ABOUT PEOPLE

Southland Times, Issue 21649, 10 March 1932, Page 6

ABOUT PEOPLE

A British Official Wireless message states that the Prime Minister, Mr Ramsay MacDonald, is returning from Cornwall this week-end and hopes to attend the House of Commons on Monday.

Under the managership of Mr P. W. Breen the Otago team have left for Auckland to compete in the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Championships to be held in that city to-morrow and on Saturday. Included in the team are two members of the Invercargill Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club, Messrs I. O. Manson and T. Pickering. The former will compete in the 120 and 440 yards hurdles and the latter in the 220 and 440 yards flat events.

A Wanganui message states that the following officers were elected by the Justices of the Peace Conference: President, Mr D. McFarlane (Wanganui) ; vice-presi-dent, Mr W. N. Stirling (Invercargill) ; registrar, Mr Albert J. Stratford (Auckland). Invercargill was chosen for the next conference. A remit was carried urging upon the Minister of Justice the necessity of amending the regulations in the direction that those escorting . young persons to the’ Borstal or other institutions shall not necessarily be in uniform. Mr Charles Thomas Holden, of Waiohua Road, Green Lane, died at the Auckland Hospital on March 4, aged 47 years. Mr Holden was born in London, and went to sea when 12 years of age. After voyaging round the world several times, he became quartermaster on Ihe cable steamer Iris in New Zealand. He entered the service of the Post and Telegraph Department 21 years ago. During the war, Mr Holden saw three years’ service in Mesopotamia aqd France with the wireless engineers. In recent years he suffered from almost total blindness and had regularly attended the Jubilee Institute for the Blind. He is survived by Mrs Holden and one son.

Mr W. S. Shearer, who for the past three years has been a clerk in the Invercargill district railway traffic manager’s office and who recently was transferred to Dunedin, left by yesterday afternoon’s express tp take up his new appointment. Before his departure he was met in the morning by members of the staff and bidden farewell. The district, traffic manager (Mr J. A. Lindsay), in making the presentation of a pipe and a razor strop, referred appreciatively to Mr Shearer’s good work and wished him every success in the future. Mr Lindsay’s remarks were endorsed by Messrs F. J. Raines (chief clerk), A. F. Petrie, C. G. Browett, R. S. Dawson and W. Worsford, after which Mr Shearer made suitable acknowledgement of the presentation and expressions of goodwill.

Interested visitors to Invercargill at present are Mr and Mrs W. Little, who can bo ranked as very old residents of the town, as they left here over 42 years ago and have now returned to visit the city of pleasant memories. In his youthful days Mr Little followed the occupation of a watchmaker with the late Mr Craig, but subsequently removed to the North Island, where he carried on business in Marton and elsewhere. Later he joined the Department of Industries and Scientific Research and he recently retired from the Government service on superannuation. Just recovering from a long illness, the visitor has found the southern climate greatly to his benefit and during the past few days has been looking up friends of the far off eighties. As a young man Mr Little was well-known as an athlete “on the flat” and was also a first-class cricketer, while he took a leading part in musical activities, playing leading parts in “Trial By Jury,” “The Yeoman of the Guard,” “La Cloche de Corneville” and other noted amateur productions which attracted widespread attention and hearty public support despite comparisons with a period during which Invercargill was consistently favoured by seasons conducted by highclass professional organizations travelling to and from this district to Australia via Bluff. Mr and Mrs Little are the guests of Mr S. Fraser, of Lindisfarne,