PERSONAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15823, 23 July 1913, Page 8

PERSONAL.

Mr T. Buxton, M.P. for Tenvuka, and Mi's Buxton, returned last week from a trip abroad. Sir James Carroll, who is gradually recovering hi? health, wilt presently proceed to his Home at Gisborne (says our- Wellington correspondent) to conipiete his period of convalesi-once. Mr E. A. Searle, at present assistant teacher at the George Street School, has been aippointd first assistant at the Tokoinairito District Higih School. Mr Francois Narbey, oii'j of the earliest settlers of Banks Peninsula, died on Sunday (a. Press Association message states). Mr Narbcy oime from Fraioe in 1849, and \v;us 84 years of age. The friends of Adjutant J. R. Dixon, officer in charge ol the city corps of the Salvation Army, will regret to learn that it has been found necessary for him to undergo an. operation in the Dunedin Hospital, where ho is at present a patient. On tHic occasion' of his leaving the lino type department of the Otago Daily Times Uffice, Mr V. Lye was met by his workinLtcs and presented with a handoomo titfvollmg bag. Mr Sniieaton. who made the presentation, briefly referred to Mr Lye's capabilities as a workman, and said one and a'l hope-.!— : n fact, wOtc euro—iliiJt he would get on well in the office to which ho was going. Several other gentlemen spoke well of the recipient, and Mr Lye n-odestly ;e----plied.

Mr Pe-rev Tildes, formerly of Dunedin, and now resident in Sydney, and holding the position of enginecr-in-charge andchief inspector of 6calfoldi:ig and lifts under the New South Vales Government, has recently been elected an rssociato member of the Institution t>f Electrical Engineers, England. Mr Fildes served his apprenticeship in the fotmdrv of Messrs Luke and Sons, Wellington, end is a son of tiho late Mr J. G. Fildes, who entered the service of the Bank of New Zealand in Dunedin in the sixties.

General regret is felt in athletic and other circlcs in (Jhristchurch (says the Press) at the death of Mr William I''. Simpson, one of the most brilliant longdistance runners New Zealand has produced. Mr Simpson, who was tho late guard of the Mount Somers train, was only 37 years of age at tho time of his death, which occurred' on Sunday. His career as an athlete was a long and honourable one. Ho was a strict amateur, and looked with scorn upon anything professional in sport. The joy of running was his reward, and many a time he would go into Ohristohureh to compete in an event, and immediately it was over catch tho train for his work again. It about 1897 that ho first came into prominence, and he very quickly becamc a leading member of tho Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club. He was at his best in longdistance events, despite tho fact that he was hampered with a " knee," and was good for anything from one mile to three miles. In 1901, at Auckland, Simpson established an Australasian record in the threo miles flat, doing the distance in 14min 49sec. A few years afterwards the doughty Shrubb tried to beat this performance out here, but faileck-'-Some years ago Simpson, along with G. W. Smith, of Auckland, was sent.Home to represent Now Zealand, and a. fair measure of sueotss rewarded their efforts.