ABOUT PEOPLE

Southland Times, Issue 17608, 24 March 1914, Page 6

ABOUT PEOPLE

Mr R. Hatton, of the Agricultural Department at Bluff, is at present absent in Wellington on business connected with his department. Mr A. B. Mansfield, of tire Tlmaru office, is relieving at (Bluff. Mr L. McLelland. the Victorian Railway Commlsioher, who has been spending" a holiday of three weeks’ duration in various parts of New Zealand, was a passenger for Melbourne by the s.s, Maunganui, when that vessel left Bluff last evening. Mrs Maher and Miss Rose Maher, of Kew, left on a holiday visit to Australia bv yesterday’s steamer from Bluff. *Mr and Mrs N. J.’M. Rein, accompanied by tho Misses E. Itnd V. Deschler. left Bluff last evening on a commencement of a trip to the Hbme land and various parts of the Continent. The death is reported of a very old identity in .the person of Mr John Flanagan. of West Plains, at the age of 7S years. Mr Flanagan, who was a native of Ireland, was one of the very earliest of the West Plains settlers, and continued to reside there up to the time of his death. He took no part in public affairs, but he possessed the respect and esteem of all who knew him. and h*s honesty, uprightness, and charitable disposition were marked characteristics of his. He leaves a widow and a grown up family. Amongst the Public Servants who will shortly retire on superannuation (says tho Wellington Post) will be Mr R. F. Houlihan, officer in charge of the Gisborne Telegraph station. Mr Houlihan entered the Civil Service in 1870. when the Telegraph Department was under the control of Mr C. Lemon (afterwards Dr. Lemon). The total number of officers was then only 62. As a, cadet Mr Houlihan received his instruction under Mr W. H. Floyd. an imported electrician, who afterwards became superintendent of the Indian telegraph lines. In IS7I Air Houlihan was transferred to Dunedin, and after being tbeie three years he was sent to Christchurch. Six years later he was stationed at Blenheim —in those days a transmitting station between the two islands—-the “penal settlement" of the service. They used to work with small batteries across the Straits then, strong currents on t.ic cable considered impossible. )31enheim station boasted of a staff of ;>0 oi 60 men. all "tip-toppers." During his time there Mr Houlihan acted ns supervisee In ISSI he was transferred to Christchurch, in ISS2 to Wellington (as superintending officer), and in back again to Blenheim. Shortly alterwards big changes occurred. Wellington was enabled to work with Christchurch and the West Coast with strougei batteries, and Blenheim, os a transmitting station, was practically effaced. Mr Houlihan was then in charge of the telegraph branch. October, 1900, saw him transferred to Napier, as assistant officer-in-charge, and in 1904 he was transferred t'9 a similar capacity at Auckland. Since 1907 he has been in charge of the Gisborne station.