OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3402, 28 May 1919, Page 41

OBITUARY.

JUDGE H. W. BRABANT. A Press Association message from Whakatane states that Mr G. A. Brabant has been notified that his father, Captain Herbert William Brabant, S.M. and judge of the Native Land Court of New Zealand, died at Napier on Sunday, aged 81 years. Deceased was born at Mayfair, London, and educated at private schools and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He landed at Auckland in September, 1859. lie visited Tarauaki a year later, and until 1E67 was engaged in farming pursuits, when he entered the civil service as clerk to the bench at Raglan. In 1871 he was appointed resident magistrate at Opotiki; in May, 1876, he was transferred to Tauranga, where he remained till 1888. He was appointed a judge of the Native Land Court in December, 1886. In 1889 he was appointed resident magistrate at Wanganui, and on the passing of "The Magistrates Court Act. 1893," ho became a stipendiary magistrate of the Wanganui, Hawera, Marten, and several other courts. He was gazetted a captain in the New Zealand Militia in 1871. Three years later he Was appointed a coroner for New Zealand. From 1876 to 1888 he was in charge of Native affairs in the Bav- of Plenty district, and from 1876 to 1886, except for a short interval, he was a commissioner under the Tauransa District Lands Act. • He was the first chairman of #le Rotorua Town Board. In 1893., in conjunction with Mr District Judge Kettle, he was engaged in the preparation of the rules of practice and formulary under "The Magistrates Court Act, 1893." In February, 1897. Judge Brabant was trans ferrcd from Wanganui to Auckland, whenct he was transferred to Napier, where _he retired into private life. He was married, and had a family of 10 sons and three daughters.

MR ALEXANDER BARRON. A Press Association message from Wellington announces the death, at the age of 79 years, of Mr Alexander Barron, formerly chairman of the Board of Land Purchase Commissioners, and Under-Secretary of Crown Lands and Superintending Surveyor. Ho was born in Moray, in the North of Scotland, where he was educated at private schools. After a few years spent in the West of Scotland and the North of Ireland, Mr Barron came out to New Zealand, arriving at Port Chalmers in 1861 He entered the civil service in August of that year under the late Mr Arthur, afterwards Chief Surveyor of Otago. In Otago Mr Barron served the Provincial Government of Otago in the Survey Department, Land Department, and Public Works Department. Shortly hefofe the abolition of the provinces Mr Barron, while acting as an assistant engineer in the Public Works Department of Otago, was selected by the late Mr J. T. Thomson (later Surveyor general in New Zealand) as his first assistant in the organisation of a General Survey Department for the dominion. Since that time he had charge of the head office and the general administration of the department. In 1891 he was gazetted Undersecretary of Crown Lands in addition to his other office.