OBITUARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14400, 23 March 1911, Page 2

OBITUARY.

MB GEOKUIi R. HAKT. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHUIICH, March 2'2. Mr George U. Hart, one oi' tho best kntfwn journalists in New Zealand. died suddenly at iiis residence, Latimer Square, about mid-day to-day. Tho late Mr Hart arrived in Xow Zealand as a small boy with his parents in the Cressy, one of the historic first tour ships, and spent practically the whale of his life in L'hristchureh, watching tho city grow up from a tiny settlement until what it appears to-day. He was apprenticed to the printing trade, and thou joined the profession of journalism, continuing at that work right up to the day of his death. In 1 netho actually died in harness. Mr Hart joined the stall' of the- "Press" on October Ist, 1870, was oasily the oldest working in the Dominion. . tie was known ill now spaper circles from Auckland to the Bluff, and was exceedingly popular. Ho wasL, !V P" prenticed as a compositor to tne * Oatitcrburv Standard,'' Cliristchurch, in 1554. " In ]&>9 t when out of lus tunc, lie went•■across to Melbourne. and encased as a compositor mi Bell s Life. in 18t : 0 he joined the . Ovens and Murray Advertiser" as a reporter, but the next year returned to .New Zealand and secured a position on tlie '' Ota"0 Daily Times" reporting stair. In 1562 he returned to Chiistehm-.-li and rejoined the '' Canterbury Standard." In ISW he was married, and the same year joined the livns "I Tombs and Bent as a compositor t- 1 " October Ist 18T0, Mr Hurt joined the ■•Press" as a reporter, ultimately ,1.--,n<; to the positions ot Clue, of -tntt ant l Dramatic Critics which. he neld ■■ th- time of his death. There was lmrdly any public movement in this city thai Mr Hart had not seen initiated, and in ier> nianj »!•. took a close and - personal interest. Ir IS7X Mr Hart represented the •) ress ai"! tlie "Wellington -•lud-eir"ud<'iK Ituiv the "New Zealand Times' 11 m tile rrc.a Gallery of the House vi Rreprcsivtatlves. From the nine he' joine l the staff of the '-Pri>ssVti'l the libeller of the provinces 111 18fb, Mr Hart co tinuously reported the proceedings ol the Canterbury Provinc.al Goum-il. Ti all tlte imoortant events with 'which he has been comiccte.l would involve the ruirratinn t.te history of the city for the past lorty-ona venrs. 3Mr Hart took a keen interest .n matters affecting his fellov. journalists. and was a u::>mh?r of the New Zetland Institute of Journalists. He l'.'-t his solo surr.ving son, Mr Frank Hart, on June '2sth last. Mr FranK Hart, who w:is also a member of the leporting staff of the "Prcis," died equally suddenly. Mr Hart's etaer eondied in England about three years ago. iSr Hart leaves a widow and several daughters.

GEORGE BI3SET.

■WELLINGTON, March 22. Mr George Bisset, editor of Governn«ent died in a private hospital at "Wellington to-day; aged 60. He had been ill for some months with heart trouble. [The late Mr Bisset was well known to many South Canterbury people, r.s before obtaining the Government appointment- above-mentioned he was for many years agricultural editor of the "Canterbury Tiules ; ' , and. in that capacity was a regular visitor to the Timarn shows, and probably no one had had a wider experience of shows, and the general features of agricultural industry. He was a very quiet, unassuming man, and popular with other pressmen whom he met. For a 'gord many, years he hnd not enjoyed robust health, and a year or so ago he hada serious illness.]