OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 21993, 1 April 1935, Page 10

OBITUARY

MRS MARY PATERSON The death on March 25 of h ' s a | ! ? - v Paterson, relict of the late Captain R. C. Paterson, in her ninety-fourth yeai, removed, another of those staunch pioneers who did their part nobly in days of hardship. Arriving from Melbourne about 1860 as a young br.de, she accompanied her husband to \ anous ports as the vicissitudes of the shipping trade caused him to shift Ins residence. Captain Paterson in the ear y sixties became interested in the small steaniei Planet, which-traded to the . Inien River and was eventually wrecked on the bar there. At that time goods tor Tuapeka and the Waipon goldfae,ds were shipped from Dunedin to the Taieri River mouth, and Horn there punted to Waihola. I-rom lliuhola bullock wagons carried the loads to the various mining camps. Captain and Mrs Paterson resided for some, tune at Waihola, he supervising the river transport. About 1864 they removed to Waikouaiti. Between Dunedin and Waikouaiti he carried on coastal trailing for some years, the latter township at that time'being a very busy pore with its Customs officer, and also being the distributing centre for goods for the Hamilton and other.gold diggings. When the rush took place to the M est Coast gold diggings Captain and Mrs Paterson transferred their home to Hokdtika, where he again, entered the coastal carrying trade until falling business necessitated a return to Dunedin. Captain Paterson then took part m the ‘ then growing, coastal trade between Dunedin and Invercargill, and for many years was a well-known figure on the waterfront’ of both towns. In the ’seventies the Patersons settled at Mornington, where their large family ot boys and girls were educated. Some time after the captain’s death Mrs Paterson, along with her youngest sou, took up land at Toiro. where, although in her eighties, she shared in the management of the farm. On the death of her son she. returned to Dunedin, were she resided till'her death. She was a woman of striking character, hill ot _kindliness to her neighbours and mends. Three members of the family, are still alive—viz., Mr Jas. Paterson, of Sydney, Mrs Turner, of Dronlle, Cali- - fornia, and Mrs Salmon, now of V. ellingtbn.

MR J. G. CLARKSON [Pee Ukited Press Association.! CHRISTCHURCH, March 31. The death occurred on Saturday of Mr John Chygil! Clarkson, head ot the firm of W. B. Clarkson and Sons, meat exporters, • and well known ior his interest in rowing and, in his eauiei years, cricket. M’’ Clarkson became suddenly ill on February 23 and alter ah operation appeared to he recovering. On Friday, however, his condition became worse, and he died on Saturday,. He was fifty-seven years of age. MR P. C. HERMAN One of the earliest promoters of motion picture ; entertainment in New Zealand and a prominent business man. Mr Percy Arthur Herman, ot 'Auckland, died on Tuesday night last in a private hospital after a short illness. Born in Dunedin in 1866, Mr Herman was educated at. a private ■school -here, and .began his business career as an auctioneer at Napier. In 1900 he went to Christchurch,-'where he established a business as land agent and sharebroker. After fourteen years he went to Auckland, where he founded the firm of Mercantile Brokers Limited. ' Mr Herman was connected with the formation of the- first motion picture -exhibiting company m New Zealand, Hayward’s Enterprises Limited, which commenced operations in 191 Q. Later, when it amalgamated with hulller s Pictures Limited, Mr Herman became at director. His association with the entertainment world included the legitimate stage, for he. was Auckland representative for J. C. Williamson Ltd. from 1918 to 1928. ’■ In earlier years Mr Herman was ’prominently connected with racing and owned several well-known horses, these included Pallas. Blythe Maid and Mow Tom. The last-named won the u rand National Steeplechase, at Christchurch in 1904. Mr Herman raced under the name of “ C. Machell.” . In 1889 Mr Herman married Miss B. Moeller, of Wellington who sumves him. There is one son, Mr Cedric tierman,' c* c ‘ ‘Auckland, and a_ daughter, Mrs A. B. Siey wright. of Wellington. A second son; Mr B. P. Herman, who Was a lieutenant in the New Zealand Expeditionary lorce, was killed' in France in 1916. CAPTAIN REGINALD BERKELEY i ii ■‘ ■ . " 1 - - , #rew Association— By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, Match 31. The death is announced of Captain Reginald Cbeyue Berkeley, actor and fclaywright, and a-former member ot House of Commons. He succumbed tj pneumonia following a major operapaon.

Captain Berkeley was a celebrated dramatist whose works scored wide itnd distinctive successes. He was born in London in 1890, and after being educated privately at Home came out |o New Zealand, graduating in law at She Auckland University College. He sra« called to the New Zealand Bar in 1912, hut his connection with the legal fcrofessioh here, and, in fact, his resilience in New Zealand, was terminated by the war, in which he participated fcnth the Imperial .Forces. During his sojourn in the dominion he had alyeady commenced, his literary activifeps,, among his most familiar writings being hisi contributions to the Auckland* Observer.' Captain Berkeley had a brilliant |war career. He served during the whole duration of the war, and won the M.C. and was mentioned m despatches in the 1918 retreat at Amiens, when he was brigade-major of Cary’s force. After demobilisation in 1919 he joined the staff of. .the League of Nations Onion, first as the editor of pamphlets and later as director of propaganda. He served on the League secretariat until he resigned in 1922 to enter the. Houseof Commons as Labour member for Nottingham (Central), a seat which he held for one Parliament only. He did not seek reelection, preferring to devote his time to his profession, having been called to the Middle Temple in 1919, and to the literary pursuits which found expression in a variety of forms. * French Lenve,’ produced in 1920, was his first but by no means his best work. * Eight O’Clock ‘ in the same year, and ‘Mr Abdulla,’ in 1926, were both worthy successors lo his maiden effort, and they achieved a generous measure of success, in 1927

