ROUND ABOUT WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 3911, 26 February 1929, Page 22

ROUND ABOUT WELLINGTON.

By

Pencarrow.

(Special for the Otago Witness.) February 21. New Zealand mourns the loss of her distinguished son, Sir Charles Skerrett, Chief Justice of the Dominion. Wellington, his home town, has suffered a personal loss. Here he lived through" the years of a life which is an inspiration to all boys, for by personal effort only he raised himself from the bottom rung of the ladder to the topmost peak of the profession which he adorned. The sun shines warmly to-day across the lawns and gardens of his peaceful home on the other side of the harbour. Sunshine floods the city streets, but the shadow of death hangs over the Supreme Court, where members of the legal profession are assembled to pay tribute to his memory. What men have thought of him will be broadcast through the Empire, for though his lot was cast in this young country the flame of his genius burnt so brightly that its light has touched the outside world. It has been said of Sir Charles Skerrett that he started from scratch. If opportunity is measured by material advantages he did. But let it never be forgotten that the Chief Justice had behind him that greatest of all blessings—a self-respecting family which knew right from wrong, an Irish family from which he inherited the quick intellect, the sparkling humour, the determination to succeed, and the sound constitution which enabled him in this painful fatal illness to fight valiantly, to keep smiling, and to go down into the deep waters with the flag flying triumphantly until the end. On that strong foundation his great career was laid, and he was destined for great things. He w r as a faithful labourer who was not denied the victor’s meed. Bench and Bar have suffered an irreparable loss. They truly mourn a great figure whose human qualities made him loved. The community claims the privilege of sharing the sorrow, for he was our good friend and a kindly citizen.

In opening the annual conference of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, his Excellency the Governor-General said that he was present “ to show respect and to do honour to representatives of one of the most noble professions, and to give expression to the appreciation which we all must have, not only for the work, but of the importance to the country and to humanity of such a gathering.” The conference is sitting here all this week. There is a very large attendance. Among the distinguished delegates from overseas is Mr Sampson Handley, senior surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital. His address on cancer has interested the whole community, which recognises in him a great authority, and has taken heart from his message of hope. It is probable that the direct result of this conference will be a quickening of lay interest and a determination to help individually with cancer research by contributing to the funds for the purpose. Mr Sampson Handley has compared the search for knowledge about cancer with the search for kerosene, which cannot be made on a small scale. Borings for oil are made all over the world at a cost which runs into millions. Business men anticipate failure in many of the borings, but know that the small percentage of successful wells will pay a hundred-fold for the failures. Cancer research must be conducted on the same principles, he says—upon an adequate scale at many centres, and with adequate financial support. It is an uncertain, difficult enterprise, but eventually the. well of knowledge will flow. Many minds in every country must be directed to the subject at different angles. To New Zealand, if its inhabitants put their shoulders to the wheel, may fall the glory of settling the cancer problem. At a reception given by the Medical Association Mr Sampson Handlev spoke a few words from the platform at the Town Hall. His charmingly unassuming manner appealed to the big gathering, which later had the privilege of hearing Dr Elliott’s brilliant presidential a<b dress.

Dr Elliott is a well-known Wellington doctoi, a son of the Rev. Dr Kennedy Elliott, a much-respected Presbyterian minister here. Dr Elliott’s address was worthy of the occasion. It was a rare intellectual treat, interesting, not only to the medical profession, but to a wider audience, and it is strongly felt by many who were present in the‘Town Hall that it should be published and distributed.

.The doctors are very much occupied with their W’ork, but their leisure moments arc filled with pleasant social engagements. Rarely in Wellington is there so much private entertaining. Lunches, dinners, tea parties are the order of the day for the wives, and at night there are dinner parties, at which all friends foregather. It is a brotherly union, this medical profession. Last night their Excellencies, the Governor-General and Lady Alice Fergusson, held a reception at Government House. At it there must have been

nearly 700 guests. It was a brilliant affair, made the more so by the many medals and decorations worn, most of the doctors present having seen active service.

Yesterday afternoon there was a Government reception in Parliament Buildings. To residents of Wellington it was rather a memorable occasion, being the first of its kind under the new regime. The new Minister for Public Health made a brief address. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, was present. It was a pleasairt affair, well organised. The Director-general of Health (Dr Valintine) and Mrs Valintine received the guests, who were much struck by the excellence of the service in connection with the refreshments. It was a happy thought that nurses from the dental clinic should do the waiting at a party given by the Department of Health. The young nurses made a complete success of the undertaking, and incidentally enjoyed the afternoon very much indeed.

The visiting public schoolboys are coming in for some of the social functions given in honour of the doctors and their wives. The boys are having a great, time. They are billeted in twos among hospitable people, who are not responsible for entertaining them outside the home. A committee is in charge of that department, and the boys are seeing and doing everything possible in the time at their disposal. They are meeting many people, and making individual friends. They come from the great public schools of England at an impressionable age, and we understand that the object of their visit is to gain experience and to form personal links m the chain which holds the Empire together. These particular boys will not be settling out here, but they will be useful advertisers, for they are entranced with the country’.

At 7 o'clock last night Mr C. Barwell set out from Makara in his collapsible canoe, bound for the South Island. The sea was calm. He hoped to reach his destination early this afternoon. He carried no light, but had a week’s provisions and fresh water.