ABOUT PEOPLE.

Southland Times, Issue 19278, 24 June 1924, Page 4

ABOUT PEOPLE.

Mr P. de la Perrelle, M.P., left Invercargill yesterday afternoon for Wellington.

Yesterday the Speaker of the House of Representatives (the Hon. C. E. Statham) arrived in Wellington. Mr Adam Hamilton leaves by the express train this morning en route to Wellington, where he will attend a meeting of the Meat Producers’ Board. The Minister of Customs (the Hon. W. Downie Stewart) returned to Wellington yesterday, according to a telegram from the Southland Times correspondent in the capital.

A Sun Cable from London reports the death of William Dennis, Britain’s millionaire potato king, who owned 17,000 acres in Lincolnshire. He started life as a farm labourer.

Mr and Mrs H. Heal and son, of Colac Bay, left Invercargill by yesterday’s express en route for a visit to the Homeland. They will proceed via Canada, and expect to be away about a year. Mr D. Rodie, District Traffic Manager at Invercargill, leaves by this morning’s through express on his way to Wellington to attend a conference of administrative officers at the Head Office.

Mr E. J. Chapman, of Christchurch, has been appointed stationmaster at Woodlands in succession to the late Mr S. E. A. Gore, and will take up his duties in the course of the next few days. Mr 11. L. P. Smith, assistant District Engineer on the Southland Section of the New Zealand Railways, has received notice of his promotion to a similar position at Auckland. Mr H. Lovatt, of Christchurch, will succeed Mr Smith as assistant-District Engineer at Invercargill.

The Wellington correspondent of the Southland Times wires that the Chief Inspector of Schools (Mr T. B. Strong) leaves on July 8 on a visit to Fiji and Samoa, and to attend the Australasian Conference of Inspectors of Schools in Brisbane on August 11. He will return to New Zealand about the middle of September. The Melanesian Mission Board, says an Auckland Press Association wire, has received a cablegram announcing the death on June 18 of Rev. R. C. M. Sprott, missionary in charge of the Pugot district, Ysabel, Solomon Islands. Deceased had loeen ten years on the mission field, and was a nephew of Bishop Sprott, of Wellington. He leaves a widow.

In an Auckland Press Association telegram the death is announced of Mr William Winstone, founder of the firm of Winstone Merchants, Ltd., at the age of 81. He arrived there in 1859, and in the Maori war had charge of a transport, which was an undertaking of some danger, as the Maoris frequently attacked from ambush. The firm of Winstone, Ltd., celebrated its diamond jubilee in March last. Deceased leaves a widow and a married daughter. Mr T. Rutherford, manager of the Grand and Club Hotels, who leaves for Queenstown shortly with his wife and family, was presented by members of the Club Hotel staff with a very fine silver tea service and salver suitably inscribed yesterday afternoon. In making the presentation, on behalf of his fellow-employees, the chef, Mr C. King, spoke in appreciation of the friendly relations which had always existed between Mr and Mrs Rutherford and their staff and the way in which Mrs Rutherford had “mothered” those who came under her care. In returning thanks for the presentation, Mr Rutherford said he felt very •proud of the record time his present staff had remained under his management. He

was quite sure he had established a record for New Zealand for the length of service most of his staff had given under his management.