PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 60, 18 August 1906, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

Sir Joseph Ward is understood: to have oil upon the troubled exhibition waters. . ' •'. • , ». • " President Roosevelt, besides getting an allowance of £10,000 a year, has recently been granted a further allowance of £5,000 a year for travelling expenses. £300 a week is not a bad allowance, even for a. President. V ■ • ; • • * ..•■' Mr Ben Wilson, Sir Joseph Ward ? s^ private secretary, tells a good story, against" himself! Mr' Wilson is very dark, and while m Rome the fierce sun further bronzed his noble chivvy chase. One day, as the postal conference was breaking up, Delegate Morgan approached Sir Joe and remarked how pleased 'he was to notice that he caEr|eil out "the spirit of true liberalism '^d'd racial amity to its fullest ex--tent.^n having a Maori for his private secretary ! '• „'•■ ♦ ■ ■ • ■ • John Kearney's arm was torn, off while working a machine m Libbey, McNeilLand Libbey 's packing house m Chicago m 1899, and went, with pork scraps, to make up "veale Idaf" sold for consumption by the public. He got a verdict for §8,000, but . the Appellate Court quashed the verdict, and m working for a new trial his attorney has discovered the horrible fact stated. The firm would have been wiser to pay the money and avoid such a damning disclosure. • -«■:..:•' An old Christchurchian, Captain E. Stringer, now m Shanghai, predicts a big revolution m the land of the Chinkee shortly.- His opinion of Monkey, too, is that of most other people. They aren't a model 1 people by a, sackful, and their much boasted civilisation is so thin. that a scratch would penetrate it.> The Koreans are bucking like steers*' at the Jap "Protectorate," which really means collaring the whole caboose. Their idea is to try the same game on with .the Chows, and then— ■ • • • • The Rev. W. Evans, a northern parson, has bucked against the practise of "kissing the bride." The* clergyman didn't mind it at all, while youth and beauty were on deck, but % when a Juliet of 70 (and not a very winsome one at that !) presented herself for union to., a Romeo of 72 it dawned upon Mr Evans that possibly there had been a Widespread conspiracy to "have the loan" of the "new chum parson," and He thereupon decided, that the' kissing nonsense must- cease then and there— and cease it 1 did! ■•■■ : j #■'."■ .■> v • Jay Pay, Coleinan, who officiates on the Auckland Bench, .sometimes' probably takes the proverbial biscuit for sauvity of manner m dealing out stouch. Commendably, business-like, he hears details and explanations, i With a. beaming smile and 'gracious mien he twists about and confidentially informs the woeful looking drunk, "You will have to pay 5s and. 3s cab 'ire. Default 12 hours." Any-, one hearing him pass sentence for thq first time confidently waits for him to add . "Thank you very much for calling; so sorry to have troubled you ; mind the step." • • ' A rheumatic patient who recently visited the Sanatorium at Rotorua writes complaining of the treatment inmates are isubjected to at the hands of the nurses, and the general internal conduct of the institution. A cold and draughty sitting-room, no fires m winter, cold dressing-rooms, attached to , the hot bathSi and neglect on the part of nurse and matron are a few of the complaints laid. Another serious complaint is that "the post-master is three-quarters of, a mile away and quite open." We don't know what this means but the Government ought to see to it that he is shut without delay. ••• ■ ■ The old pioneers are gradually., dropping off. The latest is Captain Hugh Falconer Anderson, who died at Auckland last week, at the age of seventy-seven 'years. He was a well known fieure m shipping circles, -and one of the very oldest residents m Auckland. Since 1354 he had been identified with the welfare and progress of Auckland, and at one time, was one of the largest shipowners m the city. He took a conspicuous active part m connection with the - early work of the Auckland Harbor Board, and m initiating and establishing: the Northern Steamship Company, of which he had been chairman of directors for eight years. Captain Anderson was father of that remarkable amateur runner and footballer, James S. Anderson, formerly of Auckland, but for years past playing for Queensland, having made Ins home and married m Brisbane and who, tiioue;h nlaying as far back as 18R2, was still m the game up to last season., -

