MAINLY ABOUT PEOPLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, Issue 17692, 5 July 1927, Page 6

MAINLY ABOUT PEOPLE.

SOCIAL NOTES AND PERSONAL PARS.

Personal:

Mr W. W. Wade was a passenger by the first express tor the south yesterday.

The Minister .of Finance (Hon. W. Downie Stewart), is paying a short visit to Auckland.

Mr T. Doyle (Oamaru). arrived in Timaru by yesterday’s first express from the north. lie went on to Oamaru by the second express. The Rt. Hon. J.. G. Coates, Prime Minister, will ‘officially open the Wellington Broadcasting Station on Saturday.

The Hon. W. Nosworthy, Minister of Internal Affairs and PostmasterGeneral, who has been on an official visit to Samoa, returns to New Zealand this week via Australia.

Sir Joseph Ward, who has been recuperating in Australia, returns to New Zealand this week. Sir George Fenwick, who has been attending a sitting of the Prisons Board in Wellington has returned to Dunedin. „ _ , Canon Wilford, Principal of College House, has resigned his appointment as assistant preacher at the Cathedral as from May 31st, states the “Church News.” It is not intended to appoint a successor, but it is understood that the various clergy connected with the Cathedral as Bishop’s officers, including the Honorary Canons, may be called on to take their tm-n as preachers at the Cathedral s} vices. At yesterday’s meeting of the Geraldine County Council, the chairman (Mr K. Mackenzie), made reference to the death of Mr John Hardcastle. He said that although Mr Hardcastle had not, to his knowledge, reported the meetings of the Council, he had been closely connected with public life in Timaru, where he had been universally respected. Mr Hardcastle had spent a good deal of his early life in the Geraldine district. A motion of sympathy with his widow and family was carried, all members standing in respectful silence.

At the graduation ceremony in Wellington last week, the honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon Professor J. Rankine Brown, of Victoria University College, on behalf of the University of St. Ajjjlrew’s, Scotland. Professor Rankine Brown was a student of St. Andrew’s University before he went to Oxford, and after finishing his course there, acted for a short time as assistant to the Professor of Greek. After that he went to Glasgow University, where he served as assistant to the Professor of Humanity and as lecturer in Latin until he came to New Zealand in 1899 as one of the original professors of Victoria College. For many .years he was a member of the University Senate, and for the last few years has acted as vice-chancellor of that body. He has taken a great interest in the reform movement in connection with the university. Of late years he had paid great attention to the study of Greek art, and is well-known in the Wellington district as a popular lecturer on the subject. At yesterday’s meeting of the Mackenzie County Council, the chairman (Mr C. J. Talbot) made reference to the death of the late Mr John Hardcastle, who, he said, had reported the meetings of the Council for many years, and who had been present at the opening of the Council’s bridge over the Pukaki in 1895. Mr Hardcastle had been an exceptionally able journalist, and the community owed him a debt of gratitude for the extent to which he had assisted to mould public opinion alopg right lines, and for the very clear and always fair way in which he had placed before the public the ideas of public men. In addition to his very fine work as a journalist, Mr Hardcastle had I ken a real Interest in other matters and had written a very interesting and useful book on the geology of South Canterbury. He was one of Nature’s gentlemen, had done his work in a quiet and unassuming way, and could not have had an enemy in the world. Mr Talbot moved: “That the Council place on record their appreciation of Mr Hardcastle’s work, and offers their sincere sympathy to his widow and family.” The motion seconded by Mr J. McCort, who said that he had known the late Mr Hardcastle for thirty years. He was a man of many parts, ever courteous and tolerant, and considerate of others —a man whose life was worthy of emulation by them all. The motion was carried by silent vote.