with ‘ The White Chateau,’ he established himself in the front rank of British playwrights, .but he will probably be longest remembered for his outstanding . historical drama, ‘ The Lady With a Lamp,’ in which he traversed the full life and varying fortunes ot Florence Nightingale. His later .dramatic .lyorks were ‘ Machines ’ and ‘ 0.H.M.5.,’ produced in the last three or four years. Among his lessor known works were; ‘The Oilskin Packet ’ (1917), ‘ Decorations and Absurdities ’ (1922), with Bohun Lynch, ‘ Unparliamentary Papers and Other Diversions ’ (1924), ‘ The World’s End and Other Plays ’ (1926), ‘Dawn’ (1929), and ‘The History of the Rifle Brigade in the Great War.’ CIR ARTHUR STEEL-MAiTLAND Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, March 31. The death occurred to-day of Sir Arthur Steel-Alaitland while he was playing golf. SUDDEN DEATH OX COURSE. (Received April 1, at 11 a.m.) Sir Arthur. Steel-Maitland was playing on the Rye course. At the critical seventeenth hole, on which the match depended, he made a splendid drive. His partner turned round to congratulate Jiini, but Sir Arthur, with his club still in.his hand and the hall still running down the centre of the fairway, calJapsed over the sand box and died before the : arrival of the doctor.

Sir Arthur Herbert Dnnanioiul Ramsay Sfeel-Maitlaud, a former Minister of Lauour, was Conservative member of ihe Tamworth Division- of , Warwickshire, having been returned in a byelection in 1929. The ex-Minister was well lilted to hold the control of the Labour Department, having considerable. knowledge of mining and other ■matters, besides having neon trained by'experience as head'of the Treasury, then at the Board of Tradp-, and later still at the Foreign and Colonial Offices, He was born in India in 1876, the son of a colonel of artillery. After being educated at Rugby and Balliol, where he took a first in Greats, was president of the Oxford Union, and secured his rowing Blue, followed by a Fellowship at All Souls, he began his. training for a political career by becoming private secretary' to Mr Ritchie and then to Sir Austen Chamberlain when they were at the Treasury in the SallsburyBalfour Administration. He acted as Special Commissioner to the Royal Commission on Poor Laws in 1906-7, and was joint author of a report on the relation, of industry and housing to English pauperism. For five years, from 1911 to 1916, Sir Arthur was at the head of the Central Conservative Organisation. He entered into political office under the first Coalition Government, and later became head of the Overseas Trade Department in the Lloyd Ceorge.Coalition, a position which he'resigned because of dissatisfaction with the dual control of, the Consular system by the Board of Trade and the Foreign Office. Sir Arthur first entered Parliament as the Conservative member for East Birmingham, to which constituency he was elected m 1910, remaining its member until 1918, when he was elected for the Erdington Division of Birmingham. This seat he lost at the General Election, but was subsequently returned for the Tamworth seat Sir - Arthur received his baronetcy in 1917. In. 1901 he was married to Alits Alary Maitland, daughter of Sir James Maitland, whose name he later added to his own of Steel. MR JOHN The municipal flag was halfmasted today at Port Chalmers as a token of respect for Mr J. Tait whose death took place in Wellington yesterday morning; in his seventy-first year. Air T. Tait was a highly esteemed resident, and took an active part in promoting the interests of the district practically since his arrival from Scotland at the age of fourteen on the ship Taranaki. On the voyage out -his father died. He was the eldest son. His association with municipal activities was, if not unique, at least outstanding. For many years he served as a borougli councillor, and .was largely, if not wholly, responsible for planting the water reserves with trees in order to conserve the supply in dry weather. Ihe value of the plantations was very marked during the past summer. From 1917 to 1919 Mr Tait was mayor of Port Chalmers. From 1921 to 1926 he was town clerk, and for part of that period was also town manager. His personal interest was notable in all matters pertaining to the welfare of Port Chalmers. During the time he was chief plumber for the Union Steam Ship Company he sustained severe bodily injury in endeavouring to stop a runaway horse and cart in Cumberland street. Keenly interested in mechanics, Air Tait invented various appliances, and in order to bring on© of these to the notice of ship owners he visited the Old _ Country twenty-two years ago. It was, in fact, irt connection with this adoption of one of those inventions by the Railway Department that he visited Auckland, and while there met by appointment a Railway Commissioner from Australia. His patent, is about to be widely adopted for locomotives. Returning from Auckland he contracted a chill on arrival in Wellington on Wednesday night, pneumonia developing. Air Tait was an elder of the Presbyterian Church at Port Chalmers for nearly fifty years, and for_ thirty years was a teacher and superintendent of the Sunday school. His death is deeply regretted throughout the community. Airs Tait has six sons and daughters. The second son, Joseph, was killed in the Great War., The oldest son, John, is a solicitor in Invercargill, and the young son. William, resided with his parents. The daughters are Miss AI. Tait, milliner, Timnrn ; Airs R. Cherry, Dunedin; Airs C. J. Brown. Allanton; Airs J. Al'Kenzie, Invercargill; Mrs C. Pike. Alaori Hill; Airs Collin Al'Konzie, Tuapeka.