PERSONAL ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 31

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Writing on October 20 our London cor respondent stated that Mr H. T. B. Drew (Government Publicity Officer) would vis! Northern Ireland that week with a view to interesting the people there in th€ migration to New' Zealand of farm labourers and domestic servants. Lecture! would be given at Portadown, Dungannon Belfast, Londonderry, Coleraine, Maghera felt, and Balleymena, and films and lan tern slides would be shown dealing witl life and scenery in the Dominion. In a letter read to the Manufacturers Association on Tuesday from Mr W. E. C Reid, assistant New Zealand commissionei at Wembley, Mr Reid mentioned that h t had booked a passage back New Zealand bv the Orvieto, leaving England on December 12. Members expressed then pleasure at the prospect of seeing Mr Reid here again soon. A Wellington message states that th< Rev. Robertson Orr, pastor of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church for manj years, has received a call to West minster Church, Vancouver. A special meeting of the St. Andrew's congregation was held Inst night to consider and discuss the position. The Rev. Mr Orr’s work on behalf of the church was eulogised bymanyi speakers, who stated the church had made? great progress under his pastorate. Mrj Orr was given a free hand in the matt ed by the congregation, and he decided t<Jj accept the call. It is uncertain when Ml Orr will leave New Zealand, but he en pressed a desire to leave the Dominion n<o later than February 18, 1926. V Mr John Higginson (a director of Mess* John Higginson and Co., Belfast) is at pr« sent in Dunedin. Mr Higginson is acconfl panied by his New Zealand representative (Mr W. C. Beaumont). 1 Sir Francis Celebes ter-Weinyss, who, with! Lady Wemyss, arrived in Australia in thel P. and O. liner Narkunda. is coming to] New Zealand mainly for trout fishing (re-1 ports our Wellington correspondent). He is a member of the well-known Fly Fishers’ Club in London, and arrangements have been made for him to fish in the Tongariro River and at Taupo. He will visit friends in the South Island and also in Hawke’s Bay. During his stay in Christchurch he will be a competitor in the New Zealand croquet championship. He hopes to get some fly fishing in the Canterbury and Otago rivers before going to the North Island for the rainbow trout fishing. Sir Francis is a director of the Gloucester Wagon Works and was high sheriff for Gloucestershire in 1919-20. During the war years he was a captain in the Scottish Rifles. In 1898 he married the second daughter of the late General R. W. Disney-Leith, of Glen Kindhe, Aberdeenshire, and there are two sons. At the Tea Kiosk at the Riccarton racecourse on Wednesday representatives of every hamlet and constituency in the Riccarton electorate gathered to do honour to the Hon. George Witty, who did not contest the scat at the general election after filling it for 23 years (states a Christchurch Press Association message). The Prime Minister was among the guests. Eulogistic reference was made to Mr Witty’s services to the constituency, and he was made the recipient of an inscribed wallet containing a cheque for £SOO and a lady’s handbag for Mrs Witty, containing a cheque for £25. There is a further £l5O to come in for the main presentation. Mr Charles A. Marris, editor of the New Zealand Times, has been appointed managing director of the New Zealand Times. Mr Marris was formerly associate editor of the Christchurch Sun, and was appointed editor of the New Zealand limes eight months ago. During and after the general election he received high praise for the vigorous manner in which, in the editorial columns of the New Zealand Times, he combated the iconoclastic section of Labour. The death is announced from London ot Sir John Young Walker Mac Alister at the ago of 69 years. He was secretary and editor of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine and was the originator of the scheme for amalgamating the medical societies of London, which became effective in 1905.

Mr Robert M‘lntosh, mining engineer, of Reefton, and winner of the Govern ment’s gold medal at the Chistchurch Exhibition for the best essay on the mining industry in New Zealand, is at present on a visit to Dunedin.

Writing on October 23. our London correspondent reports that recent callers at. the High Commissioner’s Office included Miss Rita Gutman and Mr G. A. Dodds (Invercargill), Mr and Mrs Stronach Paterson (Christchurch), Mr and Mrs S. Peter Hope (Timaru). Mrs H. Allison (Wyndhatn). Mrs C. N. Orbell and the Misses G. F. and M. L. Orbell (Timaru), Miss M. Peach (Dunedin). Among the passengers by the Remuera was Mr James Mills, son of Sir James Mills. Mr Mills has been for some time on the staff of the New Zealand Shipping Companv. and is now secretary of the company. He is making a tour of the company’s agencies, in order to make the acquaintance of the staff and acquire information that will be of service to him in the company’s interests. Rev. R. H. Knowles Kempton informed the Hanover Street Baptist Church recently that he had received and accepted a tail to the Whangarei Baptist Church. His resignation of the position he has held in this city for the past six years was accepted with reluctance und regret. During his ministry at Hanover Street Mr Kempton has made many friends in the city, and has taken a keen interest in its highest welfare. For some time post he has been secretury of the Council of Christjan Congregations, and has taken a loading part in the public functions arranged by tho council. He is president of the local branch of the British and Foreign Sailors’ Society and of the Sudan United Minion and has ever been ready to assist worthy causes. Mr Kempfcon’s ministry here will close on the third ftiinday in February next, and ho will begin his new work In the far north in March. Whangarei is a thriving town,

