OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18471, 7 August 1923, Page 8

OBITUARY.

DEATH' OF OLD COLONIST. MR. BENJAMIN JOHNSON, Another rnember of the fast diminish'-i ing band of New Zealand pioneers, Mr*' Benjamin Johnson, of Ho wick, died at" Auckland on 1 Saturday, in his, 90th year, - , after having spent 58 years in. the Do- '~(0 minion. Mr. : Johnson had. a varied career. Born in Wiltshire, England,- he went to India' as a young man and was on the Governor-General'o staff for two years. ; From, India he went to the Chan- .-;;;■ pel Islands. He came to New Zealand 1 ;; in the troopship Nelson, commanded- by ■;.. Captain Hobson, in 1865,' and acquired interests ' in the, timber i industry. • # For a - number of years he owned sawmills in ../ various parts of t the North Island, in- .'■■ eluding Aratapu, 5 Napier, and Kennedy Bay. He was one of the earliest pros- y pectors ';' on * the Thames goldfields, and. | became interested in several mines in that • ;; district. 1 Mr. f Johnson was one of, the • oldest Freemasons .in New '.Zealand and : ; took on active part in the organisation, at one- time being secretary and trea- . . surer of a Napier lodge. Mr. Johnson's . : wife, Mrs. Charlotte M. Johnson, died about 14 years V- ago at .. the age of 75. His sister, Miss Martha Johnson, died on , . July 22, in her 80th', year. Mr. Johnson is survived by three sons and two" daughters. ; h The. sons; are:—Mr. W. H. " Johnson, clerk of works, The Mount, ' Tauranga; Mr. E. A. Johnson, in charge of medical : defence stores, Wellington, and Mr. H. P. Johnson, farmer," of Howick.- The daughters are Miss. C. E. ''.' Johnson; and ,Mrs." "wenables, "" of To' Arona. .The interment) took place [' afc' ; Howick yesterday. \ ' • •.. ." .■ '% MRS. WILLIAM cIpLADWICK. [BT TELEGKAPH. —OWN • COHaESFONDENT-J ; PAEife'oA.-.'Mpad«r. &'■ The death is announced; of one of the! Albertland pioneers, Mre. William Chadwick, of Pahi, at the : ago o|,83.";' ; : She hady been in declining health for some time. ; She was ; the ■ widow i of; the late Mr. Wil- ;| liam ' Chadwick, for many years engaged ? in business as a;mill-owner;' and stora- _|Ji keeper at Pahi. • ; She arrived, from; ©inland ,'■ •with her" husband in 1 the ship Gertrude ■ in 1862, and lived for a time on the Upper Pahi I River. Subsequently the family removed to Pahi. The surviving y membersi of the family are.Messrs. F. Wi- • ; Chadwick ? (Morrinsville), Horace Chadwick (Komiti), H'eber Chadwick^ Northern; - ?, Wairoa), Mrs. S. Lush 'and sMiss ' Nelli* _ Chadwick (Pahi). ■ . N ' -• MR. J. C. MERCER. * [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN COEHEStONDEKT.J WELLINGTON. Monday. Advice by cable-,has: been received in ; Wellington of the death, in England, of . Mr. John Charles Mercer, of Nelson. ' Some : ' •six months ago, accompanied ■ by Mrs* '. ■ Mercer, he left New Zealand on a holiday .visit t to England. -Prior ■. to reaching > Panama he' was attacked by appendiftis-He-underwent an operation in the higpi--....'.'" tal ■ there : and later, continued hkjouiiiey . - to London, but he had apparently not ts- " covered .from the shock of the operation* . Mr. Mercer arrived in Nelson in ' 1881, and eventually established a • successful ; ; cycle and . motor-car business from whicH v he,retired soma two or three years age. He was for many years a member of the, Nelson City Council and the Nelson, ' Har- ■;■■.,■, bour Board. At the time of hisdeuth ha. was a member of the vestry of the AngU- ' . csin' Cathedral, also a director of the per- • manent building society, and was a' Freemason. He is survived by his wile, one son,-Mr.;; G. V. Mercer,. farmer, of, Waihftu. Te Aroha; and one daughter, i Mrs. - . A. D. Park, oi: Hataitai, Wellington. , • MR. ;H. V. HADDOCK. ' • { ■■■■■■ --V • i , ":!' :; [ST rELEGB.* J H.-— ASSOCIATION. J i DUNEDIN". Monday, 5 : The death is announced o! Mr. H ' *"« "".■ Haddock, timber merchant, aged 75 yearfc EX-PREMIER OF TONGA. • The ex-Premier of Tonga, the Hon. Tuivakano, died on Saturday at the age . j of 42. News to this effect '-. was received 1 yesterday by the consular. representatives | for the island kingdom, Messrs. R. jVlillar" and Co. Mr. .Tuivakano resigned the '.J,, Premiership about two months ago on account of ill-health, and was succeeded -; by the Prince Consort; Prince Tugi. For some years he was ■ Minister - for Justice, ' - and in ; 1911 he was appointed Prime Minister. He was generally regarded as one .: of the most capable \ administrators ■■ Tonga has ever had. " , His maxim was always "Tonga for the Torigans,'.' but he was a staunch friend of the British., and. loyal to the protectorate pact. He leaves * widow. . -