PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

Evening Star, Issue 12162, 5 April 1904, Page 7

PERSONAL NOTES FROM HOME.

[From Our Sfkctal Correspondent.]

LONDON, February 26.

Mr C. P. Skerrett, the Wellington barrister, arrived in London a few days ago. He travelled home by the P. and ""0. liner Himalaya, leaving the vessel, however, at Marseilles and coming overland to Calais. Mr Skerrett has come to London to take charge of several New Zealand appeals to the Privy Council, chief anions? thrill being the Newtown licensing case! Owing, however, to the indisposition of Ixml Davey. these appeals cannot be reached until the middle of April. Until his cases are disposed of, Mr Skerrett must remain m the vicinity of London, and at present he has made no further plans. Callers at the Agent-General's this week included Mr H. A. Reid, M.R.C.V.S., Miss Carrie Craig (Wellington), Mr C. P. Skerlett (Wellington), Mr Win. Randall (Auckland), Mr James Balfour (Christehurch), and Mr Charles Cross (Christehurch). Mr James Paterson, formerly wool and produce manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, has opened an agency in London for Messrs A. S. Paterson and Co., of Dunedin. Mr Eustace H. Robinson, who for nearly ten years has managed the colonial department of Messrs Gordon Woodroffe and Co., Las been admitted as a London partner in the firm. Mr J. C. Thomson, who has for many years been connected with the firm's Indian business, has also been made a partner. Mr Deane 0. Shute, of Palmerston North, and Mrs Shute are on a visit to the Old Country. They left New Zealand on Christmas Day and joined the Orient liner Ophir at Sydney, arriving at Marseilles on February 6. After spending a few days seeing tiie sights of Paris, tney crossed the Channel and stayed with friends at Dover for a week or so. From there they have gone to Stiffkey Rectory, tn Norfolk, the residence of Mrs Shute's father, and later on they purpose visiting relatives in Hampshire, Cheltenham, and Scotland, returning to New Zealand at the end of next summer.

Mig J. J. Fletcher (Christchurch), who came Horns last November to join her daughter, Miss Baby Fletcher, in London is at present staying with friends at West gampstead. She proposes to go with Miss Fletcher to Switzerland for a couple of months in the spring, leaving London for Lausanne about the middle of next month. On retaining to this country they 81 * riends " and the North of England. Miss Mildred Trent, also of Christchurch, is with them at West Hampstead. She spent a year in Edinburgh at the School of Domestic Instruction, and gained a first class certificate for cookery in all its branches, both theoretical and practical. At present Miss Xrent has a post in tea rooms in Piccadilly. Miss Ruby Fletcher is spending a week, at Hitchin (Herts) with Mrs and Miss Hayhurst, of Temuka, and afterwards goes to friends at Peterborough Mr Wm. Randall (Auckland) is at pref n£ do 2' this beifl g *» se«>nd visit to the Old. Country within the last six land last July, and set safl again from tto colony m November, travelling via Cape Horn by the Wakanui. Mr* Randaii is a colonist of over forty vears' standing, but he has encircled the g'lobe a number of times since first landing in (New Zealand, and is as much at home in London as in the colony. Last year alone he spent no fewer than 150 days on the if , m ih& c o *™ of his travels. It i<= unlikely that Mr Randall will return to live m J,ew Zealand, although he may pay tbe colony another visit ?- T Brid S«- of Dunedin, who left London last June for Madras - , is now on i»s way back here, en route for New ZeaZSLa A n ° r to > avin g I«<Ea, Mr Bridger visited Agra Cawnpore, Lucknow, and other places of interest in the central proISFVS Illd, 'i Md on *e 2°th fast: he ? olnba y otl the V - and » f ° r J' ZJ'* v country, h j« purposes returning to New Zealand via tof GmeTjtfr spoicen of in India, especially, on account of her services in the Boer War Mr Samuel Vailo (Auckland) is' the object, of a paragraph in the 'DailyNews' this week as the chief advocate AeZL «ystem of railway fares in New Zea f°^

and the originator of tie scheme -which Hungary, adopted in 1889 as a result of Baron Huhner's visit to New Zealand. Mr John Prousc (Wellington) sang at St. James's Hall last Friday at a recital givan by Herren Hegedus and Buckhans. The 'Referee's' musical critic notes that the New Zealander is endowed with a fine baritone voice and musical feeling, but "requires more,study to give satisfactory renderings of high-class songs." Mr Prouse lias been engaged to sing at Mr Lauder Ranald's orchestral concert at St. James's Hall on. April 21 Messrs M. G. Lonisson (Christchurch) and J. G. Macdonald (Dunedln) have been admitted members of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and have received their diplomas. The former has been studying medicine at Guy's Hospital, and the latter at the University College Hospital in Gaw fir street, London. Dr J. J. Brown (also of Dunedin) has likewise been admitted as M.R.C.S.E.

Mr AV. H. E. Wanklyn, secretary of the Christchurch Jockey Club, who has be-in paying a brief visit to England for his health, leaves on his return voyage to-mor-row from Plymouth by the Rimutaka. Mr Jamea Balfour, well known in New Zealand as manager of the Bank o£ NewSouth Wales's Heslerton station at Diinsandel, near Christchurch, is on a holiday visit to the Old Country. En route he spent a week in New South Wales and a week in Victoria., arriving in London on the 12th inst. Mr Balfour expects to stay k this country about throe month.--, durino which time he will visit friends in Edinburgh, Fife, the Channel lianas, and the Midland Counties of England. Then, after a run across to Paris, he proceeds t" Canada, where he purposes spending about four months before returning to New Zealand. Having been connected with the frozen meat industry ui New Zealand for many years, Mr Balfour has naturallv been interested in seeing something of the disposal of the meat k Great Britain. With that object in view he has been a fTequent visitor at Sinfthiieid, and has also had mamconversations with the meat salesmen. "I am surprised." he says, "at the uneven quality of much of the Canterbury meat seen at Smith field. I find that 'prime Canterbury' is fast losing its name, so much si that few buyers are now impressed by wliat were once reliable brands. Buvi-i> now purchase mutton and lamb accordiuj to the quality it exhibits at Smithfield. .-n tirely ignoring the brand. I need not kmind Canterbury shippers of the reason of this. They know quite aa well as I c:o. and they have the remedy iu their ow. hands. I should like to advise them, hnu ever, to make an effort to breed a hdr« class of sheep, and also, when they do freeze coarser sorts, to see that thc.v are i*ot sen! here as 'prime Canterbury.''' Mr 3an'o-ii tells me that during his seven years.' man agement of the Heslerton Station be took sixty prizes at various agricultural slews, while Heslerton lambs aud sheep have "topped" the Addington market year after year. The salt} of the station sec-nn-d to him to afford a si itable opportunity frr a holiday, hence the present visit, to f.crvlnn