PEOPLE IN PERSPECTIVE

NZ Truth, Issue 881, 14 October 1922, Page 1

PEOPLE IN PERSPECTIVE

number of motor mishaps which he experienced m the course of his ordinary duties, but none of them put him out of action for long. Evidently he is not destined to be drowned or, violently slaughtered. The new organiser isn't at all bashful; he has one of those' pushing 1 personalities which attracts, and it will not be his fault if he does not speedily get on . speaking terms. At one time — m his early days, when m Australia — the law had an attraction for him, and he studied for a time under 'the watchful eye of Sir John Salmond, now one of the shining lights of the Dominion's Supreme Court Bench, when he was of Law m the University of Adelaide, before coming to New Zealand and taking up a similar pro- | fessorship at Victoria- College. Mr. . Maclennan, however, never • qualified, which no doubt is a pity, as he has , "the ffift of the gab" and dearly loyes to make himself heard— good qualifications for his new job. The appointment will necessitate his transfer from Waipukurau — where he has earned a crust for the past year or sot— tb Wanganui, and no doubt the farmers there will soon be listening to the persuasive eloquence of the new organiser, who, by .- inclination, has been associated with the man on the land now for a long time past and is well versed m his few good points and many failings. This is not a story of a clerical gentleman. It has DUNEDIN'S OWN reference to someB I SHOP AND one m an entirely CHIEF "D." different walk of life. To what one of us is it given to he said.: "That man has no. enemies?' 1 But of a truth it may so be said of Chief Tec. Frank Bishop, of Dunedin. And to those who know the man this is easy of understanding. It was m September 54 .years ago that he first opened- his eyes on the world, and they have been open ever since. New Plymouth had the distinction of being his birthplace, and after education m that hamlet young Frank, at the age of .20, went to' Wellington and joined up with the Artillery. During the great strike of '90 he did police duty m Wellington as an Artilleryman. Two years later came a transference to the Police Force, but he only did about a fortnight's uniform duty, as one or two good- cases led to a removal to the Detective Branch. After four years amongst the "D's" of Wellington hewas sent as acting- detective to take charge of the Palmerston North district. In this locality, at that time, crime was very rife, and Frank got busy and had.a great cleaning up. His reward was promotion to full rank by Commissioner, Tunbrid-ge. The-next appointment was that m charge at' Wanganui, and the area to be controlled was a mere . trifle, consisting of the Wanganui, Taranaki and Manawatu districts, including the Main Trunk line. By the way, m these days the train was only running to a point somewhere , near Hunterville. So extensive was. the d-istrict that during six years Frank -was only able to average five days a month m Wanganui, his nominal headquarters. It is rather significant that after his' transfer from this, district, detectives were- separately ■ stationed at Wanganui, New Plymouth and Palmerston North. During hisstay m the Wanganui district, Frank Bishop was if ull of zeal and enthusiasm, and when trains did. not suit it was a

familiar sight to see him pedalling away on his oad "Red Bird" bicycle, bent on some mission having for its object .the upholding of the majesty of the law. To Christchurch as Senior Detective <was* the next transfer, and then, m 1915, Dunedin became enriched, while the criminals of that city trembled m their lairs. Frank has had far • too many sensational cases for one to attempt to enumerate he has been very close to death more than once m pursuit of his duty. As a -, Rugby footballei', Frank Bishop' -will no doubt be very well remembered m the North, as hQ has represented both Taranaki and Wellington. - Between '90 and '95 he represented the latter pro- ( vince m more than twenty matches all I over the country, and during that time his team was only beaten once, and that was at Hawera, by Taranaki; his '? old province. Frank was termed! the "Jumbo" of the team; he played both "m the scrum and behind it. Now, m the -evenings, he wanders down to the, Dunedin Bowling Club, of which he is an executive member. He never puts on the wrong bias, and it is said of him that the frequency of his "kissing Kitty" is m a measure reminiscent of the days of his youth. Throughout his career he has displayed keenness, perspicuity and intense devotion to duty; yet withal that great big loving human kindness which has so endeared him to all. As indicated earlier m this little sketch, Frank Bishop has no foes. He is happy m Jus office surroundings, and he is happy m his home. What more can life hold for any one of us? Or 'for what else could one wish? :: \\ -:: Mr. A. T. Donnelly, Crown Prosecutor at Christchurch, is, IN THE like most lawyers INTERESTS OF worth the feeing, THE CROWN. Lawyer Donnelly m Court and office hours -and a good sort when the gown is off. He has belonged to Christchurch. ever since he has been, and is a son of the late Mr. Michael Donnelly, one time chief reporter of the "Otago Daily Times," later editor of the "Christchurch Press," but best and longest known as Donnelly of the Christchurch Bar. Arthur Donnelly — he's Arthur even m office hours, if you've known him long enough, , and generally Arthur m any case m the cricket season — is an old High School ■boy, anci when text books . there had . not much more to teach him he went further along Worcester Street and got down to law and its uses at Canterbury College, with such success that he found himself with letters and diplomas fitting- him to practice, at 21. He ''went to his father's office till there was much and dirty outside work to be done m Europe, and saw the trouble through to the end, getting- back to New Zealand m 1919. He then became fourth partner m the firm of Raymond, Stringer, Hamilton and. Donnelly, carrying on, m the usual round of papers and talk 'find talk and papers and some more talk, till Raymond, K.C., retired from the Crown Prosecutor's gown and left it hanging on the nail for Mr. Donnelly. As for hobbies, without which no lawyer is complete, A.T.D. puts m much spare time on cricket, and has, m fact, been among- the firstgraders ever since he left High School. . He has his say on Canterbury cricket management matters, and the N.Z. Council knows him well enough, and last year he was one of the selectors

