PERSONAL ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 47

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mr W. Downie Stewart, M.P., who is at present at Leura, in the Blue Mountains', New South Wales, expects to be able to return to Dunedin next month. Canon Garland, who wag conducting the Bible-in-schools campaign in New Zealand, prior to the war, has left Brisbane for Egypt as chaplain to the Australian Forces. Mr John Logan Stout, who has been practising his profession in Wellington, has been appointed stipendiary magistrate, and will be stationed in the South Otago district. It is understood that he will assume his new duties on the Ist prox. Mr Stout is the eldest son of the Chief Justice. On the motion of the chairman of the Otago Heads Road Board, that body, at its monthly meeting on the 19th inet. accorded a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Wm, A. M'Donald, who is leaving the district, for his past good and faithful services to the board, and wished him all success in his future undertakings. Mr M'Donald has been a member of the board for the last six years, and has always taken an activo part in all local affairs. A Press Association message from London states that Captain Eric Croft, late a medical student at Dunedin, who was engaged to marry Miss Iris Jairdine, daughter of Mr Ernest Jardine, M.P., fractured his skull on tho eve of his wedding day by falling down a staircase at his hotel, and died at tho Charing Cross Hospital. He had gained tho Military Cross, and had been twice wounded in France. _ Cable advice received privately in Dunedin states that Captain J. B. Callan is making satisfactory progress. Sergeant M'Kenzie- nas taken charge of the North Dnnedin Police Station in placa of Senior-sergeant M'Keefrey, transferred to Rotorua. Tho Otago Education Board last week reappointed Messrs D. T. Fleming and W. R. Br ugh to represent it on tho High Schools' Board of Governors for the ensuing year. Mr Will Widdowson, resident engineer in the Public Works Department at Nelson, died suddenly on the 24th (says a Press Association message). Mr Widdowson had been stationed in Nelson for about six years, having provouslv been _ in charge of tho construction of tho Catlins and Roxburgh railways. He leaves a widow and two sons, both of whom are at the front, and three daughters. Mr J. J. Virgo, prominent in Y.M.C-A. work in Australia, has been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board decided, ab its meeting on the 24th, to appoint Nurse Haggait as matron of tho Port. Chalmers cottage hospital. Lieutenant A. Littlejohn. A.1.F.,' has been awarded tho Military Cross. He also received a letter from General Birdwood thanking him for work he had done. Lieutenant Littlejohn is a Dunedin boy, but was brought up and educated in Wanganui. A hastily organised gathering was held in the A. and P. Hall. Middlemarch, to do honour to Lieutenant D. M. Moriarty, who has lately returned to the dominion on duty, and whoso arrangements on leave permitted his spending only a few days in his former home. Lieutenant Moriarty left as sergeant with the Eighth Reinforcements, and was wounded in the Somme engagements of 1916. After recovery, ho served until after when he wa.s nominated for a commission, and .posted to the Officer' Training Corps. During the evening Lieutenant Moriarty exhibited a num.-

bcr of curios and trophies which it was his good fortune to obtain while on active scrvico, and, in a modest yet soldierly speech, thanked those present for their kindly welcome. A. fine programme of vocal and histrionic items, arranged by Miss D. Robertson, was greatly appreciated. A Press Association message from Wellington states: Mr John Logan Stout, eldest son of tho Chief Justice, has been appointed a stipendiary magistrate, and will perform his duties in the South Otago district. Mr Stout was born in Dunedin, and was admitted to the bar on February 27, 1905. Ho practised his profession in Wellington, and was for a time reporter, editor, and secretary of *he Now Zealand Law Reports. Pie has also acted as the Chief Justice's secretary. In consequence of Mr E. A. Eva, manager at Fiji for the Union Steam Ship Company, receiving an appointment under the Commonwealth Government, tho head ofnc'j of the Union Steam Ship Company announces tho following promotions:—Mr D. Carter, Greymouth manager, goes to Fiji; Mr P. N. Jeffreys, branch manager at New Plymouth, succeeds Mr Carter; Mr D. Morrison, sub-manager at Raratonga, fdls the New Plymouth vacancy. Tho friends of Lieutenant E. Fletcher Roberts, 1.0. M., who is