PERSONAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20309, 18 January 1928, Page 8

PERSONAL.

Mr J. Lock was a passenger for Christchurch by the through yesterday. Mr W. Spite returned to Wellington by the second express yesterday. Mr C. Speight left for Wellington by the through express yesterday. Mr R- M. Greenslade was a passenger for Wellington bv the second express yesCharn.an returned to Christchurch by the second express yesterday. Mr W Burton, general manager in New Zealand of Messrs John Fuller and Sons, Ltd., who has been in Dunedin in connection with the impending alterations to the Princess Theatre, returned north by the through express yesterday. Mr H. S. Hammond, manager ot the National Bank of New Zealand, accompanied by his wife, returned on Monday evening from a month’s holiday visit to Auckland. A cablegram from London states that Sir John Simon, who is going to India in a few days as chairman of the new commission, announces his retirement from the Bar. „ „ Mr A. H. Gibson, of the Supreme Court staff, Dunedin, has received notice if transfer to the Magistrate’s Court office at Christchurch. Mr A. R. Watson, assistant to Mr W. V. Sturmer, optometrist, has been notified that he has passed his examination in theory and practice, first division, of the Institute of Optometrists. New Zealand. Mr Watson is the only candidate from Dunedin to pass in both the theoretical and practical. Judge R. J- Perdriau, chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission of New South Wales, and Mr T. Routley, employers’ commissioner, arrived at Auckland by the Maunganui yesterday on a flying visit to Rotorua and the thermal district. They will return to Sydney when the vessel leaves on Friday.

Captain C. X. Reyne, R.N., chief naval staff officer, and Captain J. S. Middleton, D. 5.0., R.N., director of Naval Reserves, arrive! in Dunedin yesterday on business connected with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

Recent callers at the High Commissioner’s office (states our London correspondent, writing on December 14) have included Mr and Mrs C. H. Morrall, jun., and Miss H. M. Laing, of Dunedin.

Mr George Thomson (formerly of Oamaru and the Otago School _ of Mines) has been in London for some time (states our London correspondent, writing on December 14). He came from _ Japan, where he had been managing a tin mine for Japanese proprietors, fie is shortly returning to Japan to manage a tin mine which has been taken over by an English company. Our London correspondent states that the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons has been conferred upon Dr W. H. Bremner, M. 8., and Dr J. Fitzsimmons, M. 8., k.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., both of whom were formerly students of the Otago University. There passed away in Dunedin last week, in her eighty-sixth year, another of the old pioneers of Otago, in the person of Mrs Thomas White,’ of Merton. She arrived in New Zealand with her parents from Edinburgh in the ship Jura in 1858. In 1861 she maried her cousin, a shepherd at that time to Mr Thomas Jones, of Waikouaiti. After her marriage she lived at Kapuka Station, Waikouaiti, where for a whole year she never met another woman. Later on, through the industry and perseverance of Mr and Mrs White, they were able to acquire a farm at Merton, which was then all bush land. There the greater part of her life was spent, and there also all her children but three were born. As time went on Mr and Mrs White increased their property, until their farm was considered one of the best in the Merton district. Retiring from active life, they purchased a property at Palmerston South, where they lived for a few years, and later acquired a property at Waikouaiti, which Mr White gave to his wife, and at which he died eight years ago. After her husband’s death a son lived with her until two years ago, when she came to Dunedin to live with her daughter. Mrs White was of a quiet, retiring nature, but many and varied were the tales she could tell of the early settling days of Otago. For many years she was a member of the Early Settlers’ Association, and took a keen interest in all its affairs. Amongst her friends of the early days was Sir Thos. Mackenzie, who, while High Commissioner, always remembered to send her a Christmas greeting of heather. She had a family of nine sons and two daughters, all of whom, with the exception of one son and one daughter, survive her. A Brisbane message announces the death of Mr John Payne, a member of the Legislative Assembly. The deceased was one of the pioneers of the Labour movement in Queensland. At the meeting of the Gore Borough Council on Monday (states our correspondent) the Mayor (Mr D. M’Dougall) made reference to the death of the late Mr W. H. P. Fleming. The Mayor said that although Mr Fleming had never been a member of the council, he had taken a great interest in public affairs, and particularly with regard to beautifying the town and the planting of trees. A motion of condolence was passed to the relatives of the deceased. The following Dunedin students at the Auckland University College satisfied the examiners ■ in the undermentioned subjects for the degree of Bachelor of Architectural Science History of Architecture II: C. J. E. M’Lean, A. L. Salmond, C. Sanderson; architectural construction lI—A. L. Salmond, C. Sanderson ; structural mechanics I and perspective and sciagraphy—C. J. E. M’Lcau, A. L. Salmond, C. Sanderson. At last night's meeting of the West Harbour Borough Council the Mayor (Mr J. M. Fraser) said that another old resident of the district, in the person of Mr J. Cook, had passed away. The deceased had taken a very prominent part ir the affairs of St. Leonards. It was resolved that the council forward a letter of condolence to the relatives of the deceased. . Prior to his departure from Christchurch for Dunedin, where he will take up his duty as Dairy Inspector, Mr J. F. Ross, of the Agricultural Department, was met by fellow-officers and presented with an entree dish, suitably inscribed, and a gold Eversharp pencil (says the Press). Mr Ross was also met by the staff and employees of Messrs T. Borthwick and Sons’ Freezing Works, and was the recjpient of a Kaiapoi rug end leather travelling bag. At a social

i the Presbyterian Sunday schoolroom Mr E. Swinerd presented Mr Ross with a rug and fountain pen, and Mrs Ross with an oak dinner waggon. Mr T. Z. Koo, one of the leaders of the Student Christian Movement in China, has felt compelled to decline the invitation of the Movement in New Zealand to visit this country this -;ir. Writing from Shanghai on November -2 last Mr Koo says: " I have taken up the matter of my visit to Australia and Now Zealand next year with my colleagues as well as members of our executive Committee. It is the united judgment of these men that it would be unwise for me to plan such a visit with conditions so uncertain in our own country. They felt that even if I were to promise definitely to visit New Zealand next year, I might be called on to cancel the visit again at the last i lomcut on account of unforscen developments in our situation here. Under the circumstances they felt that I ought not to make any definite arrangement for this contemplated visit."