Personal

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 209, 3 September 1943, Page 4

Personal

Owing to indisposition, Mr. J. Callesen, chairman, was unable to attend yesterday’s meeting of the ManawatuOroua River Board. The War Office has announced that the Test cricketer Verity died while a prisoner of war, states a London cable. It was stated recently that Verity was wounded and taken prisoner in Sicily.

Members stood in silence at the meeting of the Mauawatu Drainage Board yesterday as a mark of respect for the late Mr. E. Wood, Mho was for a number of years chairman of the board. A letter of sympathy was aent to the relatives of tho late Mr. Wood from the meeting.

The death occurred in Wellington on Wednesday night of Major James Robert Kirk, M.B.E. Major JCirk, who was in his late 60’6, Mas born and educated in Dunedin, was a barrister, and was also director of several important companies. He had been mayor of Naseby and mayor of Gisborne; deputy - chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, member of the Royal Commission on Education in 3912, member of the Council of Education, and a delegate to Imperial Conferences on Education in London. He served in France as an officer of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, being subsequently appointed its first Director of Education, and besides Great War and territorial service medals, he held the Order of the British Empire aqd the Montenegran Order ot Danilo First. He was a fellow of the Roval Economic Society.

Advice has been received by Commissioner J. Evan Smith from the International Headquarters of the Salvation Army in London that Colonel John Bladin has been appointed Territorial Commander for Scotland, and promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Com-missioner. Commissioner Bladin is well knonn in New Zealand on account of his successful evangelical uork. At one time he commanded the Wellington City Corps. He served as a chaplain to the New Zealand Fojces in the Great War, first at Featherston Camp, and afterwards in England and France. Returning to New Zealand after the war he had appointments in connection with young people’s work, corps work, and a term as chaplain of the inebriates colony on Rotoroa Island. He then became National Young People’s Secretary for New Zealand, which position he occupied for eight years. He then went as Territorial Commander to Ceylon, and later as sub-Territorial Commander to Newfoundland. Appointments as Training Principal in Canada and Aubtralia followed, and then he was called to England to become Chief Secretary for the British Territory.

Magnet of High Wages Employers iu Auckland complain of valuable hours lost on r ing to employees absenting themselves, on the pretext of illness, from their regular jobs and working on the M r harves or on other highly-paid piecework occupations. There are many also who, unable to resist the temptation for bigger wages, take jobs by tho hour, generally at night, and are not in a fit physical state to do their permanent work properly. Some employers have noticed a considerable decline in production output, slovenliness, quarrelling and ineptitude. Fined for Loafing

The unusual charge of failing to perforin his alloted task with due diligence was brought against a fitter at the railway workshops at Otahuhu in the Magistrate’s Court, Auckland. The as-sistant-superintendent at the workshops said a number of complaints were made about defendant. At the end of March he Mas discovered idly sitting on the ground when he should have been working, and he M*as suspended. Ho had iiuco been directed elsewhere, and Mas working satisfactorily. Defendant told tho magistrate that other men had been pitting on the ground but only be had been singled out. The work was so easy that they often sat down. However, he had had several quarrels with the foremen, and happened to be caught. De* dendant, who had pleaded not guilty, was fined £5 and costs.