First Lord of Admiralty. The world is watching with bated breath the deliberations of the Conference at Geneva, which has for iis purpose the limitation of naval armaments so far at least as three of the Powers are concerned. Each of these Powers —the British Empire, the United States, and Japan—is represented by its cleverest brains; each is intent in coming to no agreement unless it will be in the best interests of his own country, or at least in keeping with what other Powers concerned will also agree to. Among f\e notable men who have been selected to represent .-Great Britain and the Dominions, are several whose names are “household,” as is the case with Viscount Jellicoe, but at the head of the delegation is a man who is not nearly so well known overseas as he is at Home, where he has been prominent in political circles for twenty years past. The Hon. W. C. Bridgeman, First Lord of the Admiralty, is a man in whom Conservative England has the utmost confidence, - and as leader of the delegation, he is proving himself to be both diplomatic and able. After he left Cambridge University in the ’eighties, Mr Bridgemaii was successively assistant private secretary to Lord Knutsford, the then Colonial Secretary, and afterwards to Sir Michael HicksBeach, one of the political giants of the past generation. Mr Bridgeman served for seven years from 1897 on the London School Board, and was elected to the London County Council in 190 4. First returned to the House of Commons for the Oswestry Division of Shropshire in 1906, he has held that seat with a substantial majority ever since. In the second year of the war (1915) he became a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, Assistant Director of the War Trade Department the following year, later Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Labour and to the Board of Trade, Secretary of Mines in 1920, and an Ecclesiastical Commissioner a year or two back. As Home Secretary under Mr Bonar Law and Mr Baldwin, Mr Bridgeman played a dominant part in Irish politics. His action in ordering the deportation and internment in Ireland of Irish prisoners in England was declared to be illegal by the Court of Appeal, and an indemnity! Bill was passed by Parliament for his protection. When he became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1924, the first thing he did was to revive the Singapore Base proposal, which he has since made the central idea of his naval policy.

Angola’s Note-book,

Aliss Knubley, Sarah Street, let* yesterday ior the North Island. Aliss N. Drew has returned to Timaru from Spreydon. ... Mrs and Aliss Alatlneson, Wai-iti Road, are spending some months in Wellington. Airs A. Scott and Aliss AVilson, Bidwill Street, left yesterday for Dunedin. Miss L. Cain, Geraldine, is the guest of Airs G. South, Ealing, for a short holiday. , The Aliases Fanny and Elizabeth Shand, formerly of Timaru, have been epending some woeks in Auckland. Aliss Ethel LeCren, Evans Street, is visiting her grandmother, Mrs Graham, Christchurch. . Miss Rose Winter is spending a few days with Airs Helmore, “Koronuko, Glen-iti. , „ , . ~ Miss Creomer, North Street, left yesterday for Australia, where she intends spending two months. Air and Mrs J. Robertson, Timaru, have been spending a few days m Christchurch. The Rev. T. A. and Mis Brady, who have been spending some weeks in Geraldine, have returned to Wellington. . Airs H. J. AlacFarlane, Waikorn, Waimate, spent the week-end with Airs Westmacott, Nile Street, and will return home to-day. Mr and Airs Alfred Garland, Hakataramea, who have been spending the week-end in Timaiu, motored homo yesterday. # _ At the invitation of the local Commissioner (the Alnyoress, Airs G. Dash), the ladies of the Waimate Girl Guides Committee, together with tho officers, partook of afternoon tea at the Savoy on Alonday afternoon. Tho gathering was arranged with the object of meeting Miss Cocks, of Christchurch, Canterbury District Commissioner, who visited Waimate for tho purpose of enrolling members for Guides and Brownie troops.

BALL AT KAKAHU. On June 24th the ball organised by the. spinsters and bachelors of Kakahu proved a brilliant success. The schoolroom was decorated with fernery, and green and gold streamers, and great credit is due to the secretaries (Miss 0. Dean and Air A. Alaxwell), and. the committee, for their perfect arrangements. The music was supplied by Air B. Aleredith. Extras were played by Mrs Benn, Aliss AI. Henderson, and a "special” by Air Coll qn the pipes. A song was given bj - " Mr B. Stringer. A lucky spot waltz was won bv Aliss E. Tindall and Air S. Dean. Air J. Tindall made an efficient AI.C.

