PERSONAL ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 34

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Vice-Regal. The Governor-General, Lady Alice Fergusson. and party left by the Tutanekai last week on a six weeks’ cruise of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Samoa. H.M.S. Laburnum is acting as escort. Ministbrial. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates) was engaged for nearly three hours in receiving deputations at the Grand Hotel on Saturday morning. In the afternoon lie performed the official closing ceremony at the Exhibition. He proceeded to Mosgiel at 7.30 yesterday morning to discuss various local matters, and on his return paid a visit to the new Medical and Dental Schools. He left for the north later by the express at 11.30 a.mMr H. A. Ellis, a graduate of Otago School of Mines, has beeu appointed director of the mineral survey of the Northern Territory, Australia. A message from Christchurch says that Miss Olive Rowe was granted a Sir William Hartly scholarship by the Canterbury College Board of Governors. The scholarship, which is offered every }hird year, has an annual value of £3OO. At a meeting of the bo rd of lie John M'Glashan Boys’ College a minute was passed recording the valuable services which the late Professor Waters had rendered as convenor of the College Works Committee almost since its inception, and the affection and esteem of his fellow members. At the householders’ meeting at Maori Hill School Mr S. N. Brown referred to his retirement from the committee. He had, he said, been chairman from the opening of the school —a matter of 20 years. He thought the time had arrived when he should retire and allow of the infusion of new blood. The work had been to him a labour of love, and he had experienced a considerable amount of joy in carrying it out. Through all those years the various committees and the staffs had worked most harmoniously with him. He referred to the impending retirement of Mr S. M. Park, secretary of the Education Board, and said that that gentleman had been a good friend of the school. He spoke of the progress of the school in face of strong opposition at the outset, and assured the committee that he would still do anything within his power for the advancement of the interests of the school. Mr E. H. Allen expressed regret at the loss of Mr Brown’s services, and on behalf of the committee presented him with an attache case. Mr J. A. Fitzgerald (head master, said the staff regretted Mr Brown’s retirement. A cable message from London states that Mr E. Ashmead-Bartlett, member for North Hammersmith in the House of Commons, has resigned. Sir Joseph Ward, who has been in Dunedin for the closing of the Exhibition, proceeded to Invercargill by yesterday morning’s express. A cablegram from London states that Paymaster-lieutenant Fletcher, the new Naval Secretary for New Zealand, will sail by the Tainui on May 28. Mr W. B. M'llveney, Coi-missioner for Police, left Dunedin by the special train for Christchurch on Sunday morning. He inspected the police force there yesterday, and returned by the ferry steamer to-night for Wellington. Mr J. B. Blyth and Mr R. Markby, who have, been 47 years and 50 years respectively in the employ of Messrs Reid and Gray (Ltd.), were the recipients of suitable gifts on Friday last from their employers and associr#e workers on the occasion of their retirement. Messrs D. C. Cameron and T. H. Dalton and Miss Williamson spoke in anpreciative terms of the valuable services they had rendered. The body of the late Lady Mackenzie was buried at Tonbridge. Sir James Allen sent a wreath on behalf of the New Zealand Government, and Sir Francis Bell one on behalf of the Legislative Council. Miss Ena Stockley. one of New Zealand’s champion lady swimmers, left Auckland on Friday for Sydney, where she will take up a position for an indefinite period. It is hoped that she will return next, summer. The Rev. A. T. Chodowski, w hose death at Sydney was recently reported, was 02 years of age. He is survived by his wife, three sons, and three daughters. Dr Malcolm Gray, a son of the Rev. R. S. Gray, left Dunedin for Christchurch on Friday. He has returned from England to settle in the Dominion. At the annual meeting of the trustees of the Dunedin Savings Bank, held last week, Mr G. L. Denniston was re-elected president and Mr E. A. Rosevear reelected deputy-president. Mr D. L. K. Walker, who is retiring from Messrs John Mill and Co., PorlT Chalmers, was the recipient of a divan chair from the staff. Mr W. Wilson, who made the presentation, referred to the very cordial relations existing between the members of the staff and Mr Walker. Mr F. Smith then handed to Mr Walker an umbrella, for Mrs Walker. The happy relations existing between the staffs of the wool stores at Port Chalmers was demonstrated when Mr J. H. Crawford, on behalf of the members of Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company’s staff, asked Mr Walker to accept a fountain pen. In responding, Mr Walker feelingly thanked the donors, and referred to his long connection with shipping. Several members of the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers gathered in the Otago Harbour Board’s office late on Friday- afternoon for the purpose of making a presentation to Mr J. M‘G. Wilkie, the board’s engineer, who is about to leave on tour of the United States and Europe to gather the latest methods adopted in regard to harbour improvements. . Mr F. J. Williams said that Mr Wilkie was held in very high esteem by the members of his profession. They were all pleased when it was announced that the Harbour Board had decided to send Mr Wilkie abroad. They were confident that the trip to America and England would broaden Mr Wilkie’s views. The Harbour Board’s scheme for effecting improvements was a very extensive one, and they felt sure that when Mr Wilkie returned with all the very latest details, the scheme would be brought to a successful issue. On behalf of the civil engineers of Dunedin he had 'great pleasure in presenting Mr Wilkie with a case of pipes and a tobacco pouch, carrying an inscription. Mr J. G. Alexander (city engineer) said that Mr Wilkie's trip abroad had caused

