PERSONAL

Grey River Argus, 21 April 1945, Page 4

PERSONAL

Air Gunner R. Roche, R-N.Z-A.F., and his mother Mrs. P. Roche (Soutn Beach) have returned from a visit to Dunedin.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Johnston Hokitika, received word yesterday that _ then son, Alastair, who has been a prisoner of war in Germany for the past foui years, is now safe in England.*

Mr Elvin Seibert has been appointed as second secretary of the D e & a ' tion, and Consul of the United States in Wellington, states a Press Association message.

Mr. Richard Martin has been appointed general manager for New Zealand of the Vacuum OH Company. Mr. W. S. McLean will succeed Mi. Martin as assistant general manager.

Hon. J. O’Brien Minister of Transport and Marine and Atcing Mialstei of Mines, who with Mr. C. Bern y, Under-Secretary of Mmes,.will ainvc to-day to attend the opening of the Runanga Fire Station, will return t Wellington to-morrow.

Rev. W. F. Stent has been appointed a canon by the Bishop'ol Wellington, and will be installed during a session of the Synod in July. He is vicar of Masterton, and has been vicar oi Manaia, Taihape, Pahautanui, and Greytown.—P.A.

Mr. and Mrs. W. Fage, Cobden, have received word from their son Darcy, who is in the Merchant Navy, that he has recently met his uncle Driver Dudley Dobson, in England. Driver Dobson was taken prisoner on Crete, and was amongst a batch of New Zealand prisoners recently released by; the invading Allied forces.

The following are guests at Revington’s Hotel: Hon. B. C. Robins, M.L.C. (Tauranga), Messrs G. Todd, H. H. McKay (Christchurch), Mr and Mrs R. I. Beattie (Patearoa), Mr and Mrs L. A. Johnson, Mr and Mrs R. Dempster (Whan"«r Q ’). Mrs R. O. Chesney, Mrs J. P. "Phillips (Lower Hutt), ‘Mr and Mrs E. T. Williams (Sy'dney), Mr and Mrs P. MacFarlane (Wellington), Mr T. A. Birch (Christchurch).

A London cable states: Proposals for a visit of the President of t he United States for a victory parade in London soon after the encl of the German war have not been abandoned. An invitation has been extended to Mr anq Mrs. Truman, who would be the guests of the Government, and would stay at Buckingham Palace. Mrs. Roosevelt may visit London in a private capacity, as her son, Brigadier Elliot Roosevelt, who , is serving with an aerial photography unit, has asked her to return with him.

A London cablegram announces the death of Sir Ambrose Fleming, who was regarded as the grand old man of British science. Although he made broadcasting possible by inventing the thermionic valve, he never made a penny from the invention, except a retaining fee from the company which employed him. He remained a bachelor until he was 83, when he married a concert singer, Mary! Frank, then aged 34. Sir Ambrose in 1898, while holidaying at Bournemouth, participated in Marconi’s early experiments. A year later Fleming erected a wireless station at Cornwall, and on December 1. 1901, Marconi heard in America sound sent from it. Radio did no'_ exist when Sir Ambrose invented the thermionic valve, and it was not until 1904 that he realised that this was the form of detector that wireless needed.

Hon. B. C. Robbins, M.L.C., of Tailranga, who had been visiting Westport for the annual conference of the United Fire Brigades’ Association, arrived in Greymouth by rail-car last evening, and later attended a meeting of the Westland Labour Representation Committee. This afternoon he will attend the opening of the new Runanga Fire Station and to-morrow-evening at 8.15, will address a meeting in the Lyceum Flail of members and supporters of the Greymouth Branch of the Labour Party. He will leave for Reefton on Monday morning. While in Westport, Mr. Robbins was entertained by members of the Labour Party and accompanied by the Mayor (Mr. J. M. Robertson) visited the State and Convent Schools, where he so endeared himself to the children that he became known by the name “Uncle Ben.”

The death was recorded in a recent press cablegram from Dublin of Archbishop Michael Sheehan, formerly Coadjutor of Sydney. He was recognised as an outstanding senolar of Ireland, and was one of the foremost sociological thinkers in. the heirarchy during his stay in Australia. It was he who mainly clarified the moral issues involved at the onset of the Great Depression, when the Labour Party came to power, with its “socialisation objective.” “Without any strain on his religious principles,” he said, “the Catnolic worker may safely continue his struggle for'the improvement ot ms condition and for the removal of tn e economic evils in the State.” On the question of compensation to enterprises, which the State decided to socialise, Archbishop Sheehan took the most advanced position in Catholic sociological literature. “In these days of cartels and monopolies,” he wrote, “a case can be easily conceived in which ‘just compensation’ would fall very far below tne value of the property taken over by the State. I would even venture to say that in some instances no compensation whatever need be given; rather that restitution for a lung series of iniquitous dealings with the public could be demanded.”