PERSONAL

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1929, Page 12

PERSONAL

Mr. G. A. Troup, Mayor of Welling* ton arrived ir. New Plymouth on Thursday for a short vacation. He is staying at the Criterion Hotel. Mr. Troup will spend the week-end at the North Eg-. mon', mountain house, and will leave on Tuesday for Wellington. The Rev. Jasper Smyth, late vicar of Aka oa, has celebrated his 90th birthday at Bishopscourt, Christchurch. Mr. Smyth has been tffi years a minister of the church and is believed to be the oldest clergyman of the Church of England in the Dominion. Though he is no longer in charge of the parish, he is still “in harness” and rides his push bicyclo, averaging four miles a day around New Brighton.

The success of the Ilawcra soloist, Mr, Harold Ackroyd, at the Napier Choral Society’s presentation of Coleridge-Tay-lor’s “Hiawatha” on July 10 is indicated by the Daily Telegraph’s critic, wh® says: “Of a very high standard was th® work of Mr. Ackroyd, the baritone soloist, who showed himself the possessor of a powerful and resonant voice of pleasing quality. His renderings of the sonorous ‘Gitehe Manito, the Mighty,’ and of Hiawatha's reply to lago were particularly fine.”

The member for Patea, Mr. H. CL Dickie, administered a rebuke to Mr. E. McDougall, the United member for Mataura, who distinguished himself in tho House of Representatives on Thursday night with a speech which is still tho talk of the lobbies. “We arc not accustomed to a speech of that nature,’* said Mr. Dickie in the course of his speech in the Address-in-Reply debate. “I have no doubt considerable latitude was given him, but I think if he attempts to repeat it in this chamber ho will not get away with it so easily next time.”—Dominion;

An unusual honoufr for a New Zealand scholar has been conferred upon Mr. W. J, Pellow, son of Mr, and Mrs. Frank Pellow, of Pukekohe, in the form of « scholarship entitling him to two years* free tuition at Princeton. University, America. Mr. Pellow is an ex-student of the Pukekohe Technical High School, and is studying for the Presbyterian ministry. From the Pukekohe High School ho went to Auckland University .

College, and later to Kno< College, Dunedin, where lie gave such promise that details were submitted to the authorities of Princeton University, with the result that ho was offered two years’ tuition there with a free passage to America, He js to leave this week for America.

The veteran ■ minister of St. James* Presbyterian' Church, Wellington Southj the Rev. William Shirer, 0.8:E., is retiring after having been in charge of th® church for over forty ,years; Born in . Aberdeen in 1858, Mr. Sliirer . completed " his studies at Edinburgh University and the Theological Hall, where eight years were spent, and was ordained at Wellington in 1888. i Since that time he has remained faithful to St. Tames’ despit® tempting offers from other churches. For many years he held the position of chap® lain to the sth Wellington Regiment, and is now bn the retired list, with a long service medal. A few years ago his long and valuable services to th® community were recognised by the bestowal of ■ the Order of the British Empire."

The death took' place at his residence,' Belmont, Auckland, of Mr.' Arthur H. Stuart, for many years associated witn tho Postal Department. The late Mr* Stuart joined the staff of the post offica at Tauranga as a cadet in the year IS97j from whence ho was transferred t® Auckland and for a number of years resided in that city. During that time ha was well known in musical circles, being the possessor of a fine baritone voice and an active member of the Auckland Choral Society, at whose concerts he frequently acted as soloist, Mr. Stuart z was afterwards moved to Wellington, and for several years occupied the position of chief mail clerk there. He WM subsequently promoted to the position of chief postmaster at Hokitika, wlijcH position he hold till the time of his retirement in 1921. He was always fIJX earnest church worker.

Mr. Robert Horace Phillips, of Awakinof who died at tho New Plymouth hospital last week, was one of the beat known farmers in the Awakino district, says the King Country Chronicle. Ha had established a reputation for himself and his death will bo a great loss i® that it will remove a man who by his example has shown what can be done with so-called deteriorated lands in the King Country. Taking up ft block of 4000 acres of reverted land, near Awakino, some years ago, he had by dint of hard work, coupled with keen judgment, brought back a large area of this tract to production. When Mr. Phillips first took up this land it had reverted to scrub and fern and the front portions of it are now in grass and running two herds of cows. This, however, is only a minor result,as the place is now carryino- a large herd of cattle and a big stock, of sheep. Mr. Phillips was an inmate recently of the Te Kuiti hospital, fof several weeks as tho result of injuries received through being, gored by a steex when mustering on his property. had recently made a complete recovery, and contracted influenza, which, developing to the pneumonic form, was th® cause of his death. Ho was 59 years of age.