members of the profession to be somewhat envious, but he deserved the trip for his past services to the board. He would carry with him the very best wishes of every member of the profession, and it wa9 hoped that he would come back with new ideas which would mean success to the proposed harbour improvement scheme. Mr R. Lee said he had had many dealings with Mr Wilkie during the past eight years. The principal thing about Mr Wilkie was that he was always up-to-date in everything he Eut his mind to, and his word was always is bond. It was hoped that he would have a successful and instructive trip, and that whatever he had the privilege of seeing in the way of harbour works would be photographed on his brain, so that he could make full use of the ideas after his return to Dunedin. Mr J. Marks (district engineer to the Public Works Department), Mr H. Maeandrew. Mr G. T. Edgar (assistant city engineer), Mr G. Scoular, and Mr C. B. Stephenson also spoke briefly, and wished Mr Wilkie a pleasant and successful trip. Mr Wilkie, in acknowledging the gift, said it was a very happy moment when his brother engineers could come along and express such confidence in his work. He greatly appreciated the gift and also the expressions of confidence placed in him. If he did the right thing when abroad, he would have a strenuous time. It was his intention to do everything possible in the interest of the Otago Harbour Board. He was of the opinion that every engineer should have an occasional trip round the world to enable him to acquire the latest ideas in engineering works of any magnitude. It was to be hoped that other public bodies in New Zealand would follow the lead of the Otago Harbour Board. He would go abroad w ith the feeling that his brother engineers w’ere confident that he would gather information which would be of immense value to the members of the Harbour Board. It was his intention to justify the decision of the board to send him abroad. Mr W. G. Mayer, who has been teaching in Palmerston School for the past six years, left there for a new position at Ashley, North Canterbury, on Friday morning. Mr G. Slapoffski, conductor of the Exhibition Choir, left Dunedin by the 11.30 express on Thuisday, on his way back to Australia. The Rev. A. Wingfield, of Holy Cross Church, St. Kilda, has been presented by his parishioners with an Austin motor car as a recognition of the faithful service he has rendered the parish. Mr W. T. Wilson, military secretary of the Y.M.C.A to the Southern Command, has been appointed general secretary of the Dunedin Association, in succession to Mr Drew, who is taking over the Y.M.C.A. in Auckland. Mr Wilson has had 20 years’ Y.M.C.A experience in Simla. India. England, Malta, and Salonika. At the monthly meeting of the Temperance Reform Council the president, Mr Chas. Todd, who is shortly leaving for an extended tour of America, Britain, and the Continent, was the recipient of the good wishes of a representative gathering of the temnerance people of Otago as a token of the high esteem in which Mr Todd is held. Mr R. D. Poison, on behalf of the council, presented Mr and Mrs Todd with a handsome travelling rug. It is understood that Mr Chas. Todd will be elected to the position of Dominion president of the New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic at the annual convention in Wellington next month. Messrs Peter Barr, James Brown, Charles Todd, and H. J. Guthrie will leave Dunedin this week for the purpose of attending a Rotary Conference at Honolulu. Mr Barr will be mccompanied by his wife and daughter, Mr Brown and Mr Guthrie by their wives, and Mr Todd by his wife and daughter. Mr Todd intends to leave Dunedin n Wednesday, and Messrs Barr, Brown, and Guthrie on Thursday. At the conclusion ol the conference at Honolulu, Mr Barr and Mr Todd will proceed to Denver tc attend a Rotary Convention, at which there will be from 10,000 to 12,000 delegates. After that Mr Barr will go to Chicago, where he will represent New Zealand at a meeting of international directors and district governors of Rotary, and he will subsequently proceed to Toronto to take up his duties as New Zealand Government Commissioner at the Toronto Exhibition. Reporting the death of Mr Wolf Harris, The Times (London) said on March 23: “Mr Harris went out to Australia iu 1849, but, attracted by the gold rush in New Zealand, he made his way to Dunedin about 1851, where he helped to open what was a new mining town. These were difficult days; there were no roads, and the only way of travelling about was on horseback. Mr Harris used to tell interesting stories of his adventures, fording rivers, staying in Maori camps, and enduring great hardships. On one occasion, when he was returning to Australia, after a trip as a trader, to buy goods suitable for miners, the schooner in which he was taking passage was shipwrecked in the Bay of Islands. He built the first stone building in Dunedin, and took a gre? . interest in the welfare of the city, and helped to endow the Karitane-Harris Hospital which bears his name. For the last 30 years he had been permanently resident in London after opening up a London office for the New Zealand company with which he was identified as founder. He took a great interest in art, formed a considerable collection of modern pictures, and he was a great friend of many of the artists. He was accustomed every year, just after the opening of the Academy, to entertain at dinner the president and the other academicians, who held Mr Harris in great esteem. He was a governor of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and many other charitable institutions in London, and gave much of his time to charitable work.”