with the Army Ordnance Department in Mesopotamia, will be pleased to hear that ho was mentioned in General Maude's despatches for meritorious services and was subsequently promoted to a captaincy. Captain Roberts is the elder son of Mr Edward Roberts, O.E. Mr John Black, who died at Miramar on Saturday afternoon, after a protracted illness, was for many years Controller of Stores in the Post and Telegraph Department. A native of Fifcehire, Scotland, he went to sea when quite a boy, and for several years followed that calling. Among other places his ship called at was the South Island of New Zealand, and in 1861 he came ashore and went to the gold diggings in Otago. In 1864 he joined the General Government Telegraph construction party at Dunedin, and has been in the service ever since. Then ho was for four years in charge of construction parties in the South Island, being subsequently transferred 'to the North Island, where, among other works, he completed the line from Wanganui to Hawera, Patea, and Opunake. For several years after that ho was postmaster and telegraphist at Hawera, afterwards constructing the lino from Hawera to New Plymouth, and later being in charge of tho construction party in Weetland. In 1878 he _ was appointed Controller of Stores at Wellington, which position he held until his retirement on superannuation in June, 1909. Of a robust constitution, and possessing an almost inordinate capacity for work, the late Mr Black made light of the dangers and difficulties which were involved in line construction work, and the esteem in whichjie was held as an executive officer is shown by the fact that after he had retired he was entrusted with tho responsible task, of erecting the wireless station on Tinakori Hills. A Press Association cable message from Melbourne announces the death of Sir Samuel Pethebridge, Commissioner 'of the Pacific Islands. Sir Samuel, who was appointed Commissioner on the interim control of New Guinea being taken over byAustralia, was only in his fifty-sixth year. He entered the public service of Queensland in 1876, was chief clerk of the Commonwealth Defence Department in 1901, and in 1910 became secretary of tho department. Ho was connected with the Queensland Navy for 12 years as sub-lieutenant, lieutenant, and commander. The Tuapcka Times reports the death of Mr James Middlemiss, blacksmith, the oldest-established business man in Lawrence, in his 84th year. Born at Duns, Berwickshire, he learnt his trade in Glasgow. In 1857 he left for Victoria for the gold diggings. While at Bendigo he learnt of the discovery of gold at Gabriel's Gully, and he arrived at Port Chalmers in January, 1862. He pegged out a claim, at Wetherstones. He was attracted by the Dunstan rush, but he soon decided to return to Lawrence, where he opened a blacksmith's shop. Ho enjoyed wonderful health, and until his breakdown some six months ago he was rarely, if ever, absent from his shop, where the older residents were wont _to assemble and discuss their many thrilling experiences. He took a keen and intelligent interest in all public affairs and was a worthy citizen of. a kind and genial disposition. Deceased is survived by his wife, whom he married at Wetherstones in 1866, three sons (James, Levin; William, Bulls; and John, Lawrence), and two daughters (Miss —, Wellington; and Miss Mary, Lawrence). Mr F. W. Platts (Commissioner for the Cook Islands), who is spending a holiday at Port Chalmers, was entertained by tho Mayor and councillors in Miss Fairlcy's rooms on 'the 28th. The illness of Colonel A. Hume, of Wellington, ex-Inspector of Prisons, has assumed a serious phase, and ho has been unconscious for several days. Mr T. G. Hirst, manager of tho Bank iof Australasia at New Plymouth, has received notice of his trnsfer to Invercargill. Mr J. T. Lithgow, a retired Canadian Trade Commissioner, is at "present visiting Auckland in progress of a holiday tour of the dominion. Mr Lithgow received his first appointment as a trade commissioner for Canada in May, 1910, simultaneously with Mr W. A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner for New Zealand. Mr Beddoe has retained his original appointment, while Mr Lithgow has been in turn. Trade Commissioner for Canada at Glasgow, Berlin, and Rotterdam, remaininjr at the lastmontioned place until June, 1915, when he returned to Scotland. Prior_ to entering the Canadian Government service Mr Lithgow was a member from 1897 to 1905 of the Yukon Council, a provincial Parliament set up during the days of tho Yukon gold rush, when Mr Lithgow first became associated with Mr Bcddoo.