PICNICS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 56, 7 March 1930, Page 4

PICNICS

■•■ RAILWAY OFFICERS. There was a very good attendance at the third annual picnic of the Railway Officers' Institute, which was held at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt, on Sunday. The weather was excellent, and_ a splendid programme of events was carried out. The committee, with Mr. W. F. Gill as secretary and Mr. R. Gow chairman, made every arrangement to ensure the success of the outing. The branch chairman (Mr. R. Gow), in the* absence of the president (Mr. V. R. J. Stanley), presented the prizes. Visitors included Messrs. J. Cameron (late District Traffic Manager), H. W. Franklin, J. C. Schneider (Assistant District Traffic Manager), J. W. Dayman (chief accountants staff), and A. Johnson (stationmaster, Masterton). Apologies were received from the Minister of Railways (the Hon. W. B Taverner) and the General Manager of 'Railways (Mr. H. H. Sterling). Following were the results of the sports: —100 yards R. 0.1. championship: D. M. Hoult 1, J. Donald % Woodward 3. SO yards married ladies' race: Mrs. Ronald 1, Mrs. Creswell 2, Mrs. Barnes 3. 100 yards cadets' handicap: Woodward 1, De Joux 2, Fleming 3. 50 yards single.-ladies' race: Miss Barnes 1, Miss Warner 2, Miss Wheeler 3. 50 yards elopement race: Donald and Miss Finlay 1, Woodward and Mrs Rankin 2. Relay race. 440 yards: Head Office 1, Traffic Office 2. 100 yards open handicap: Ross. 1, Hoult 2, Woodward 3. 75 yards cigarette race: E. Smith and Miss L. Smith 1, Fairbairn and Mrs. Fairbairn 2. 75 yards thrAe-legged race: O'Flaherty and.Miss Finlay 1, Rae and Miss Cook 2. .100 yards married men's race: Davidson 1, Rae 2, Martin 3. 440 yards open handicap: Hoult 1, Jones 2, Couchman 3. ' 100 yards committee: Will son 1, Barnes and O'Connor, equal, 2. The practice.of giving a middle name to children was unknown in England before the period of the Stuarts, and it did not become at all common until Georgian times. There was, in fact, a law forbidding parents to give more than one name to their children. The same conditions prevailed in North America. Not a single member of the Mayflower's company had a middle name, and there are only three among the signatures to the Declaration of Independence. The first five Presidents of the United States had one Christian name only. t The summer, of 1929 in Britain was the hottest and' driest for sixty-four years, while the whole of the year formed the sunniest year for eighteen^ jrcars. )