OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 23

OBITUARY.

The death is announced of Mr A. K. Harris, General Superintendent of Transportation in the New Zealand Railway Department. Mr Harris died on the day of his retirement on superannuation after 42 years’ service. He was born at Waipipi in 1869. his father being the late Captain W. J. Harris. He joined the Railways Department at Auckland in 1884 as a cadet and was appointed station master at Papakura nine years later and. was successively relieving officer in the Auckland district, clerk in the Traffic Manager’s office at Wanganui and in the Traffic Superintendent's office, Wellington. He was appointed traffic clerk at Auckland in 1908 and transferred to a similar position at Dunedin in 1912. He was subsequently assistant District Traffic Manager at Dunedin and at Christchurch, district traffic manager at Wanganui and Auckland. He was -appointed in 1924 to the position at Wellington he occupied until his death. He leaves a widow, one son (Mr H. F. Harris, Auckland), one daughter (Miss G. L. Harris, Auckland), one brother (Mr C. S. Harris, also retired from the Railways Department), and one sister (Mrs E. O. Greene, Los Gates, California). A cable message from London announces the death of Mr Hugh Jones, editorial director of the Daily News. The funeral of the late Sir Henry Brett took place on Tuesday afternoon (reports our special correspondent at Auckland) . After a short service the cortege left ..his late residence. Lake Takapuna, at 3 o’clock, for the Church of England cemetery at O’Neill’s Point. There was a very large attendance of representatives of public bodies and professional men. The death is announced of Mr James Hood, Auchencrow, Reston, Berwickshire, Scotland. The deecased, who was born on March 3, 1824. was in his 103rd yeai. The family have for centuries been connected with the village of Auchencrow, and are descendents of Rab Hood, who fought at Flodden, and was the only soldier from Cold inghamshire who returned from the stricken field. Up to the time of his death Mr Hood was in possession of all his faculties, excepting that his eyesight was a little dim, and he took his walk daily. He emigrated to Melbourne in 1857. where he conveyed the mails between Melbourne, Cranburn. and Conville. In 1862 he came to Dunedin, and went into business as a building contractor. One of his contracts was the building of Messrs Ross and Glendining’s premises in Stafford street. In 1883 he retired and took up his residence in Opotiki. In 1894 he returned to Scot-

land. While in Dunedin he resided in Mornington. His photograph is to be seen in the Otago Early Settlers' Museum. He was a firm supporter of prohibition, and had always been a non-smoker. By the death of Mr Henry Wetherilt, of Ponsonby, Auckland loses one who was a splendid type of the best British traditions. An engineer by calling, he had travelled a great deal, and in his time he had seen exciting events. To old Aucklanders the name is always associated with the wreck of the Huddart-Parker steamer Elmgamite, as on that occasion he was one of the survivors of the raft on which 16 people were saved, and from which eight were lost before the raft was picked up by H.M.S. Penguin. They were afloat for five days and four nights without food or water. The late Mr Wetherilt was a born leader of men, and on that occasion he took charge of the raft, and before that on board the ill-fated steamer he had also done good work in helping to save life. He had served in the Turkish Navy and came to the Dominion to manage the Shaw, Savill’s freezing hulk at Nelson. Subsequently he was Government Inspector of Machinery and Surveyor of Ships. There passed awav at his residence, “Weka Downs,” Pukeawa, on January 29, Mr Mathew Begg, a wellknown business man of this city. He was the youngest son of Mr Adam Begg, of Anderson’s Bay. who was one of the early pioneers of Otago. He spent his boyhood and early manhood at Anderson’s Bay, where he was born. He practised in Dunedin as a surveyor and civil engineer under the name of Oakden and Begg. This firm was widely known as architects and surveyors. and the deceased gentleman surveyed many large estates and townships throughout New Zealand. He retired from his profession in 1916, and then settled at “Weka Downs,” where he occupied his time in the cultivation of native shrubs and flowers, and hi s garden was far-famed for its beauty and size. He leaves a widow, a daughter (Mrs William Welsh), and a son (Mr A. Charles Begg), all of whom reside at Pukeawa. The death occurred at Wellington recently after an operation for appendicitis, ok Dr Oswald J. Reid. The late Dr Reid, who was only 38 years of age, and a native of Wellington, was educated at 4 The Terrace School and at Wellington College, where he was not only a prominent scholar but also a successful athlete. While at the college he held the 100 yards and 220 yards championships. When he was studying medicine at Otago University, he secretary of the University Football Club. Dr Reid served as an'officer in the Medical -Corps throughout the Egyptian and Palestine campaigns, and on his return, to New Zealand, while still in the service of the Defence Department, he did excellent work during the influenza epidemic. Subsequently he continued his professional studies in England, and for some time ho was in charge of the City of London Maternitv Hospital. He returned to Wellington about two years ago, and after practising at Karori for some months, bo acquired at the beginning of 1926 a practice at Takapau. Dr Reid was unmarried. Mr Andrew Smaill, whose death occurred recently at the comparatively early age of 45 years, was born in Caversham and in infancy went with his parents to Gisborne for eight years, subsequently returning with them to Christchurch He served four vears of his apprenticeship in his father’s engineering works and completed with Messrs J. Sparrow, and Sons and Stevenson and Cook. W hen the Otago Harbour Board started the policy of erecting its own building and doing its engineering repairs Mr Smaill was appointed foreman engineer from a large number of applicants. Several .years later he was appointed foreman engineer for Messrs A. and T. Burt (Ltd.), in whoso employ he remained for a number of years until he was laid aside by his fatal illness. lie was a first class mechanical engineer and during the vears he was foreman a large number of youths served their time under him and their feeling of loss of a. true friend along with a large circle of friends and employees was shown by the number of beautiful wreaths that covered the, funeral casket. He leaves a wife, one son, and two daughters to nipurn their loss.

About 5.20 on Friday evening Mr Peter Grant, aged 74 years, a wellknown sportsman and at one time partner in the sporting firm of Messrs Barnett and Grant (reports our special correspondent in Christchurch), went int-> the Grand Theatre in company with, twe friends, and shortly afterwards suddenly collapsed. He was carried out and restorative measures were applied, but a doctor who was summoned pronounced lifo extinct. Deceased had been tinder medical treatment, and death is supposed to have been caused by heart failure. A well-known character about town who could claim a great many more friends than enemies, in the person of Mr David Hannibal Waldie, of Mosgiel, died suddenly on January 30. The late Mr Waldie, who was 50 years of age, was a typical soldier of fortune who could turn his hand with passing aptitude to almost anything. He had been a land agent in South Dunedin, an itinerant showman of no little skill, and a pedlar of meat. He served in the Boer War, to which he went with the first contingent. Many an amusing story has been told about his exploits among the Boers, by whom he was captured with others on one occasion. His captors were in a hurry to retreat, and ordered the prisoners to secure their kits quickly and fall in. Mr Waldie, it is alleged, snatched the kit of the Prince of Tcck, who had escaped, and while in the Boer lines he lacked little that a Royal kit could provide. He was well known among the various contingents in the late war, having served as a cook on one of the transports. A well-known resident of Auckland, and formerly of Hamilton, the wife of the late Archdeacon W. Calder, died on Wednesday at the age of 79 years (reports our special correspondent). She was born in 1848 at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, and was educated in France. She was ’married to Pov. W. Calder, when vicar of Waikato in 1876.