PERSONAL ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3442, 2 March 1920, Page 44

PERSONAL ITEMS.

At last week's meeting of the Morn.ngton School Committee Mr W. J. Bennett, of the Palmerston District High School, was unanimously recommended for the position of second male assistant at the school. The trustees 01 trie Oawthron inst.tuto have appointed Miss Kathleen <Jurtis, of Auckland, as mycologist. Had she" not been engaged she would have returned to England on the invitation of the Board oi Agriculture to make researches into the potato disease. At the last meeting of the Gisborne Hospital Board, Nurse L). MacDonald, of p-un-edin, was appointed district nurse at Matawai - • X xl Dr Riley, of Dunedin, is returning to the dominion by the steamer Tofua, which is due at Wellington from San Francisco early next week. The Rev. Father O'Reilly returned to Port Chalmers on Saturday, 21st ulfc after a protracted visit to the Old Country. His visited both Europe and America. Mr F. J. Stewart, assistant clerk to the Magistrate's Court, who has been connected with Auckland courts for nearly 30 years, died on the 24th. Members of the Bench, Bar, and Police Force, numbering over 100 (says an Auckland Press Association telegram), assembled at the court, where glowing tributes were paid to the deceased. He leaves a widow and a young family. A Sydney cable message states that Mr W. A. Briscoe, chairman of Messrs Briscoe (Ltd.)., has arrived in Sydney, and will depart for New Zealand at the end of the week, , __

Messrs Andrew Hamilton, Harold Hay Walker, and Eric James Anderson were admitted as solicitors of the Supreme Court last week by his Honor the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout). , , _ Mr A H. Cockayne, New Zealand Government Biologist, has returned from America after six months' absence on a visit in connection with the work of the Department of Agriculture. In the course of an extended tour to various centres of interest to the agriculturist, -Mr Cockayne spent some time in Eastern Canada. _ Mr J. M'Queen, manager of the Feilding branch of the Union Bank, has been appointed *to _a similar position in the Dunedin branch in place of Mr A. Lang, who will retire about the end of March. Mr M'Queen is well-known in the south, having been manager of the Gore branch of the bank some six or seven years ago, prior to his transfer to Feilding. Mr Lang came to Dunedin 15 years ago from Australia. He had been engaged in banking business for 35 years, including 10 years in Scotland and one year in London, before coming to Australia. Mr J. D. Clark, of Anderson's Bay, has been appointed general secretary of the YM.C.A. at Cambridge, and takes up his duties on March 1. He recently returned after serving two years as field secretary with the Expeditionary Force in England, France, and Germany. For a. number of years he has been identified with Y.M.C.A. and Prebyterian Bible classes, being vicepresident of the Bible Class Union and leader of the Russell Street and Anderson's Bay Young Men's Classes. A decade ago he was secretary of the Otago Football Association and captain of the Roslyn Club, and he represented Otago .on several occasions. He was a member of the Oarisbrook' Cricket Club, and of the Dunedin and other gymnastic, clubs. He also competed with considerable success in the elocutionary section of the Dunedin competitions and assisted at many concerts and entertainments. He is a Past Chief Ranger of Court Pride of Dunedin, A.0.F., and was for a time secretary of the Juvenile District of Otago and Southland.

A Nelson Association telegram states that Henry Charles Matthews died at Port Nelson from shell-shock received at Messines. He went to the war with the _ 13th Rifle Brigade Reinforcements, it is believed, from Christehurch. He had been in Nelson for some weeks, and was a married man with three children. A London oable states that the Princess Patricia's son was christened at the Chapel Royal. The King and Queen and Queen Alexandra, and many royalties were present. The Prince of Wales, who is godfather, gave his godson a two-handled silver goblet filled with water . personally drawn from the Jordan by the Duke of Connaught when the British crossed the river in the 1917 advance in Palestine. A oublic meeting was held on the 25th to recognise the parliamentary services of Sir James Carroll (says a Press Association wire from Gisborne). The Mayor presided over a representative attendance. The Mayor explained that the movement was not political., but was simply a public tribute to a great statesman. The speakers referred in eulogistic terms to Sir James Carroll's work in Parliament, in particular with reference to his quelling of Maori disturbances, and urged that a scheme be evolved in which his friends from Wairoa to East Cape could take part. It was decided that a presentation should be made to Sir James and Lady Carroll, and a large and influential committee was set tip to carry out the proposal. Mr C. J. M'Eaohern, stationrnaster at Clinton, has boen advanced to the position of stationmaster at Ashburton.

A Sydney cablegram announces the. death, of Mr R. L. Nash, financial editor of the Sydney Daily Telegraph. He died suddenly while working. The Clutha Presbytery at its last meeting unanimously agreed to nominate the Rev. J. M. Simpson, of Gore, as Moderator of the Synod of Otago and Southland for next year.

