personal items.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 508, 15 May 1909, Page 4

personal items.

• > s at present visiting Auckland. '.// His Excellency tho Governor is at Tokaanu, Tauoo. > Mr. G. Laurenson,' M.P. for Lyttelton, was. in town yesterday.' Ho returned to Lyttelton by tho Maori laßt night. Mr. I'. M'Coll, l J owor Station Superintendent, is at present enjoying holiday leave in the Wairarapa\ ; Mr. Edward Noyo, ah old settler in the whaling days, died at Maliia on Tuesday, states a Press Association telegram from Wairoa. Yesterday Councillor J. J. ! Dovine and Councillor W. H. Morrah wore elected chairmon of tho Legislation and Leaseholds, and Outlying Districts Committeos (City Council, respectively. Dr. T. Hodskin's plans have undergone a chango. Ho leaves on Monday' for Ekota- . huna, and will go on later in tho week to Haveloek North, where he will join his family, who leave by sea for Napier to-day. Mr. R. H'Nab leaves for Auckland by today's express traiu. He. will deliver an ad-, dress at Auckland on Monday on the subject of compulsory military training, and will subsequently speak at Hamilton. Thames, and Waihi. ■ 1 . Mr. W. Gothard, editor of the Westport' "Times," lias just rotumod to Wellington > from a trip to Sydney and inland New South Wales.' whore ho found tho prevailing: topic ■; was whether tho drought would break. Mr. Gothard will leave for Westport this afternoon. >' ' The funeral of the late Mrs.' Eliza Mayor (mother of Messrs. Thomas and Henry Mayer, of this city) took place" on Thursday, the ltov. J. K. Elliott officiating at' tho graveside. Among ,the floral tributes* was one from tho Swifts Football Club, of 1 which Mr. 11 G. Mayer was a vice-president. A Press Association, telegram from Napjer states that Mr. Henry Trent, Commissioner of Lands, who' is retiring from tho public service, was entertained last night at a dinner, by the Civil Service Association, and presented with an illuminated address signed by the officers of the Lands and Survey Department in the Hawko's Bay and Nelson districts. . • ' Tho Prime' Minister (Sir Josoph Ward), and the Hons. Dr. Findlay, D. liuddo. T. , Mackenzie, and G. Fowlds arojn Wellington, tho Hon. J. Carroll at Gisborne, tho Hon.: A. W. Hogg at Masterton, tho Hon. R. M'Kenzio at Gisborne, the Hon. J. A. Millar at Otira, en routo to Groymouth, and tho Hon. A. T. Ngata at Napier—leaving in the evening for Gisborne. . The Hon. D. Buddo leaves for Auckland ; on Thursday next. After disposing of some Departmental matters: in the northern city, he will pay a visit to'the camp at'Karero for convalescent consumptive patients. It is just a year since- tho experiment of employing this class of. invalidsin tree-planting work was inaugurated, ahd' during tho past • twelve months a fair, number ,of convalescents have boon able to leave' the camp much benefited,: and have', resumed (their ordinary, occupations. ; Messrs. Turnbull and Jones, Ltd., who are ■ best known as representatives of tho British Westinghouse Electrio and: Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; and who'-now have'branches In : oacn of v tho four centres, find it necessary to appoint a general manager to tako charge ! . of their rapidly-expanding business. They have selected for tho position Mi 1 ..5. Blackley, who is well known in Auckland as thoir district manager there, and who; Wob . previously assistant electrical engineer to tho Glasgow Corporation tramways. , Ufe p^gj. tion in Auckland is ,being filled by an up-to-date electrical engineer from the Old Coun- • try, and Mr. Blaekley takes up hia duties in Arlington Mmost immediately.' ' Mr. A: W.'Blekerton amved from, Christchurch yesterday, '■ and left ; - in ' tho ' afternoon for Sydney. : 'His:• r ' objoct „in visiting Australia is to bring 'jus cosmic theory of impact into more prominence. * 'Tlio official peoplo in New , ,Zealand," he remarked to .a Dominion reporter, "do not seem to care.for high-class original resoarcli, so 1 am going to see what 1 can do on the other Bide. Now that my theory of cosmic evolution has received tho hallmark of the opinion of many qualified experts, it is time, something was' done to make it common property,, and as New Zealanders don't seem to bo interested I am going to try Australia. 1 expect to bo away two' or three months." r Mr. Cook, who has resigned his positibn as accountant to tho Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, in order to go ii.to ■' business oh his own account; was yesterday presented by tlio staff frith a tea and ooffeo service. The presentation was made by Mr. Hannay. In replying, Mr. Cook said that during his long association, of some 28 years, with tho company, he had seen it pass through various . stages of prosperity and ;dopression. There had been tunes when, to meet current expenditure on contracts,' the directors had been obliged to draw on llitir private funds, in sums of from £1000. to £5000 each. In conclusion, Mr. Cook thanked tho staff for tho alilo assistant they had always givon him, and Mr. Hannay . and Mr; Marchbanks, for tho great consid-' eration they had always extended to. him. / - A presentation of a gold chain and pendant was'modo at .the same time to Mr. Simons. .An interesting gathering, took .place yesterday morning at tho head oilico of, tho Inspection'of Machinery ; Department, when ; Mr. John'Driscoll, who has boon Record .Clerk .to the Department for a number of years, was presented with a token of the goodwill of the officers on the occasion of his retiring from the service on superannuation, , The presentation was made by : Mr. Duncan, Chief inspector of Machinery, who said'that all of tho officers 1 of. tlio Department had joined in ;the presentation.' Ho referred to. the good 'work done' by Mr. ... Driscoll during his connection with tho Dopartmont; and tlio harmonious way in'whiok his work had at all times,been carried out. On behalf of'tho officers of tho Department, ho conveyed to Mr, Driscoll tho best wishes of the staif, and hoped that tho recipient might enjoy many happy years. ; Mr.. Driscoll's official / career, commenced. over -• 40 years ago, and he gave an interesting account of his early' oxperienoes in ,various positions. ' .

. In referring yesterday to the death of Mr. George Anderson, reforonco was made to tlio enthusiastic' endeavours of the , dcconsed gentleman wlion a city councillor to secure, for the Thorndon end of tho city a suitablo rccrcation gimind, Th« outcome, after many years of untiring effort, was Anderson Park. It should ho. mentioned'that Mr. Andorson was almost, enthusiastio about tlio erection of swimming baths at Thorndou, and the present fine baths there owe their existence in no small measure, to his persistence. Although the deceased gentleman has been living in retirement for. a numbor of years, and has-been lost , to sight in publio movements, his earnest and determined advocacy of the need for providing opportunity for healthy, rooreation for tho younger generation is still homo in kindly Toinombranco by those—and thoy aro many—who were bronpht in touch with him during his long-sustained campaign. Mr.. Anderson was a member of the City Council for twelve, not two years as stated by'us yesterday, and while, as was perhaps inevitable under tho ward systom, his' eflorta were mainly devoifcd to, advancing the interests of that part'of tho city which he reprehe also did good and conscientious pervico to tho municipality as a whole.