PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mataura Ensign, 29 September 1913, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Lady Deuman was a passenger by the Niagara, which arrived yesterday, but she did not land, briny; transferred straight to a. Melbourne Boat (states a Sydney Press Association cable). The death is announced of Mr James McAJpine, Government Inspector of Machinery, aged 37 (states an Auckland lTess Association telegram). J)r Ward, alitor of the 'Sydney Daily Telegraph,' announces his retirement at tho end of the year. Hi.s only reason for retiring is that he considers that a younger man should take on tho responsibility. At a Reform gathering on Friday evening (says a Press Association message I row Wellington) M r John Duncan, hi answer to a largely-signed re quisitioii, announced his candidature for Wairau in the interests of tho Reform. tsii- ncxt general election. William Blomheld, part proprietor of the Observer,' has been served with a writ to appear at the Supremo Court in Wellington to show cause why he should not be committed for contempt of court in respect to cartoons published in the Observer' reflecting on Mr Justice Edwards and the administration of justice m the Supreme Court at Auckland (states an Auckland Press Association telegram). ,• l H - , Lu3ttl ' at P r <*<?nt in charge of tho Gore brand) of the Union Bank of Australia, has been appointed to succeed Mr Wmughton as manager of tho Ash burton branch. Mr Lunn will commence his duties at Ashburten about tho middle of October. Mr Lunii's successor is due to arrivo at Gore on October 7 from Australia. Although Mr Lunn s residence liero lias only been tor a period of four months, he has made many friends all of whom will be pleaser to hear of his promotion. Sir Alfred Fast, A.R.A is dead (state-s a London Press Association cable). Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, 63 years ago, ho roceived his art, education in Glasgow and Paris. His reputation was chiefly as a landscape painter and many of his- picture* Jiang in public galleries at Home and ' abroad. He became. A.R.A in 1899 •' Two years ago he presented a representative collection of hi.s works to Kettering as a token ol "the love I have for the town and as an expression of latitude for recovery from a serious illness. ' He was president of the Royal Society of British Artists. Tbo personnel of the Electoral Department has l>oen somewhat altered (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent). Hitherto the electoral officers worked under a sub-department with the Registrar-General as head, but in view ol the surrounding circumstance* the Commissioners have decided to include that Department in the Department of Internal Ail'air.s of which Mr James Hislop k Fnder-SeiTetarv. By this important change Mr Hislop Ixv comes chief electoral officer of New Zealand in place, of Mr .Uansfkld, who. on account of his health, ha.s been obliged to relinquish those duties.

A surprise party gathered at. the residence of Mr .John Marr on Friday evening last to formally bid Mr and Mrs Marr and family gootl-hve on the eve of their departure from" the dig-* trict (writes our Waikaka correspondent), ft is about 20 years since Mr and Mrs Marr came to Waikaka and during that time they have made themselves very popular, the former on account of the keen interest he took in the welfare of the district and Mrs .Marr for her .willingness to assist in cases of sickness, ior former experience as a nurse being of great value. On behalf of those present Mr John Byer.s presented to Mr and Mrs Marr an armchair each and 1 two gold brooches to the two Misses Marr. Mr Marr suitably returned thanks and gave all a hearty invitation to visit them in their new home. During the evening songs, recitations and [instrumental music were rendered, the ; gathering concluding with tho singing 'of "Aukl Lang Syne." 1 Tho death oceurred yesterday ol Constable MoQuarrie, formerly of Ma taunt. The deceased had been suffering for some time from ulceration of the stomach in an acute form. Constable MeQuarrio joined the force at Wellington in: January, 1898, and a year later was transferred to Port Chalmers. He wae stationed there until 1906, when he was ti-nnsf erred to Temuka, and a year later to Mataura. In 1910 hoVas appointed, clerk of the court at Winton, and ha.s been stationed there ever since. The deceased, who was a niarrier man, 40 years of ago, leaves a widow and nine children, six of whom are under the age of If years. His decease is rendered all the more pathetic by the fact that his. widow, too, is at preI sent confined to her bed through illness. AVherever ho was staioned, Constable MeQuarrio was always popular, both with his comrades and with the general public, this being due to the intelligent and courteous manner in which he p«rformed his duties. Sir Joseph Walton, M.P. for th« Rarnsley division of Yorkshire (and a member of the British Parliamentary party which recently toured Australasia) arrived at Gore from, the South this morning, and was the guest ol Mr K. K. Howler l>eforo proceeding to Qmvnstown by the one o'clock express, where he intends to spend a few days. Sir Joseph Walton is -recognised as an authority on commercial matters, and is one of the most hard-working and IHM-.siKt.iMit politicians in England. He has only one motto-work I—and his life is full of it. Beginning in a small way as a. coal merchant in Middlesborough, in North Yorkshire, he is now 'a prosperous coalowner, residing at a delightful spot on the Yorkshire const, ami be was probably responsible mere than anyliody else ior the "discovery" of Hon. H. L. Samuel (tho PostinasterCieneral, and one of the most promising young men in the British Cabinet). He is a friend 1 of Lord Hosebery, a Liberal Imperialist of the most "pronounced type, and it was common tialk at one time in certain political circles that had liord Kosehery kept office, Sir Joseph Walton would not have boi\n far out of tilt; Foreign Office.