ABOUT PEOPLE

Southland Times, Issue 22087, 7 August 1933, Page 6

ABOUT PEOPLE

Mr and Mrs A. O. Collings left by car on Saturday for Christchurch and Wellington. Mr L. Brookes left by the express last evening on a business visit to Christchurch. Mr E. J. Sinclair, late of Invercargill, and now of Dunedin, paid a visit to the city during the week-end. Misses E. Hood and I. Lange, of the staff of Herbert, Haynes, are at present on a business visit to Dunedin. Guests at the Club Hotel include Messrs T. Douglas and H. Tanner, of Dunedin, and J. Mazengarb, Tuatapere. Mr D. K. Torrance, sen., veteran Otago Rugby captain, of Dunedin, arrived in Invercargill by the express on Saturday afternoon. He returns to Dunedin to-day. The Otago Rugby team, accompanied by Dr A. A. Perry (manager) and Messrs Ira Grant and W. Pearson, members of the Otago Rugby Union, returned to Dunedin by bus yesterday afternoon.

A London cable records the death of Mr Harold Lake, a well-known journalist. Twenty years ago he wrote the words of the song “I hear you calling inc.” He sold it for a few pounds and has since reaped a small fortune from gramophone records. The chief commissioner for the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas (Lieut.-Colonel G. Barclay, 0.8. E., V.D.) has approved of the following promotions for the Invercargill district: Mr W. F. Webb from district sergeant to district officer; Mr G. Skipworth, secretary, Invercargill division, to district sergeant.

His Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller) has received a telegram from the Hon. E. A. Ransom (Minister of Lands) advising that the Minister, in the course of an official visit to the South Island, will arrive in Invercargill late next Sunday evening and will remain in the district until the following Wednesday, when he leaves for Gore. The appointment of the Rev. Canon Arthur John Carr as vicar of Manurewa has been announced by the Auckland Diocesan Office. He was ordained deacon in 1907 and priest in 1908 in the Diocese of Nelson. He was curate of Nelson suburban district from 1907 to 1909, vicar of Richmond from 1909 to 1919 and vicar of Greymouth from 1919 to 1928. Since then he has been vicar of Picton. He has been canon of Nelson Cathedral since 1919, and was Archdeacon of Mawhera in the Nelson Diocese from 1920 to 1928.

It is unofficially reported from Wellington that Mr Harold F. Johnston, K.C., of that city, has been selected to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court Bench caused by the retirement of Mr Justice Adams. Mr Johnston has had a distinguished career at the Bar, and was appointed King’s Counsel in 1930. Tire fourth son of Sir Charles Johnston, M.L.C., he was born in Wellington in 1875. Educated at the Wanganui Collegiate School and at Trinity College, Oxford, he graduated B.A. in 1897. He is an ex-president of the Wellington Law Society and is held in high esteem in the profession. His wife is a daughter of Sir Francis Bell.

Mr T. L. Seator who has been manager of the Invercargill branch of the State Fire Insurance Department for the past 10 years, and has been transferred to the managership of the Palmerston North Branch, was farewellcd by the staff on Saturday morning and the presentation of a . gold-mounted fountain-pen suitably inscribed was made to him. Mr R. S. Ferguson, in making the presentation on behalf of the staff, thanked Mr Seator for the consideration he had always shown them. They regretted his departure, but congratulated him on the promotion which had come and wished him every success in the future. Mr Seator suitably replied.

Mr J. R. Gifford, who, after a service of 21 years as assistant-sub-editor of the Christchurch Press, is leaving to become sub-editor of the Timaru Herald, was met by a large assembly of the staff yesterday (says a Press Association telegram) and presented with a wallet of notes. The editor (Mr P. H. N. Frecth) made the presentation and the general manager (Mr A. M. Burns), who previously as chief sub-editor was associated with Mr Gifford for 13 years, expressed regret at the departure of a loyal helper and good comrade. Both Mr Frecth and Mr Burns expressed good wishes to Mr Gifford in his new office and assured him of the high esteem and affection of the members of all staffs of the Press.

Mr J. H. Hall, M.A., editor of The Sun, Christchurch, has been appointed to succeed Mr Earle as editor of The Dominion. Mr Hall, who is 35 years old, was born in Southland, the eldest son of Mr Andrew Hall, farmer, of Edendale, and is an old boy of the Gore High School. After a year’s farming experience, he joined the Southland Times, Invercargill, in 1916, as copyholder in the reading department. Within a few months he was advanced to the reporting staff, and at the age of 19 became chief reporter. In 1918 he transferred to The Sun, Christchurch, as a reporter, and for three sessions represented that paper in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Early in 1921 he resigned, spending the next three years at the University of Otago, where he was the first student to take a Diploma of Journalism, and in successive years won the New Zealand University Arnold Atkinson Memorial and Haydon Essay Prizes. In 1923 he was James Clark Prizeman in English. Next year he returned to active journalism as cable sub-editor of Tire Press, Christchurch, continuing his studies at Canterbury College, where he was College Prizeman in Political Science, and later graduated M.A. with the equivalent of Honours in Economics. In 1925 and 1926 he was editor of the Hawera Star, and in 1927 returned to Christchurch as editor of The Sun. Mr Hall represented Southland at Rugby in 1917, when the competitions were restricted to players below military age. He is a double Blue (Rugby and athletics) of the University of Otago, and a past amateur champion of Canterbury in both high jump and throwing the hammer.