PERSONAL

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1933, Page 6

PERSONAL

Mr. G. W. B. Lowson, formerly engineer to the New Plymouth Harbour Board and now of Napier, is visiting New Plymouth. Mr. A. Tait, headmaster of the Dannevirke High School, is spending the holidays at New’ Plymouth. A Washington cable states that Mr. Walter Hoffman has been appointed American Vice-Consul at Auckland. Miss Mary Crawshaw has passed the examination held during December at the Royal Academy in London and has gained her L.R.A.M. Mr. R. C. Hughes, New Plymouth, is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. J. Barney, “Wharemoai,” Wanganui East. Mr. Takle, chairman of the Manufacturers’ Association, Auckland, and Mrs. Takle, who have been visiting Mangamingi, have returned to Auckland. The Rew D. N. Mac Diarmid, Opotiki, who has been visiting New Plymouth for a few days, leaves early this morning for. the East Coast Vice-Admirals A. G. Hotham and Sir A. P. Addison have been promoted to the rank of admirals and retired, says a London cable. The death occurred on Saturday of Sir Mansfeldt Findlay, diplomatist says a London cable. Sir Mansfeldt served in diplomatic posts in many parts of the world.

Mr. A. Gordon, of the staff of the Commercial Bank of Australia, arrived at New Plymouth from Wellington last night to take temporarily the place" of Mr. K. Clark, who is at present in the New Plymouth Hospital as the result of an accident

Sir John Simon, British Foreign Secretary, who is convalescent after a severe attack of influenza, arrived at Le Bourget aerodrome, Paris, on Monday afternoon from Croydon, the British Official Wireless reports. He was welcomed by French Government representatives. Sir John left later for the Riviera. A British Official Wireless message states that the King has approved of the appointment of Mr. Hugh Gurney, C.M.G., Minister Plenipotentiary in the Diplomatic Service, and at present British Consul-General in Tangier, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Copenhagen.

The death has occurred of Miss Jane Spence Rust, aged 66 years, at her residence, Rust Avenue, Whangarei. She was one of the oldest residents of the town, having been born there on July 5. 1866. The fifth daughter of the late Mr. John Stuart Rust and Mrs. Isabel Rust, who settled in Whangarei in 1855, and after whom Rust Avenue was named, she was a staunch supporter of the Presbyterian Church and a .well-known music teacher. She was also a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. She is survived by one brother, Mr. A. M. Rust, of Whangarei, and three sisters, Mrs. M. Spencer and Mrs. E. W. Sissons, both of Whangarei, and Mrs. R. Tumey, of Woodhill.

The death has occurred at Westport of a pioneer of the West Coast, Mrs. G. G. Mackay, aged 75 years. She was the only surviving sister of the late Rt. Hon. Richard John Seddon. She was bom at Eccleston Hill, St. Helen’s. Lancashire, and wheri\l2 years of age she left England in the Star of India with her father to join her brother in New Zealand. Her father died at Melbourne and she continued the journey alone. Mrs. Mackay lived the greater part of her life on the West Coast, 45 years being spent in Westport. Her husband predeceased her 14 years ago. She is survived by six daughters and three sons.

A striking example of longevity in a family comes from Canterbury. Mr; S. Webb, of Lyttelton, former Mayor of that borough, and father of the exchampion sculler of the world, William Webb, celebrated his 87th birthday on December 27. Mr. Webb came to New Zealand with his parents from Canterbury, Kent, 73 years ago. The family, which numbered 11 children, made the voyage on the ship Regina. Mr. Webb was a member of the Lyttelton Borough Council for 20 years and was Mayor for two terms. His eldest brother, Mr,. William Webb, of Christchurch, is now 91 years of age and a younger brother, Mr. Samuel Webb, also of Christchurch, is 85, the ages of the three brothers aggregating 263 years. The death occurred on December 24 of Mr. H. Stephenson Smith, New Zealand agent at San Francisco. He was the third son,of Mr. John Stephenson, Smith, who married Miss Hursthouse, and he was the last remaining member of the Smith-Hursthouse connection which did so much for the early colonisation of New Zealand. With his parents he arrived at New Plymouth from London by the ship Pekin on February 7, 1850. The family settled at New Plymouth, where most of them remained all their lives. Mr. Smith entered the New Zealand postal service in 1869 during the time his father was postmaster at New Plymouth and, attracted by glowing reports during the Californian gold rushes, resigned in 1880 and entered business at San Francisco. He was appointed resident agent for the New Zealand Government in August, 1893, and in that capacity he superintended the dispatch of all New Zealand mails through that port. He is a brother of a former Surveyor-General, Mr. Percy Smith, a prominent resident of New Plymouth.