PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 73, 19 December 1928, Page 13

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Minister of Lands (Hon. G. W. Forbes) returned to Wellington from the south yesterday.

The Minister pf Labour (Hon. W. A. Veitch), who returned to Wellington from Dunedin yesterday morning, left in the afternoon for Wanganui. The Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, Minister of Health, paid an official visit to Lower Hutt yesterday morning, and was shown several places of interest, including the Riddiford Baths, and was afterwards entertained by the Mayor (Mr. W. T. Strand). The Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, M.L.C., who has been absent abroad for some months, is expected to arrive by the Remuera on December 31. According to a Press Association cablegram from London, Sir James and Lady Parr gave a dinner on Monday night at the Mayfair Hotel to 35 New Zealand authors, artists, and journalists, including Mr. David Low, Mr. Harry Rowntree, Mr. Fred Doidge. Miss Marie Ney, Miss Isobel Wilford, Miss Stella Murray, Miss Rosemary Rees, and the Hon. W. Pember Reeves. Mr. F. G. Cray, who has been confined to bed for two weeks with laryngitis, is now recovering and hopes to be at his office this week. Mr. O. N. Gillespie is making an extended visit to Auckland. Dr. C. A. Cotton, Professor of Geology at Victoria College, who has been on a trip to Great Britain and Europe, returned by the Maunganui yesterday.

Mr. J. M. Hott returned by the Maunganui yesterday from a business trip to Australia. Mr. W. A. George left on his return to Australia by the Makura yesterday.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan, M.L.C., returned from a trip to Great Britain by the Maunganui yesterday. Mr. I. W. Weston, who for the past year has been agricultural economist for the Department of Agriculture in Tasmania, left Wellington by the ferry steamer last night to take up his new appointment as farm economist at Canterbury Agricultural College. He was accompanied by Mrs. Weston. Mr. Weston was formerly on the staff of the Agricultural Department. of New Zealand.

Mr. E. Bell, who has been on a visit to England, returned to Wellington by the Maunganui yesterday. Captain Charles Austin, of the Steam Inspection Service, San Francisco, who has been visiting relatives in Sydney, arrived in Wellington yesterday, with his sister, Mrs. Fernandez, of this city.

Mr. W. E. Bush, city engineer of Auckland, returned from a holiday tour in Australia on Monday. Dr. Riddell, of Wellington, late Port Health Officer at Nauru, will leave by the Port Curtis, as ship’s surgeon, for London, this week. Mr. E. Baynes, president of the Royal National Association of Queensland, will make a tour of New Zealand during the month of January. He proposes leaving Sydney for Wellington on January 11 and will proceed directly to the South Island, where he will spend the former part of his stay in the Dominion. He has been actively connected with the Royal National Association of Queensland for the last thirty-eight years, and during the last six years has been president of that organisation. Mr. R. G. Brophy, second in command of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, left by the Maori last night on his return to Dunedin to meet the steamer Eleanor Bolling, which is due there from the Antarctic to-morrow. Mr. Brophy is going to the Antarctic in the steamer, which will sail from Dunedin on or about January 1.

English files to hand contain particulars of the death of Lieutenant G. H. B. Madocks, only surviving son of Brigadier-General Madocks, C.M.G., D. 5.0., who was well-known in military circles in this country as company commander of the New Zealand Forces at the battle of New Zealand Hill during the South African War. Lieutenant Madocks was killed in an air accident at the beginning of the first meeting held by the Household Brigade Flying Club at Brooklyn, England, on November 9. The tragic end of this promising flying officer is all the sadder in vew of the fact that his brother was killed in a motor accident with Lord Trematon in France about twelve-months ago. Lord Trematon was the only son of the Earl of Athlone, Queen Mary's brother, who is at present Governor-General of South Africa. Brigadier-General Madocks has thus had the extreme ill fortune to lose two sons within the short space of a year. The sympathy of many friends in New Zealand will go out to the bereaved parents, both of whom are well known in New Zealand, Mrs. Madocks having been a daughter of Sir Walter Buller.

A special message from Auckland states that the distinction of being made a member of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners has been conferred on Captain H. H. Sergeant, harbourmaster at Auckland. Membership is limited to 600, and the honour of membership has been conferred on only eight New Zealanders.