PERSONAL

Northern Advocate, 4 May 1926, Page 4

PERSONAL

Mr W. Jones, M.P., returned to Whangarei this morning from a visit to Invercargill. The Mayor, Mr J. E. Holmes, left Whangarei today en route for Rotorua, and a visit : to the forest nurseries in that part of the province. An old and highly respected resident of Auckland for sixty years, Mr John Coles Smith, died at the home of his daughter at Hamilton, aged 91.

. A message from Napier announces that the death has taken place there ,of,.the Hon. W. J. Geddis, M.L.C., who was for many years connected with the Press in Auckland, Napier and Wellington. Mr Geddis wag 65 years of age.

On a holiday visit to this district is Mr W. Murphy, erstwhile of Kamo and now of Auckland, familiarly known as ‘ ‘ Billie. ’ ’ It was mainly due to Mr Murphy's activities that the Kamo Library was founded, and that in association with Mr A. R. Crane and others the Kamo Racing Club (now non est) came into being. Mr J. Ryan, the popular Auckland bass singer of the Lyric Quartet, has been prostrated by a nervous breakdown for the past month and is, likely to remain an inmate of the Auckland Hospital for some time. The President of the Auckland Orphans' Club, Mr Wm. Wallace, voiced the regret of the musical community at the disability of Mr Ryan, when announcing items by the Lyric Four at the open- i ing of the session on Saturday evening. He intimated that the quartet. had decided to tender a benefit in the Town Hall to Mr Ryan and family, and that the Auckland Orphans' Club would heartily co-operate in this deserving ea.use. 1

The late Sir Timothy Augustine Coghlan, whose sudden death in London was reported yesterday, was serving his third term as Agent-General for New South Wales, having previously held that position from 1905 to 1915, and from 1916-17. He was also representative of the Commonwealth on the Pacific Cable Board. He Was born in 1857, and was educated at the Sydney Grammar >Sehool. In 1.584 he was appointed assistant-en-. gineer of harbours and rivers,, and from 1886 to 1905 was ■ Government Statistician, New South Wales. He held other public positions and served on various Royal Commissions. Sir Timothy was the author .. of several works on Australia and of a financial and statistical, description. . • v