PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 109, 1 February 1930, Page 12

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Minister of Education (Hon. H. Atmore) returned to Wellington yesterday from Nelson. The Minister of Internal Affairs | Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle), who returned to Wellington yesterday from' the south, will leave to-night for Rotorua. He is due back in headquarters on Wednesday or Thursday next. The Minister of Labour (Hon. W. A. Veitch) is expected to return to Wellington from the West Coast on Wednesday next. ' The Minister of Railways (Hon. W. B. Taverner) will leave to-night for the south. He will be absent from Wellington for some days. Mr. W. Waddell, superintendent of the State Advances, returned from the North last night. Mr. R. L. Andrew, of the Dominion Laboratory, has been elected to the Fellowship of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. Andrew is a recognised authority on milk analysis, and on problems relating to milk supply,' and has also carried out valuable work on the determination of the iodine content of waters and soils. Major-General R. Young, General Officer Commanding Military Forces, returned from the north by the Limited express yesterday morning. Mr. E. A. Turner, manager of Barclay’s Bank, Port Said, who, with his wife and family, has been visiting the Dominion, left for Sydney yesterday by the Marama. Mr. R. B. Teakle, general manager of the Canadian National Steamships, who is visiting New Zealand, will arrive at Wellington on Tuesday by the daylight express. He will stay at the Midland Hotel. The late Mr. Robert Aekins, whose death occurred in Wellington on Tuesday, joined the Railway Department’s service in February, 1883, and served in various positions in thb locomotive branch for a considerable period. He went to the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s office in March, 1898, and rose to the position of chief clerk, which position he held until his retirement in April, 1924. The late Mr. Aekins was selected by the Department to visit Australia in connection with the purchase of coal for the New Zealand railways during the serious coal shortage that occurred in 1920-21. He was regarded as a most capable officer and was held in the highest respect by all his associates. Mr. Henry J. Nightingale, M.A., who retired at the end of last year from the headmastership of the Greytown District High School, was farewelled at this week’s meeting of the Wellington Education Board. Mr. T. Forsyth, chairman, expressed the hope that in his retirement Mr. Nightingale would find some useful deeupation and that this might include work which would enable the board to avail themselves from time to time of his ripe experience. Several members paid tribute to the able service rendered by Mr. Nightingale, and also to help given by Mrs. Nightingale, not only in educational matters but amongst the community generally. Mr. Nightingale briefly referred to some parts of his service at a time when Pahiatua was on the borderline of civilisation, when he himself cleared the school ground of the heavy timber that was growing on it. He joined the Wellington Education Board in September, 1894, as an assistant in the Mt. Cook Boys’ School. Previous to that he had served five years as a pupil-teacher at Hokitika. After serving a short period at Mt Cook he was appointed to Ngaturi School, where he remained for abtut six years. In 1902 he was transferred to Dreyerton and later to Kopuaranga and Dalefield, and went to Greytown in April, 1920, remaining there until his retirement. Mr. Nightingale will continue to reside in Greytown.