OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 23945, 11 October 1939, Page 8

OBITUARY

MR NORTON FRANCIS (United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, October 10. The death occurred suddenly today or Mr Norton Francis, C.M.G., an original director of the Reserve Bank. Mr Francis was born in Middlesex, England, in 1871 and arrived in New Zealand in 1893. He purchased the. Hiwiroa estate, Waimate, in 1896, and carried on farming until the estate was sold in 1919, when he removed to Christchurch. He was a director of Guiness .and'Le Cren Ltd. from its inception until the firm was amalgamated into Pyne, Gould, Guiness Ltd.’in 1919, becoming managing director of the new company. He was chairman of directors of Mason, Struthers, and a director of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company. Before settling in Christchurch he was Mayor of Waimate, a member of ihe ’Timaru Harbour Board, the South Canterbury Hospital Board, and president of the Waimate Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce from 1928 to 1930, and a member of the Navy League and Red Cross. He served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and was attached to headquarters from August 1914 to April 1919, and was director of Base Records from 1915 to 1919. In 1918 he was created C.M.G., and was awarded the General Service Medal. He was senior major in the Motor Service Corps, and at the time of his death was major on the retired list. MR I. HUTCHINSON (United Press Association) HAMILTON, October 10. The death occurred at Hamilton last night of Mr lanson Hutchinson, at the age of 48. He was president of the Huntly Miners’ Union for some years and also of the Huntly branch of the Labour Party. He was a member of the Huntly Borough Council. MR W. D. BLAIR The death of Mr William Dunn Blair M.R.C.V.S., District Superintendent of the Livestock Division of the Department of Agriculture in Canterbury, occurred at Christchurch on Sunday evening.

Mr Blair/ who was promoted from senior : veterinarian to the position of district superintendent on June 1, 1934. had a wide experience in the work of the Livestock Division, having been stationed at different times in most of the large centres. Arriving from England in 1908, Mr Blair joined the department as a veterinarian at Auckland. After a year in the north he came to Canterbury, and served there for two years before being transferred back to Auckland. He then visited Great Britain, and on his return in 1913 was stationed at Dunedin. He was in Otago for about six years, and then came to Southland, where he remained until 1925. Before returning to Canterbury in 1932, he held positions in Wellington and Taranaki. He was also stationed at Timaru for a short period. Mr Blair made more than one trip to England during his period of service with the department.

MR L. D. MACGEORGE The death is reported in Melbourne of Mr Leslie D. Macgeorge, civil engineer, at the age of 85. For many years Mr Macgeorge was very well known in Otago as engineer to the Vincent County and all the bridges and roads erected or made in that county between 1877 and 1908 were planned by him and completed under his supervision. Born in Adelaide, and trained there as an engineer, he was attracted to New Zealand by the vigorous public works policy of the Vogel Government. Having been appointed district engineer at Cromwell by the old Provincial Council, in which position he was successor to Mr Thomas Fergus, he set off to ride to his new home via Kingston and Queenstown. After taking his horse over the Devil’s Staircase, he reached the Kawarau river, which he crossed in the station boat, his horse swimming behind. Next day he reached Cromwell, where he lived in the stone cottage close to the old bridge vacated by Mr Fergus. In 1877. when the county system came into force, he was appointed engineer to Vincent County, a position he held with great credit for 25 years. He erected bridges at Bannockburn, Rocky Point, Alexandra, Ophir and Chatto Creek, and reconstructed those at Clyde and Cromwell. An article by him on the reconstruction of Cromwell bridge was accepted and published in the volume of the proceedings of civil engineers. In 1902 Mr Macgeorge began practice in Dunedin, and later went to Timaru, but in 1912 he was appointed engineer and surveyor to the Westport Coal Company, a position he held for 12 years, when he retired and went to reside in Melbourne. He was much respected as a most conscientious engineer, and his works have stood the test of time. In 1879 he married Miss Frances Pyke, only daughter of Mi Vincent Pyke, who for many years represented the Dunstan district in Par:lament. The marriage was a happy one, and was broken only by the death of Mrs Macgeorge inMelbourne in 1918. There were two children—Mr Cyril Macgeorge, now an engineer m Melbourne, and a daughter who still resides in East Malvern, Melbourne. ,