PERSONAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 13, 20 May 1913, Page 5

PERSONAL.

—u Their Majesties the King and Queen have departed for Berlin,the Prince of Wahia, Sir Edward Grey, and the Duke of Connaught farewelling them at Victoria station. —London cable. ,

Obituary: James Grace, resident of Kempsey, aged 102, the oldest Mason in New South Wales.— Sydney cable.

The Mayor and Councillors of Stratfo. [ .have received an invitation to be present at the opening of the new steel girder bridge at Waitara on Thursday next.

The Borough ! Council have given material recognition of the valuable services of the Town Clerk (Mr P. Skoglund), and of the overseer (Mr T. D. Sullivan) by voting in the year s estimates substantial increases of salary to each of them.

The Kaiser, on the occasion of the marmge of his daughter (states a Berlin cablegram) has pardoned Lieutenants French and Brandon and Bertrand Stewart, a solicitor, who were imprisoned for espionage.

Mr J. J. Franklyn, minister of the Church of Christ, Paddington, has been appointed organiser for the Dunedin no-license campaign, undei the New Zealand Alliance. Ho terminates his ministry at Paddington at the hnd of June, and leaves Sydney on July 5 for the new sphere of work.

Mr J. C. Parke,’ tho„ Irish tennis champion, sustained a severe bereave-

meat within a few weeks of his arri val in England after his tour with the British Isles team. Mr Parke wat thus unable to attend the complimon- , tary dinnei- given to the -successful Davis'Cun team on Arwil 7. Miss R. Allen, who has been shopassistant in Mr Bain’s store at Toko for the past six or seven years, is leaving at the end of the month for Ohakune, where her parents reside. Misp Allen has made .herself very popular during her stay in Toko. She has always taken a keen interest ii the welfare of the tennis club, and is a member of the Church choir. The Kaiser’s ball at Potsdam, nest September in honour of the coming of age of his daughter, Louise, will be of such a character as to become historic for its magnificence,.; > To it His Majesty proposes' to inviteiprafibically the whole 1 of the Royalties of 1 1 Europe, and it is expected that such a ’gathering Will never before have been- assembled-finder one • roof. l b’ 1! Hl ' ■ ; The 1 Prime Minister'has received, inlormatibfi to ili'6 effect E. H. Hileyj/'thfi ne’wiy; appointed general manager' of tile New Zealand Railways, will arrive in the Dominion sometime during September. He will come via Canada and the United States, making an inspection of the railway- system of those countries, so as to be equipped with the latest information; Regarding. railway dfixqlppr meats theff. :•> Vi -b 1.. Miss-‘Helen Keller, probably oiit of the'moit Celebrated Wdmen i Aid the world, in spite of—or rather be- k causb marvellous way she hat overcome ‘deaf nfefis and blindness, now has conquered dumbness, and is touring the United States as a,lecturer. She baa given many years to the study of the industrial and economicconditions of the country, and is so original that she should'bo well worth hearing.

Sir Ernest Shaokleton was among the passengers on board the Cunard mail steamer Mauretania, which left Queenstown on March 23rd for New York. In reply to inquiries he said he was proceeding to the United States and Canada on a lecturing tour. Later on, he intends to organise an expedition to the Antarctic for scientific purposes. The expedition would! not bo organised under the auspice's of the American Government or flag, but under the British flag. This will be Sir Ernest Shackleton’s third Antarctic expedition. In the national expedition of 1901, which was led by. the late Captain Scott, the well-known explorer acted as third officer. Six years later, he returned to the ice-hound regions as commander of the expedition which reached a point -withfn 97 miles of the South Pole.

Mr Philip Wirth, the jewellery salesman whd has come into a fortune of £1,000,000, was interviewed last week by a Daily Telegraph representative. Mr and Mrs Wirth explained in the course of a chat that the million which they expect shortly to handle had been left to them by an uncle of Mr Wirth, with whom they had never corresponded. They just knew that there was such a person as Caspar Bruer Wirth, -that he was Mr Wirth/s uncle, and that he had made a great deal of money in America. But that they tfould ever inherit any of his gold had never crossed, their minds. Then all of a sudden came news that this “rich uncle” had died intestate, and that his fortune of 20 million dollars, or, roughly, £4,000,000, was to be divided among his chil-

dren and their heirs. This meant

that Mr Wirth was* to inherit a ooo) million, with a few thousands more representing the difference in exchange, The death of this- old gentleman in Africa has also benefited several other Australians—in fact the

bulk, of the £4,000,000 will go to Australia. Mr'Peter Wirth’s family at Toowoomba will divide £1,000,000, Mr Jacpb .Wirth’s family at Charters Towers will receive £1,000,000. In the family of the late Mr George Wirth, of circus fame, there are five children who will participate in another £1,000,000, namely Mr Philip Worth, Mr George Wirth, Mrs Christie, of Melbourne, Mrs Martin, of America, and. Mrs Keene, of Magga.