DEATH OF MR W. H. HALES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6870, 14 July 1909, Page 7

DEATH OF MR W. H. HALES

LATE EKGINEER-INX’HIEF. Mr William Henry, Hales, late En-gineer-in-Chirf to the- Public \\o-rks Department, di-d yesterday morning at his residence, Oriental Bay. aped CO years, after an illness of only a few weeks. The deceased was ft native of fNcw; Brunswick, where his father, Mr James B. Hales, was a shipbuilder. He studied for ids profession in Liverpool-, England, and sailed for New Zealand in ; 185A After three years’ contracting in Melbourne he came to New Zealand in 1856, settling in Wellington. For about six years he engaged in road and bridge building. .Mr Hales entered the public service under the Provincial Government in 1861 as assistant engineer of roads in the ■Wanganui and Bangitikei districts, being subsequently transferred to Wellington to take charge' of the wharf and har-

hour works, and to this was alter wards added the care of the roads in the dia- • trict. In 186-1 Mr Hales was again sent ,to Wanganui to take charge of the construction of the North road, directing that work until 1866, when, the Maori war temporarily put an end to the construction, -and he was placed in charge 'of the Wellington district under the /Provincial Government, at tho same time 'becoming acting engineer for Wellington under the General Government. In 1860 Mr Halos left Wellington to ‘erect the lighthouse at Farewell Spit. Then ho had charge of the construction of tho Wanganui bridge, and he remained in Wanganui in charge of roads and ‘works- generally till 1875, when he was •again transferred to Wellington. in 1871, on the establishment of tho Public •Works- Department, Mr Hales became an officer of that department, taking charge of all works in the Wellington district. He caw the completion of tho Welling-ton-Masterton lino of railway. In 1881 he went.to Auckland us district engineer,'remaining there for tern years,. When Mr Blair, late Enginecr-in-Chief, was taken ill in 1831, Mr Hales was- recalled, and appointed aoting-EtagineeT-in-Chief, becoming Chief Engineer a year later. He retired in 1906-,

Mr Hales,, in. 1866,- married Mijsr WiL kinson, daughter of Mr D. N. Wilkinson, r horticulturist, of Wellington. He was r elected a City Councillor in 190-7, and , was one of tho council's representatives on the Hospital Trustees. Ho did net seek re-election in April last- The family consists of -six sons—viz, r Mr W.- 11. Hales, Of the Railway Department, WeiHngton; Mr D. O. Halos, o£ the Bank- of New Zealand, Wellington; Mr E. i) Halos, of the Public Trust Office- Mr E* H. Halos, of New York; Dr. L. C. Hales; Wellington; and Dr. N. St. Clair Halos, of Philadelphia, who is now on his return to New Zealand.

At the Wellington Hospital Trustees' meeting yesterday morning the death of .Mr Hales was referred to by the chairman, the Hon. C. M. Xmke, who- commented upon hie sterling worth, and' stated that his services had been of great value to the Hospital Trustees. \ motion of condolence and regret was passed. The relatives of the °deceased yesterday received telegrams of condolences from all parts of the Dominion including two from Ministers of the Crown, referring to the high attributes of the deceased.