OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18711, 17 May 1924, Page 10

OBITUARY.

mr. J. m. McLaren. .

[BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT.} THAMES. Friday. The death occurred this morning of Mr. J. M. McLaren, at the age ol 85 years. ° The la,te . Mr. McLaren was an old resits 0 goldfield. He was a native * of Glasgow, and served his time there as a civil and mining engineer, passing ' through the Glasgow University. 'He arrived at Duneain in 1864 and remained in Otago and in the West Coast districts until 1868, when he came to Thames and was appointed district engineer by the '- Auckland Provincial Government. Afterwards he was given charge of . the Ohiaemuri district, and later was appointed ' inspector of mines for the North Island, ' a position . he held until his appointment . a ? engineer to the Thames County Council. He t retired a few years ago. Deceased was a prominent Freemason, being a past master of Lodge Sir Walter Scott, and one of the charter members of the Hauraki Royal Arch Chapter. He leaves a widow and four children. His .. son, Mr. Malcolm McLaren, had a bril- - liant ( career at the Otago and Auckland ,University Colleges as a mining and geological student and was afterwards for "tetany years director, of the Coromandel School of Mines. Then he went to Queensland as Assistant-Government Geologist in thai . State, and after a year took up geolo- _ gical research in England at the Davey- " Faraday laboratories. Next he visited , India as mining specialist to the Government there. In late years he has been engaged in private practice, with London as his headquarters. '

OLD CORNISH MINER. [BX TEX.EOBAPK. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ■ \ ■ THAMES. Friday.. Another of the old Cornish miners passed away yesterday in the person of Mr. William Simmonds. The deceased was born at the village of Poole, Cornwall, in the year 1849, and started work in tne mines at the. age of eight years. In 1866 he left Home for America and was engaged in mining work v > at Lake Superior and California. After his marriage he came to New Zealand, arriving at Thames in 1874, where ho has remained ever since. He worked in the principal mines here and assisted in the sinking of the old big pump shaft. He was shift boss under the late Mr. G. 8. Clark in the Moanataiari mine, and also under the late Mr. T. James in the Taranaki mine. - * . , ~

Deceased suffered a paralytic .stroke on May 5, and died at Thames Hospital yes- - terday at the age of 75 years. ,He leaves one son, Mr. W. J. Simmonds, of Devonport, and a daughter, Mrs, W. J. Hosking, of Queen Street, Thames. There are : six grandchildren. " '