ho mtifully situated, and the contra of 4 very wide area of flourishing country. Writing on October 23, our London oorra* spoudeut states that his Majesty the King has approved c.f the nppointnn nt of Vice-' admiral Sir Richard Webb, K.C.M.G., 0.8, to be president and flag officer < oinmanding tbe Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in sue. cession to ' Vice admiral Sir G. I*. W. Hope. K.C.8., K.1.M.G., to dale from February H ' r H? : I’:"' Weliii was Director* of the Irade Division Imirnltv War Staff, during the first three year* of the war. He commanded 11.M.5. Now Zealand in till Grand Fleet, 1917-18. and afterwards acted as Assistant High Commissioner to Turkey, From 1920 22 he was rear-admiral of the Fourth Battle Squadron and second-in-com* mand during the latter part of rhat period. Later ho became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Station, and last winter lent to the Greek Government to make an inspection of its naval defences and to report upon them. Sir Richard lectured at the Royal United Service Institution last season on ’Trade Defence in War. L. Petersen (the well-known “Pete”) with Wirth’s Circus has been advance manager for that popular organisation for more than a quarter of a century. He is one of the most, restless Australians alive. For 26 years he has been moving from place io place in Australia and New Zealand, rarely stopping in one centre more than two or three days, and sometimes, whon travelling facilities permit, visiting two, or even three, towns in one day. 'There is no city he has not been in scores of times, and probably not one town of more than a feW hundred inhabitants is unknown to him. Ho visits not, less than 200 different centroj every year, and in tho course of his 26 years in the same occupation with the same firm he has probably established an unapproachable record for persistent migration. T here is no more popular or more accomplished agent in the game. Ho is genial and energetic, and is a keen advertising man. ff anything apart from the excellence of the show- has contributed to Wirth Bros.’a success it Mr Petersen s ability to herald the approach of their far-famed circus. Mr Petersen has arrived in Dunedin to make arrangement* for tho opening on Monday, December 21. j Mr J. U. Bayard, assistant architect on the Exhibition staff of the Canadian Government, left on Saturday for Canada on account of the death of his father. Sir William Sim, accompanied by his associate, Mr K. C. Aekins, arrived in | Dunedin on Saturday morning from Inver- | cargill. Sir William will return to Invercargill to-merrow evening. Mr H. J. I arrant, chairman of the comcontrolling the Southland Court at the Exhibition, arrived in Dunedin on Saturday morning. 110 returned to Invercargill the same evening. The Rev.' E. Bandy, who has been for sonic years minister in charge of St. James’s Presbyterian Church, Taneatuu, has accepted a call to St. David’s Church, Taihape. At the dose of the last meeting for the year ot the Dunedin branch of the Psychology Club, Mr Millin, president of the club, presented Miss Olive Mercer with a cheque from the members as a small appreciation of her services as lion, secretary. Miss Mercer has devoted much time and thought to her work, and the club is deeply grate- . lul io her. Mr ('. Atkinson, of South Dunedin, was presented with a set of cutlery by the Dunedin mail room staff on the occasion of his leaving the postal service to enter business on nis own account. The presentation was made by Mr J. M'Neill. Mr Atkinson was in the Postal Department’s service for nine years, and was a mail van driver for several years. Mr O. Van Osslaer, a native of Belgium, who has been resident in Auckland since 1915, has been created a Knight of the Order of K'sig Leopold, in recognition of his sen ices on behalf of Belgium in New Zealand. The decoration is one of the oldest in Belgium, having been introduced by King Leopold in 1832, two years after the country broke away from the Netherlands kingdom. The order is the highest civil honour conferred in Belgium. 'The retirement of Mr W. G. Spencer from the Public Service was announced on Tuesday last. He commenced his career as a teacher in Otago, and in 1891 he was appointed assistant inspector of schools for Wanganui, and later inspector in Taranaki. Later he was inspector and officer in charge of departmental examinations.