PERSONAL ITEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 August 1925, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Messrs J. McCombs, M.P., and O. Hawken, M.P., were passengers by the express this morning for Wellington. Mr H. D. Forsvth, of Eltham, went south to-day as far as Paraparauinn, and will go later in the week to Wellington. A visitor to the district for the weekend was Mr J. Munro, M.P. lor Dunedin North. He was the guest of Mr A. C. Johnstone, of Auroa. At a meeting of directors of the Eltham Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., held on Saturday subsequent to the annual meeting, Mr. C. H. White was re-elected chairman.

Sir Maui Pomare (Minister for Health) and his secretary, Mr A. J. Conway, arrived in Hawera, on Saturday evening, and are staying at the Commercia 1 , Hotel. Included in the jarty is Mrs Conway and Miss Perry. Yesterday morning, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs Stewart, of Hawera, the death occurred, after a long and painful illness,, of. Mrs Mary Macliray, widow of the late Joseph Machray, of Pihama. Deceased came to New Zealand twenty years ago and resided at Pihama for about fifteen years, moving down, to Manaia after her husband’s death. She leaves a grown-up family of four sons and four daughters to mourn their loss. Several, members of the. Wellington Savage Club went through on Saturday to take part in a korero at New Plymouth that evening. They included Mr Marcus Marks and Mr H. W. Short t : , two of the best known members >f the club. On Sunday they .went to the Mountain House and climbed above tlie snow level. They were - most enthusiastic over, the trip, and considered the panorama of mountain! and val'ey one of the finest they had ever seen. I'his morning, too, the view of the mountain peaks in the centre of the island was particularly good. The party went south by express train today. The death occurred at New Plymouth on Saturday morning of Mr. Thomas Kingwell Skinner, at the age of 76 yeans. Mr. Skinner wa.s born in New Plymouth, and was the eldest son of the late Mr. T. Iv. Skinner, who oame out from Modbury, Devonshire, by the ship Oriental, arriving here on November 18, 1841, and afterwards married Miss Prudence Veale, daughter -of Mr. John Veale, Olawtoh, Devonshire. Educated in New Plymouth, Mr. Skinner, like hits brothers, the late Mr. JobSkinner and Mr. W. H. Skinner, who is now visiting England, took up the profession of surveying and engineering. Entering the service of the Piovi racial Government, lie wais. employed ira connection with' the purchase from Maoris of the Mon, Huiroa, and other blocks of land, and while engaged in their (survey he had often to endure considerable hardship. - Later he entered linto partnership with Mr. Thoma>s. Gore Sole, the firm becoming and remaining for many years borough engineers of New Plymouth, and haying much to do with the original municipal water supply and other important municipal works. Subsequently he was in private practice on his own account. Some years ago Mr. Skinner sustained a. isevere (Stroke, which .incapacitated him for a longl time, but- he made a good recovery and latterly had bc-en able to get about, though he led a rather retired life. He took a keen interest in public matters, and. was among fho.se ' who spent money and time in efforts to develop an oil indus-

He never married. The funeral will take place at To Henui Cemetery this afternoon. —Taranaki Herald.