PERSONAL

Southland Times, Issue 23827, 26 May 1939, Page 6

PERSONAL

The Minister of Defence and Post-master-General (the Hon. F. Jones) arrived in Auckland from Hamilton today. He received a number of callers, and inspected the Tasman airway terminal in Mechanics Bay. Mr Jones will meet representatives of the air raid precautions organizations at the Town Hall today and he may visit the naval base at Devonport before leaving for Wellington by train tonight.— Times Special Service. Mr W. J. A. McGregor was elected chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board at the annual meeting of the board at Bluff yesterday. Appreciation of the excellent service the retiring chairman, Mr W. A. Ott, had given during the six years he had held office was expressed by members and, on the motion of Sir Robert Anderson, it was decided to place the board’s appreciation on record.

Professor W. M. Benson, of Otago University, arrived in Invercargill yesterday and delivered ah address at a meeting of the Southland branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand last night. The Rev. E. O. Blamires, of Wellington, organizing secretary of the New Zealand Bible-in-Schools ‘League, is visiting "Invercargill. Mr is well known in cricket circles in Otago and Southland. He was captain of the Otago cricket team several years ago and scored a century against Southland at Dunedin. He also played for New Zealand.

Mr A. E. W. McDonald, president of the Southland Aero Club, is at present visiting Wellington, where he will attend the annual meeting of the Royal New Zealand Aero Club. He will return on Sunday night. Mr S. W. Jones left Invercargill by the express yesterday morning on a business visit to Sydney and Melbourne. He will return towards the end of next month. Mr A. E. Ansell and Mr J. L. Passmore, directors of the Associated Motorists Petrol Company Ltd., Mr J. R. Haigh, sales manager for New Zealand, and Mr P. W. Breen, manager for the Otago district, are visiting Invercargill. Last night they attended a dinner given bj' the company to Southland resellers.

Colonel H. E. Avery has been appointed a member of the National War Funds Council, in place of the late Colonel G. Mitchell.—Press Association.

Mr J. G. L. Hewitt, S.M., of Wanganui, has been appointed chairman of the Government Railways Appeal Board. Mr J. R. Robertson, of the Railways Department, Wellington, has been appointed a member of the board.—Press Association.

Mr W. Randle was elected president of the Northend Bowling Club at the annual meeting of the club last evening.

Mr J. Drake, of the Live-Stock Division of the Department of Agriculture at Invercargill, will leave soon on transfer to Auckland. His place will be taken by Mr G. W. Buxton, of Takaka. who has already arrived in Invercargill.

Constable Christianson, of Invercargill, is relieving at Winton during the absence on leave of Constable W. G. Wood.

Mr Robert B. Bell, of Timaru, who is well known in journalistic and business circles throughout New Zealand, has acquired a controlling interest in The New Zealand Observer, and has assumed the position of managing director of that paper. Mr Bell, who was manager of The Ashburton Guardian for some years before the war, was severely wounded in France early in 1917. He was advertising manager of The Dominion in Wellington from 1918 to 1922, when he became managing director of both The Timaru Post and The Ashburton Guardian. In 1925 he disposed of his interest in the Timaru paper, but continued the control and direction of The Ashburton Guardian for 13 years. Mr Bell’s co-direc-tors of The New Zealand Observer (a topical weekly journal established in 1880) are Mr Trevor M. Geddis (managing director of The Daily Telegraph, Napier) and Mr Eric A. Blomfield, of Auckland. Both have been connected with the paper over a long period of years. Mr Geddis will continue to be chairman of directors, and Mr Blomfield will retain the secretaryship of the company.