PERSONAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 426, 8 February 1909, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

•: The Prime Minister and the Hon. Dr. Findlay are at Rotorua to-day, the Hon. J. A. Millar is in Auckland, the Hon. zie m Canterbury; the Hon. A. T.: Ngata at Port Awanui, the Hon. A. W. Hogg m, the Wairarapa, and the Hons. D. Buddo, ;.R. M'Kenzie, J. Carroll,.'and G.Fowlds are m ; town. '.■;.',::''!'.;'/, . '■ ''.-• '■'.:■;']:■(: ■'. Dr. P. Marshall, of .Otago University;-ar-rived in Wellington.on Saturday...: V.:*v.':;'•'■:' :■' Mr. W. Dinnie,: Commissioner of Police, is expected; to Return .-from Auckland ; by Wednesday. .;: ; ; '.' i. ■;. ''.:./-;'. '■'/•' - : . ; .i:"-' ; v' : ' : ~V;.'- ■; ■ ',: The: Hon.. Dr. : -Findlay,' who" inspected'the Waiotapu prison camp,-near Rotdrua 1 ; on Satf urday, is expected "back"-.in' Wellington ; -;t6f iriorrow night.-,.;':".;f ; :''';:.-, ;.' ,"v ■■: []'._ r''X : -y The- Rev. ;Father Le-Menant '■. des Chesnais;: of, Leeston, Canterbury, is spending; a few ■ L.'"- ',/v? :,- -/;Mr.,.-T.!-E..Donne; Superintendent, 0f..-the' ■ Tourist-Department;-', returned te..- Wellington from the .south' on Saturday.: :'; ■;■■ X. 'I; 0 ;V 'V l ;Mr. , ;R:-:.-8.-- ; Willlams'j-.'- : thB; ; didate; for, Wellington Suburbs; seat at, the general:election; of 1908,-will be;entertained■ by his friends' and ; supporters in the .Town Hall. Concert Chamber on Wednesday r even-: "ing ;ne-rt.';'i \.'- : .';• XfX •; : : i;. \X'JJr.X r . .;';:■' X ■'•'• X\-~ H..;-J. { H.- Blow,' Undersecretary; for. Public '.Works,"and' Mr. :R. W. : Holmes; gine'er-ih-Chief-.of the Public; Works Department; will accompany the Hon; R. M'Kenzie to-Auckland;:,leaving.on Friday- next, to;inspect - the; proposed, routes, forjthe, extension of the/North Auckland.railway..;:.' \X\'!rXi. . rv-The.'death' is .announced of -Mr;.-M.'. Staun.tbh,.postmaster'.at Wfc'ipawa;;aged-sl!:years.; Mr. Staunton was born' at Williamstewn, Melbonrno, Victoria, and camo to New Zealand when quite a boy. He was educated at Dunedin, and later joined tho Post and Telegraph Service. Later he was postmaster at Clyde, and was then transferred to Waipawa. The last illness was only a brief one, and 'Mr. Staunton had just made arrangements to go on his annual holiday leavi;. He was twice married. The body is to'be conveyed to Dunedin for interment, ' The Rev. James' Rattray, of Pongaroa, passed through Dunedin on Friday on a visit to friends in Balclutha, after an absence of 22 years, mainly" in the Commonwealth. Mr. Rattray (says tho "Otago Daily Times") had a pleasant iflustration of how small the world is after all. Within an hour of leaving the express at Dunedin he was in conversation! with Mrs. F. Barritt, wife of tho Rev. Frank Barritt, of Johannesburg, Transvaal, who was also on, a visit to friends in Dunedin after an absence of 18 years. Tho meeting of old friends in this fashion,'after so long an absenco, was indeed a pleasurable coincidence. The pleasure afforded will be better understood when it is stated, that Mrs. Barritt, as Captain Ella M'Millan, of tho Salvation Army, commenced the work of the Army in Balclutha 'in 1884 ,and Mr. Rattray, then a lad in his teens, was one of the lady's .first converts in those stirring days. / , _ Tho Hon. R. M'Kenzie, Minister for Public Works and Mines, returned to Wellington from Nelson yesterday.', On' Friday next he leaves for' Auckland, arid on the following Monday he will open a new section of railway botween Wayby and Wellsford. At the invitation of the Auckland Railway Loagiie, tho Minister will then 1 inspect the country north of Auckland, and obtain such information as will enable him to decido whether the railway shall be constructed on the route originally survoyed by the Public Works Department, or by a deviation to tho westward, which has many advocates. . The Minister is oxpected to return, to Auckland from this inspection on Tuesday,' February 23, and after that he will probably inspect the alternative routes suggested for the AucklandEast Coast railway, from Waihi te Tauranga, for whir h Parliament will be asked to make an autkirisation next session, after the courso of the railway has been fixed. This iiitipection is expected to oooupy another week, and it is probable that the "Minister, before returning to Wellington, will also inspect thePaoroa and Waihi mines.