PERSONALIA

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7028, 17 January 1910, Page 5

PERSONALIA

Tho Prime Minister and the Hona. .<• Carroll, J. A. Millar, and fa. lowlcls are in Wellington; Hon. l)r lliullny .s at- Mount Cook Herniitaf/e; Hon. i■McKcuzio at Nelson; Hon.. 1. Mackenzie at To Anau; Hon. A. T. Ngata at Tokomuxu Bay; Hon. D. Buddo at Christchuxch.

Mr J. H. B. Coates returned from Auckland on Saturday night. The Prime Minister will visit Hastings to open tho new post office, probably on Monday week. Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., returned to Wellington on Saturday evening from a fortnight's holiday at Kotorua.

Hon. A. E. Guinness, Speaker of tho House of Eeprosantatives, will arrive in Wellington from Auckland on Wednesday. A cablegram received from tho Press Association in Sydney records the deatn. of Mr Phil' Sheridan, manager of the Sydney crickot gourid. A Press Association cable message from Sydney says that Captain H. Newson, Superintendent of Navigation, has retired on, account of ill-health. Herr Benno Scherek wont to Soutli Africa last month by the Miltiodes. Ho will return to Australia in March to direct Madame Carreno's tour of the colonial cities. The State Miners' Union, at a meeting held at Eumanga, passed tho following resolution.:—"That tho best thanks of tho members of tho State Miners Union be tendered to Mr P. J. O'Hegan for tho appreciative part lie played in helping the State minors in. their recent trouble. The feeling is that in tho settlement arrived at ho played his part well, and the bast wishes for his future welfare aro the feelings of the State Miners' Hnion." The death occurred on Friday, at her residence, 10, Hawker street, of Mrs A.> Martin, wife of Mr J. B. Martin, the well-known builder and contractor, aged forty-five years. The deceased will be missed by a wide-'circle of friends, as her help and advice were always freely given to those in distress. She was an energetic worker in connection with the church and charitable affairs. Tho interment, which was a private one, took place yesterday afternoon at the Karori Cemetery. Tho service at tho grave side was conducted by the Rev. J. Paterson.

The new Commissioner of Police for South Australia is Inspector Raymond, who joined . the force as third-class mounted constable in March, 1565; became a second-class officer three years later; obtained his sergeantcy in 1885; waa acting sub-inspector in 1901, and inspector in 190-1; and when senior inspector was selected to succeed Commissioner Madley. In the early sixties the new Commissioner had to deal -with wild and dangerous aboriginals, and it took men of 6olid stamina and imperturbable natures (says the "Register") to deal with the natives. Sinoo 1905 he has been in charge of the mounted division of the force. Commissioner Raymond is sixty-three years old. There passed away at Dunedin last week another of the old pioneers of this Dominion, Mr Georgo Watson, at tho age of eighty-two. Born in 1828, on the 17th. of January, in London, he had been privileged to see part Qf four reigns, with all their stirring events, and took a delight in recounting tho interest oreated by the final abolition of slavery, the Chartist riots, the invasion of tho Crimea, etc. Apprenticed to Tobias Toape, of the Tower Hill Printing Office, which in its early days was under, the special patronage of George IV., it was practically the Government Printing Office (says tho "Star"). He was tho patriarch of Rechabitiism in Otago, having been one of the promoters and charter members of the Hope of Otago Tent. Mr Watson came out in the Rajah to Otago in 1853, originally booking his passage for Wellington, but owing to serious injury to the vessel when 500 miles off the coast of Van Diemen Land (now. Tasmania),., -the, captain decided, to make Port Chalmers for repairs, which took ten weeks. Finding wages- low' at" Wellington, and that a goodly number of tho old settlers had gone to the traliam goldfields, Mr Watson went aoross to Melbourne in 1854, and took employment on the "Age," which "was anything but a robust journal at . that time. Wages ranged up to 80s a day. Not liking tho extreme heat, he returned to Wellington in 1855, working as a compositor until his plant "arrived, enabling him to commence business on Lamb ton quay north on-' his own account in 1856, where he printed and published the "Royal New Zealand Almanac foi 1857, and on to 1859, receiving good support alike from the public and the thenProvincial Government. Selling out to advantage, he directed his attention to Sydney, returning to Canterbury, and starting business in Lyttelton at th». end of 1859.