News' has been received down c.% Hokitika of the death, at Perth* W.A., of William ''Morton Purkiss, formerly Crown Prosecutor at tha ! southern district. Mr Purkiss foe some time represented a Perth City; i electors/-:*:, m the West Australian : Parlis/rcr^fc, „,'but .■ did ' not face tka . ! clecr v .} s after a" liberal franc-hiss had bee;* adopted. Deceased was a popular pleader m the, courts of the city). of the Golden West, and as a criminal lawyer ■ had" neT peer, for a lon- time It was recently rumored that Mj Purkiss, who has been m ill-health for some time, was about to be appointed Reside^ Magistrate at Fre.> mantle.. • - ■■.■,'-* * • '• ■ The. late MichjuO i?)avitfs death, i* seems, was causeC' -l»y blood-poisoran« the result of teeth extraction. About the end of March he had two twtfi drawn by a dentist m Dublin, yjitf some days later an abscess formalin? I the jaw. An operation' was performed, but septic inflammation seft iv,. [and he died Iwo months later. Davitt once told a friend m Melbourne how he lost his right arm. While ha was still a child he was sent to work m a mill. He represented to the man m charge that he feared his ami might be caught m the' machinery = which it was his duty to adjust and control. H» received m repbf a stunning blow ou the ear. A few minutes afterwards his arm was caught m the machine, and he was, by its amputation, crippled for life. ■.■ • * • For studied dignity on the Suprema Court Bench Mr . Justice Chapman takes the horsehair. Pie is the embodiment of deportment, stately dijjnitjj • and courtliness— as becomes a gear ,who runs a cpurt^-and when h» hap/ his ''official toggery on and advances to take his seat it is; as though the next step would probably be his last, But he arrives, at his chair all right,; and his bow to the Court is so dignified as to make the auditors feel lik* making deep obeisance m return. However, they refrain, and the situation is saved from comic consequences.. Hisonah's summing up is done with frightful deliberation ; he speaks slowly and clearly, and pointedly; and dissects the 1 fish yarns of either sider with great circumspection, . and then— tells the, jury, it's their work to! decide, not his. ■ ■■• # ■» . '.•.■-■ ■Auckland's Kaptain Kettle,, usually) on the bridge of the good ship, "Justice 1 :' m, the Northern city, is at ranity of his , kind m one sense. He; don't care a damn for all the police, evidence that can be tended ; if he thinks there's a righteous doubt on the' matter the prisoner gets the. benefit thereof. Short time ago m ' woman' was charged with keeping a brothel, and a small battaliojfi o£ peelers stormed the box and swore 100. h.p. oaths that they had seen innumerable amorous couples visiting the place night after night. Prisoner, when her innings came, said she kept a boarding-house, and these people were lodgers. And she triumphed, too, for Kettle discounted' the police evidence by saying that i£ • they d seen all these couples as they. described, going to the place, they, . hadn't proved, that they went there for. . immoral purposes. A . nasty; smack " tot the bobbies ; but nov*: many other S.M.s m the colony would have had' the courage to discount the sworn statements of a number of policemen ? Bully bey X Kettle ! . . Mr Walter Graham, who passed away at Northcote last week, was one of Auckland's veteran traders. When Mark S Diner ville ran the grocery, known as Somerville's Corner, oai Queen and Shortland, where now, stands the South British Insurance Co^'s. building, Walter Graham, a tall, grave man with a big, black beard, was his head shopman, and when Mr Somerville retired he took the shop over and ran i$ for years till, becoming surrounded by commcr- . cial buildings, as the private houses went one by one the way of all city dwellings, the business dry-rot led and he -finally walked out a ruined man. With admirable bravery, finding there was no opening anywhere for a man of his age, he threw pride to the winds and started newspaper selling, ;hen very much m its infancy, and gradually worked up a' good connection, chiefly m the Freeman's Bay aird Franklyn Road quarter. In "those days it was thought a terrible comedown, but none who knew him but regretted it and helped him on his maaly 1 struggle to support his family. His one daughter kept house for her father and brothers and was beloved and admired bY all who knew her and her fidelity to her brave old dad. She lias long been happily mavrisd now and he has for years been able to rest m the home of one of his sons, where he <lied full- of years and bearing the respect; of all who knew him throughout his two so-different careers. : •