Amongst those present were: —Mr and Mrs Maxwell, Mrs D. Henderson, Mr and Mrs Mclntosh, Mr and Mrs Lyons, Mr and Mrs F. Graham, Mr •and Mrs A. J. Stephens, Mr and Mrs Taylor, Mr and Mrs Bowman, Mr and Mrs IT. Smith, Air and Mrs Benn, Mr Dean, Mr Pitt, Mr Ford, Mr Stringer, Air Holwell, and Air Aleredith; Miss 0. Dean, Aliss N. Taylor, Aliss N. Ford, Aliss F. Oborn, Aliss AI. Tindall, Aliss E. Tindall, Aliss E. Gould, Aliss 1. Ford, Aliss D. Henderson, Miss M. Benn, Aliss M. Henderson, Aliss F. Henderson, Aliss Roberts, Aliss D. Roberts (Christchurch), Aliss N. Alaxwcll, Aliss R. Reid, Aliss N. Dean, Aliss A. Collett, Aliss D. Lyons, Alisses Tui and Ethel Bonn; Alessrs Dean (2), Alaxwell (2), Tindall (2), Aitken (2), Ford, Benn, Lyons (2), Taylor, Henderson (2), Smith, Ley, Stringer, Goukl (2), Cell, Roberts, ITullen,' Haywood, Crawford, Gray, Reid, Collett (3), Appleby, Sanders, Parkes,- Dunbar, Glidden, Keliher, Fergusson, and Beeby.

THE QUEEN’S NEEDLEWORK GUILD.

Early in November there is one engagement which the Queen lias filled for twenty-nine yeans. This is the superintending of the unpacking of the parcels of garments sent to the Imperial Institute by the vice-presi-dents'of. Queen Alary’s Needlework Guild, and which are the year’s work of the members of the Guild. The Guild, which was given the Queen’s name after tho Jving’s accession, was founded by Her Majesty’s mother, the Duchess of Teclc, with the idea that well-off and leisured women phould help the poorer London parishes by making clothes, etc. The late Duchess was very practical. Vice-presidents were appointed, and each vice-presi-dent made herself responsible for a certain number of garments each yea]'. It was the business of a vice-president to get sufficient helpers to malee her promised quota of garments. When the Duchess of Took died, the Queen, then Duchess of York, took over the Guild, in which she had been deeply interested ever since it was started, and the rule made by Her Majesty’s mother are still Every year the Queen herself, in‘a white apron, • and with a large pair of scissors, superintends the opening of hundreds of parcels, which are sent to the Imperial Institute towards the end of October, checking their contents from a list. After the parcels are all opened their contents are arranged in piles according to the necessities of the various poor parishes, the Queen herself picking out the better kind of garments for tbe families of poor London clergy. Her Majesty knits from year’s end to year’s end for, tbe Guild. The King generally sends men’s clothing, and the Prince of Wales men’s boots.

AHSS SYLVIA CHEN. A romantic character in the present situation in China is Sylvia, the daughter of Eugene Chen, the power in the south. She had the distinction of being one of the only two women who made the remarkable journey from Canton to Hankow when the Cantonese Government moved its headquarters. The other woman was Alme. Sun Yat Sen, the wife of the late President.

Sylvia is to-day a slim, bla*k-h aired girl, in the twenties. She lias none of the appearance of the typical Oriental ; the eyes do not slope upwards, almond-shape, as is usual in the East, but are dark, round, and lustrous, with a certain frightened look in them. Her complexion, too, is not the Eastern yellow; she has the honeytinted skin of an Hawaiian beauty. She is a shy little person. Sho is not Chinese; she is a British subject, born at Port of Spain in Trinidad, in the West Indies. Sylvia spent her early life there and received her elementary education in one of the local schools. Afterwards she went to England with her mother, and lived with her parents for some years in St. John’s Wood Her mother was a native of the West Indies, a descendant of Admiral Gautaume, one of Napoleon’s admirals who was driven to Trinidad after the battle of Trafalgar. Sylvia’s arrival at Canton during the height of the struggle there was marked with enthusiasm ■by the Nationalists; brass bands greeted her and she was accompanied by cheers to tlie Fomgn , Office. In Canton she companion of Mme. Sun Yat Sen, who'is the President in succession to her husband Mme. Sun Yat Sen and Sylvia lived

together during their stay in Canton, and when the Ministry moved north again they travelled together. The journey from Canton to Hankow must, according to her description, have had its humorous no©. The whole party embarked at Canton on the tram with enormous excitement, brass bands playing hideously loud, and fireworks, in the true Chinese fashion, were let off in deafening profusion. , The train, however, did not take them far, and soon they were forced to leave it and proceed by <i ule; deeping where they could in ruined temples and old pagodas. “Father looked so funny with his legs hanging over each side of a mule.’’ Chen’s daughter has no doubt about the success of her father’s campaign. She thinks his forces will be in Peking SOOn ' |M|