PERSONAL ITEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 March 1925, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Upon .'making inquiries on Monday :i Times representative was informed that the Prime Minister (the Bight Hon. AV. F. Massey) continued to make steady progress towards recovery.,

A communication received from Sir Ernest Rutherford states definitely that Lady Rutherford and he will visit Christchurch at the- end of September. His principal object is to see his parents in Taranaki. He. will stay in New Zealand six or eight weeks. Mark Nicholls; the AIL Black hack, has accepted a position at Masterton in the firm of a land arid estate agent, and will take up his residence at -Masterton next week. He will play for the Masterton football club. Sir James Gunson, Mayor of Auckland, is retiring from office in the lirst weeic in May. alter a notable career, marked by efficiency, energy and remarkable civic progress, it is his intention, after retirement, to take a recuperative holiday before, re-entering commercial life. New Zealand officers who passed through the New. Zealand officer,s convalescent home at Lewis Orescent, Brighton,. England, during the war, will be pleased to learn that Mr. and Mrs.; C. R. Knight, with their sou and daughter, are paying a visit to New Zealand. Mr. and. Mrs. Knignt, besides giving the free use of their two houses', aiso left them fully furnished, and paid for the cost of alterations and renewals, as well as for conversion of these seaside residence? into convalescent hospitals.—Special correspondent.

Master James K e ith O’Dea, eldest son of Mr. P. O’Dea. of Hawera, was yesterday notified by the Registrar of the University of New Zealand that, in addition to passing Matriculation and Solicitor’s General Knowledge as previously notified, he had also passed ihe Medical Preliminary examination. It is his intention to study Medicine at the University of Otago. Changes in the personnel of the Main Highways Board are announced. • Mr. G. T:. Murray, inspecting engineer to the Public AVorks -Department and a foundation member of the board, is in terms of the Public Service Regulations to retire on April 30,, though he, may remain a member of the board until July 31. Mr. C. J. McKenzie, assistant engineer-in-chief to the Public AVorks Department, now on tour for investigation purposes in America and Europe, is to take Mr. Murray’s place on the board.

A visitor to Hawera during the last few days has been Mrs. Browning, who two years ago was a residept of the town. Mrs. Browning is already seven-ty-nine, but she, is as . fit ,as a young woman and spends a great deal of her time travelling by herself, except during the winter. She left to-aay for Dargaville, and later will go across to the Bay of Plenty for the v winter. She was staying with Mr. and Mrs Arnold, and has been looking up old friends. She is very interested to see the solid growth of the town and the progress in the district.

Mr. T. M. AVilford, Leader of the Opposition, announced the candidature of Mr. Charles Irvine Harkness, of AA”eraroa;.a dairy farmer, as ihe LiberalLabour candidate for the Otaki seat next election, states our AVellington correspondent. Mr Harkness, who is a dairy farmer, had been for seven years a member of the AA’ellington Education Board and seven years a member of the Horowhenua County Council. He is a. member of the provincial executive- of the Dairy Farmers' Union and president of his local branch. He was a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and was a staunch advocate for the establishment of an agricultural college at Weraroa. — Special- Correspondent.