OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20807, 25 February 1931, Page 11

OBITUARY.

ADMIRAL VON CAPELLE. GERMAN EX-STATE SECRETARY

(Received February 21. 5.15 p.m.)

BERLIN*. Feb. 23.

The death has occurred of Admiral Von Capelle, who succeeded Admiral \'on Tirpitz in 1916 as Secretary of Stale.

Eduard Von Capelle was born at C'elle Hanover in October, 1855, as the son of a manufacturer. In April, 1872 he entered the German Navy. After serving at sea in various positions lie was appointed to a post in the Navy Department, where he remained, with a short interval as first officer of the Weissenburg, until ho retired. In tho spring of 1904 he was made a director of the administrative section, in 1906 promoted viceadmiral and in April, 1913, admiral, after having been raised to the nobility in 1912. The post of Under-Secretary of the Navy Department was created in June, 1914, and given to Von Capelle, who had served all through the period of the fleet's expansion and acted as adviser to the heads of the department, notably Grand Admiral von Tirpitz. In December, 1915, a severe illness forced him to give up active service. When in March, 1916, Von Tirpitz resigned in connection with the submarine controversy, Von Capelle, whose health had improved, was chosen to succeed him as Secretary of State. In that capacity it fell to him to inaugurate more ruthless U-boat warfare. In the Reichstag on October 9, 1917, lie accused two Independent Socialists, Haase and Dittmanii, of having conducted revolutionary propaganda in the fleet—a charge which led to an angry controversy, both inside and outside the Reichstag, with the result that on October 13 he offered his resignation, but it was not accepted. In November, 1917. when Hertling succeeded Michaelis as Chancellor, Von Capelle remained in office, but on October 7, 1918, he resigned, as by that time the failure of the U-boat warfare had become obvious, and there had been violent attacks on the naval construction policy followed during tho war. Von Capelle then lived for several years in Berlin, but eventually moved to Baden-Baden.

MR. HUGH GUNN. (Received February 24, 9.55 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 24. The death is announced of Mr. Hugli Gunn.

Mr. Hugh Gunn, who was born in Sutherlandshire in May, 1870, was Scottish education inspector, 1898-1901. He (hen went to the Orange River Colony, where he was Director of Education and a member of the Legislative Council, 1902-10. Ho reorganised education in the colony and was a member of the conference which came to an agreement with the Boer leaders on the language question. After many educational activities he visited the English universities in 1911. In 1912-13 Mr. Gunn went to Western Australia, where he organised the university of that, State. Ho was a member of the council and various committees of the Royal Colonial Institute. He contributed to the British encyclopedia and initiated, oragnised and edited tho British Empire, a survey in 12 volumes.

REV. E. A. SCOTT

(Received February 21. P. 5 p.m.)

LONDON. Feb. 23,

The death has occurred of the Rev. E. A. Scott, formerly Archdeacon of Christchurch, New Zealand.