull's. services were .delivered by prominent residents.

Captain J. Forbes, the popular, common- 1 " tier of the Now Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Turakina, has been made a Knight of the First Class of the Order of St. Olaf by the King of; Norway, in recognition of service rendered by him- in rescuing eight ■ of the craiv of a Norwegian whaler lost off ' ,tbe Crozets.The King of England has granted Captain. Forbes pormissiou to wear the decoration -of, the.Order. Sir Joseph Ward returned from the North •- yesterday morning. Ho was busily engaged ' during the. day, a meeting of Cabinet being, held in tho afternoon. The rrime Minister will .leave for the .South ■ Island to-morrow . night..;, He'will be accompanied by the Hon.. R. M-Nab (Minister for Lands), and will visit Contfal' : Otag&'. J m' > Bonnection, with proposed irrigation .works .there. It js probable that the Prime Minister will pay his 'promised Visit torKawhia at an early date. . Feeling .reference;to the death of Mr. ■ Harry Drummond, who took a very active part in the work of the Boys' Institute; particularly in the religious, branch,; was made; by (various speakers at. the annualitnoeting of the institution last night. His loss, Mr. Justice Cooper observed, was one which was . sorely felt, and which would bo very, difficult to repair. The deceased gentleman . spared no, effort to see that the boys and youths belonging to the Institute' were- properly trained. > He was a man of singular ability for the purpose of leading tho young lads in a spiritual direction, and he had done very great work indeed in his-Master's cause.Mr. ; Wm.., Frederick" Ward,•• formerly a ■

master. at Wellington College, \was,- oh the motion of Mr. T.: Young, admitted as a'bar- 1 rister and solioitor of the Supreme Court byi Mr. Justico Chapman-..yesterday. It . is worthy of mention that, immediately after his: admission, 'Mr. -Ward appeared as junior ' 1 counsel for the appeljant in J a case bofore the: Court of Appeal. / His leader, Mr. Young, addressed the Court at; length, and, upon rising to-follow him; Mr.'Ward caused a little merriment ' by observing > that it ' - would be impertinent for a barrister of a fow moments'' standing to attempt ■ to < add moro than aifew .words to his'leader's'eon-'-tentions.. •' . V'/VV. ' •Mr. 6. L. Griffiths, late editor and- proprietor of the "Fiji Times," the news of whoso death was received in Wellington on Monday, was a forty-years' resident in" tho '■■■■ islands, and . was regarded as " the grand ■ old man of; Fiji.. At a public meeting held at Suva .during 'thefirst week of March, to do honour to Mr, Griffiths, Mr. H. Marks said that when the,history.of:Fiji canto to bo written, it would not bo complete .unless tho name of Mr. Griffiths appeared very prominently'therein. As a resident of forty years' standing',: it was to that gentleman,' and a few other old colonists who followed where ho had led, (hat Fiji was to-dny indebted tft tho fact that tho British flag flew, over the islands. There was 1 no: question that Mr. Griffiths had; gone further :. than' at present' they were able to gaugo v towards- placing the colony in the position it occupied to-day, and from which it was .certain' in tlio-'tioa'r; future ; to 'emerge -to mako its mark as one of Britain's' important oversea possessions. Other speakers, ■■ including Messrs..H. M.-Scott, H/.Berkeley, Lazarus,, and G; J. Marks ,(the Mayor of Suva), spoke in . similarly, high praise of Mr. GrifDths's useful life in Fiji. The deceased left a family of ten—four daughters and six sons. Of the sons Messrs. C. A. and H. L. Griffiths, of the fruit and produce ' firm of Griffiths and Co., are well-known in Wellington., Mr. L. .V. Griffiths, .of Messrs. .

John Duthie and Co.'s staft,: and Mr. Claudo Griffiths,', who is attending, the Wellington Teohnical School,. aro: also members of the family. . . ' ■