At the Moeraki School on Thursday a number of the residents, met to present the retiring assistant (Mis,* Ei. > Ash) with a Mosgiel travelling rug as a sign of their goodwill and .appreciation. The chairman of the school committee, in a few well-chosen words, referred to the good work done by Miss Ash and her pleasant relations with her pupils, and congratulated her on her promotion. He also referred to the' help Miss Ash had always. been ready and willing to give in preparing musical items for social catherings. Miss Ash responded, thanking the donors for their handsome present. On the night oi the 20th ult. the residents of Maheno and the'surrounding district met in the Maheno Public Hall to bid farewell to Mr Leslie Brown, who _was < leaving to complete his teaching studies in Dunedin. The esteem in which Mr Brown was held was manifested by the good attendance ; Mr A. Lindsay, in inaking the presentation of a leather suit case-, spoke of the kindly feeling which always existed between, the residents of Maheno and! Mr Brown, and

wished him the best of good luck and sue cess in his future career..

At a meeting of the Hamilton High School Board of Governors. -Mr Harold D. Tait, of the Waitaki Boys' High School, was appointed to the position or -agricultural science master at Hamilton. Mr Tait has taken a prominent part in sport in North Otago. He won his "blue" at the University, is a good cricketer, and at f ootball represented North Otago on the field, while he was selected in 1910 to <zo to Australia with the combined University team. A Melbourne cable message announces the death of Lady Monash, wife of General Monash.

Mr J. C. Browne, of Lawrence, has been appointed organiser and canvasser for the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Otago Provincial Council, and the Otago Farmers' Union Mutual Fir© Insuranos Association.

The funeral of the late Mr James Todd took place on Friday (says our Wellington correspondent). He was 67 years of age and the eldest son of Mr James Todd, of Springbank, East Taieri. He was a contractor. A widow and grown-up sons and daughters remain.

Lieutenant Ronald Park, R.N.Z.A.., aide-de-camp to Brigadier-general Johnston for some time previous and during the stay of the New Zealand Division at Cologne, is returning by the Athenic. He has spent the past year studying coast defence at Dover and at the Imperial Gunnery School, Isle of Wight. The following appointments have been made by the Education Board: —Miss M. I. Bcgg, sole teacher, Crookston; Miss T. A. Gray, sole teacher, Rae's Junction ; Miss Margaret Welsh, sole teacher, Conical Hills; Miss Mary Mackenzie! sole teacher, Hillend; •' Miss M. A. Wallace, sole teacher, Bluespur; Miss A. D. Fraser, sole teacher, Puketi; Miss E. P. Dunn, mistress, Livingstone; Mr W. K. George, fifth assistant, Musselburgh; Miss Lilian Young, assistant, Clyde; Miss M. O. Duthie. assistant Secondary Department, Balclutha; Mr L. W. Miller, sole teacher.. Otakou; Miss A. I. Rose.veare, sole teacher, Popotunoa; Mr E. A. Marryatt, organising teacher for the Catlins district, with headquarters at Owaka. Mr William C. Burt, of Messrs A. and 1. Burt, has been elected by the directors of the National Insurance Company to fill the vacancy on the board of that company caused by the death of Mr Alex. Burt. A Sydney cable message states that the Methodist Conference ha s agreed to the Samoan Synod's request that the Rev. Mr Slade, of New Zealand, be transferred, io that district.

Mr George Munro (Roslynj has been appointed to adjudicate on the piping and dancing; events which will be held in conjunction with the band contest this week. Mr Munro was for seven years in the band of the famous Black Watch, and is a recognised authority on bagpipe music and stepi An old and much respected resident of the Peninsula passed away' on Friday in the person of Mr William Hinkley, of Company's Bay (formerly known as Hinkley's Bay). Ho was a native of Kent, landing in Otago in 1889, and he had been living ever since with his son, Mr S. Hinkley, a well-known farmer and member of the Portobello Road Board. The late Mr Hinkley was a farm manager in the .Old Country, where most of the relatives reside. Mr Hinkley lost his sight about eight years ago, and he had been bedridden for the last two years. He had reached the advanced' age of 92 years. Mr John .Stronach, who passed away at Timaru on Saturday, at the age of 79 years, was a well-known and most popular figure in Otago farming circles for many years. He came to this country from Tasmania some 45 years ago, and managed several properties in Otago Central. He had charge of Morven Hills Station for Dalgety and Co. for a time, and afterwards was interested as a partner in Mount Pisa, of which he was manager. For the last 15 years he had been in the service of the Loan and Mercantile Company, for some years in Invercargiil, and more recently, for seven or eight years past, in Timaru. The- late Mr Stronach had no family, but is survived by his widow. He was laid up for only a few weeks before the end, which was brought about by heart failure. The Board of Governors of Canterbury College has appointed Major James Shelley, M.A. (Cantab), to the new chair of education at the college. A Press Association telegram states that Professor Shelley has been professor of education at University College, Southampton, since 1914. He is 36 years of age, and was born at Coventry. From the Bablake School, at Coventry, he went to Christ's College, Cambridge. In 1910 he went to Manchester University as lecturer in education, and in 1917 Professor Shelley was given a commission in the Royal Field Artillery as second lieutenant, and subsequ?'itly secured his majority. He has published various articles on artcraft in scholastic publications.