for his province. Football he played as well, lending his weight — which is not negligible by any means — to the Old' Boys' fifteen. By the way, an old boy of Christchurch Boys' High never forgets it,; he might omit to mention that he ever went to Canterbury College, but he will always mention High School. There's no more, show about the Old Boys' Association than there /was or is about the school — the virtue's m the school. No, the writer comes from further south. rx :: ;i James Craigie, M.P., of Timaru, everyone m South CanterCRAIGIE, bury knows and knows OF TIMARU, him as a friend, politics notwithstanding, for after all politics are a sad complaint striking one man thus and another m another fashion. James Craigie rose superior to politics as politics, and was a worker rather than a talker, a' man from whom not much was heard by the Hansard staff, and yet he did thejo'b, sparing his breath till there was occasion for talk. Timaru was satisfied well enough to send? him back and back again while fourteen years went past, and would like to send him back some more, but for his expressed determination to retire from politics and all other pubilc life at the end of the present session. His idea of work he gathered many a year ago when he ploughed and sowed the South Canterbury downs on his farm out Kingsdown way, but later he moved into town, leaving the farm to a manager till it was sold quite recently, and m town was J. Craigie, of papering, painting and glazing repute, m Cain's Terrace. Someone some years ■ ago persuaded him that Timaru could really do with a better mayor, and he was it, and then he stepped a little farther and added initials after his name as well as that before it. To James Craigie, M.P., Timaru owes much, and to him as a private citizen the town owes even more-*-the Craigie Avenue of a mile or more, m which, by the way, the youngsters of the day had a hand m planting, a big part of the fine free library, ,the town clock's chimes, the sound, foundation of an art gallery, one statue and many a lecture on Bobbie Burns, for James Craigie — need- it be said — is a Scotsman, and, next to. his Maker, worships Burns. But he has given more than that, an example, a standard of "big-heartedness andi quiet usefulness by which Timaru's future representatives will probably be judged. He steps out of politics with the memory of no bitter word spoken by him and of none against, with, perhaps the thought- that some. M.P.'s talk m chapters, some m books, and some have never done, while he, m common witha few others, spoke now and then m quiet sentences and- got there just the same. Oscar Asche is .' once more m his native Austi-alia; he was OSCAR born m Geelong, June 26, ASCHE- 1572, and was educated at Melbourne Grammar School. His father, a Norwegian, was hotelkeeping m Geelong, Melbourne, and Sydney. Oscar made his first stage appearance at: the Opera Comique Theatre, London, . on March 25, 1893. as Roberts m "Man and Woman," with the late Arthur Dacre and Amy Roselle, who committed suicide m November; 1895. Subsequently he Joined F. R. Benson, a master of his art, and remained with hi.a eight years, playing numerous parts m the varied. ■ j Shakesperean and old comedy repertory "presented by that manager. He appeared "m New York m 1902, and m the same year joined Sir Herbert Tree, since, which he has been a nont'nued auoeesa m hig-hdasa drama.