PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2165, 2 June 1914, Page 5

PERSONAL ITEMS

■Tho Right Hon. W. F. Massey (Primo Minister) is at Dunedin. Tho Hon Jas. Allon is duo to nrrivo this morning from Christchurch. The lion. R. H. Rhodes left for Christ-church last evening and will be away for ten days or a fortnight. ,'i a other Cabinet Ministers (oxcept tho Hon. Dr. Pomare) aro in Wellington. ■Dr.. Valiirtihe (luspector-Goneral of Hospitals) is likely to mako a good recovery after his recont operation, but his medical advisers stato that ho still requires a possibly extended period of rest. Tho opiscopal silver jubilee of Dr. Roman Catholic Bishop of Ballarat, Victoria, was celebrated last week, when the golden jubilee of his nomination to the priesthood also occurred. Dr. Higgins has, as a bishop, been associated with three Australian States—New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Mr. A. A. Paapo (Reform Party organiser) will leave for Auckland about the end of the week. Later ho will visit tho West Coast of the South Is.land. Mr. G. Spencer Clapham, Labour candidate for the Haw'ke'a Bay -seat, has announced his intention of standing down in favour of tho Liberal nomineo, tho Hon. R. M'Nab. Mr. William Russell Wilson Bligh, a grandson of Governor Bligh, died in Sydney last week. The deceased, who was a .bachelor, was 86 years of age. Mr. Walter Leslie, who has been appointed secretary to the West Coast Mining and Timber , Commission, left for the West Coast last evening. Colonel Leggo, Commonwealth representative on tho Imperial General Staff, who has appointed chief of tho General Staff in Australia, in succession to Brigadier-General Gordon, will rcceiv.o tho salary of £1500 a year, lliis is an incrcaso of £300 a year on the present salary, and tho object is to place tho Chief of the General Staff on the same grade as tho InspectorGoneral.

Mr. C. J. Reakos, Director of Livo Stock Division of tho Agricultural Do-, partment, and Mr. James. Duncan, Acting Director of Fields and Experimental Farms Division, left for the south last night, en route to the Dunctlin winter show, to bo opened by tho I'rimo Minister to-day. Mr. E. Beckway, secretary • and librarian of St. Hilda's Sunday School, Island Bay, who is leaving the district, wits presented with an afternoon tea service, on Sunday'afternoon. Tlio Rev. C. W. I. Maclaverty,. vicar of. tho parish, mado tho presentation. Mr. John Beveridge, licensee of the Grand Hot.ol,_and']at© president of the Wellington Licensed Victuallers' Association, is to be farewelled at tho Empire Hotel next Thursday afternoon by the licensed Victuallers' Association. Mr. S. M. Vaughan, of North Canterbury, returned to New Zealand by tho Rotorua yesterday. He has been two years in England, during which time he has been engaged in the wool business at Bradford. Mr. L. M'Kay, tho well-known amateur. athlete, who has been seriously ill, is now reported to be making a satisfactory recovery. If the contention of Captain J. H. Watson be correct, then tho honour of being the father of Australia lies with James Maria Matra. Captain Watson, with tho aid of various volumes and authorities, expounded this theory before a large gathering at the Australian Historical Society rooms in' Sydney last week. Matra, said tho lecturer, fajo - tho Home authorities, in 1783, a proposal to form a settlement l ii. New South Wales. His idea was that tho new settlement would provide fi_ homo for tho loyal American color nists -who had lost their property during the American resolution. Matra was a midshipman on tho Endeavour, on Captain Cook's first voyage. Afterwards he was Consul at the Canary Islands. and then Consul-General at TanCiers. He had a thorough knowledge both of New South Wales»and of tho colonists ho proposed should be cstablishcd there. But tlio authorities did not take up his Suggestion. Thev wanted Australia as a. dumping-ground for convicts, iiistead, in view of tho facfc that,' b.y the revolution, America rad been lost to England.