People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 296, 14 December 1931, Page 6

People and Their Doings.

Railway Officials in a Chain of Associations : Lord Derby’s Ancestral Home has Interesting Story : Secrecy Surrounds the Building of New Cunarder.

'J'WO WELL-KNOWN Canterbury railway officers have received promotion. Mr E. S. Brittenden is to be district traffic manager at Christchurch and Mr H. L. Gibson is to occupy a similar position at Dunedin. For some years, these two officers have been closely associated. Mr Gibson was train running officer at Christchurch, and he was transferred to Dunedin when Mr Brittenden took that position in Christchurch. A little later, Mr Gibson resumed the Christchurch position and Mr Brittenden went to Dunedin. When many of the senior officers retired some months ago, Mr Brittenden, who was stationmaster at Christchurch at the time, was appointed acting district traffic manager and Mr Gibson became acting assistant district traffic manager. The two officers were associated for some months and then Mr Gibson went to Dunedin as acting district traffic manager. Now, both of them have had their appointments confirmed and to-day they were receiving the congratulations of many railwaymen in Canterbury.

ALTHOUGH LORD DERBY is selling his London house he still retains The Oaks, the seat of the Earl of Derby at Banstead, Surrey, from which the great race derives its name. Originally an alehouse, it was purchased a century and a half ago by General Burgoyne, who fitted it as a country residence. He sold it to the twelfth Earl of Derby, who, when he instituted a race for three-year-old fillies in 1779, christened the event after the house. At The Oaks was given the celebrated fete in honour of the earl’s second marriage, which furnished Burgoyne with the subject of his once popular play, 44 The Maid of the Oaks.” Lord Derby insists upon having his name pronounced 44 Darby.” He says he does not care if people talk about 44 Derby ” hats or ties, or the Derby, but they must call him Lord 44 Darby.” And most English people do call the Derby the 44 Darby.”

J)R VERE NICOLL, formerly senior house surgeon at the London Metropolitan Hospital, who has recently died, has for fifty years been buying toy soldiers in all parts of the world, and his collection includes every regiment in the British Army, either in khaki or in full dress, and representative units from the world’s armies, including America, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Japan, Egypt, Spain, Poland and Uruguay. The major fighting forces of Europe are represented by period costumes from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day, and there are also tanks, armoured cars, bombers and all the units of a modern army. The value of the collection is stated to be anything up to £SOO. SF gENIOR-SERGEANT G. B. EDWARDS. who has been made Sub-Inspector and transferred to Christchurch, has a wide experience of New Zealand police conditions. He joined the Police Force in May, 1905, and served in Dunedin, Christchurch, Kurow and Rakaia as a constable. In . 917 he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Wellington. Two years later he went to Hamilton and on his promotion to senior-sergeant in 1924 was moved to Auckland Central, remaining there till 1927 when he was placed in charge of the Training Depot, Wellington. When the training depot was closed in 1930 he was placed in charge of the Taranaki Street police subdistrict, Wellington, from which position he returns to Christchurch.

& JF, AS A RESULT of further representations by members of Parliament, work *» iant new Cunarder is resumed at Clydebank, Britain will probably possess the fastest liner in the world. Her ocean speed is expected to average over thirty knots from Southampton to New York Her construction has been carried on behind a veil of secrecy; gates have been closed against all except officials and workmen and elaborate precautions have been taken to exclude sightseers. From stem to stern this gigantic steel-ribbed hull measures nearly 350 yards, and her cubic capacity will be 7,300,000 feet. Her displacement is estimated at 84,000 tons, 20,000 tons heavier than the

Majestic, now the world’s largest liner, and more than twice the weight of Hood, Britain’s mightiest warship. Everything about this mystery ship is planned on a gargantuan scale. Her three funnels could comfortably accommodate multiple streams of road traffic. Her rivets alone account for 4000 tons, the largest of them weighing 111 b each. Should the machinery be forced it would generate over 210,000 horsepower.

9 9 CIXTY YEARS AGO. (From the 44 Star of December 14, 1871.)

Canterbury Museum.—The following donations were received by the Canterbury Museum:—Mr H. L. Head, Bank’s Peninsula—Prayer Book of the Armenian Patriarchs, in 24 languages. Mr Edward Allen —Newspaper of 1817 and Almanac for 1820, both from New South Wales. Mr Joseph Sheath—Specimen of Galena from Isle of Man.

W T recks in New Zealand.—The Secretary of Customs, Mr Seed, in his annual report on the Marine Department, states that the number of casualties that occurred during the year 1869-70 was 38; the aggregate tonnage 3297; and the number of lives lost, 12. Telegraphic Summary.—London, October 14. It is estimated that nearly 12,000 persons were present at Greenwich to-day to hear the speech of Gladstone. When the speaker arrived, at noon, he was greeted with cheers, and said that he was profoundly impressed with the grandeur of his welcome.

At a recent Cabinet Council, held to consider questions relating to the Royal Family, the Queen was asked to give her consent to the marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh with a Prussian Princess; also her consent to the establishment of a Regency with the Prince of Wales as Regent. She refused her consent to both propositions. Fine Arts.—An accidental discovery, of great importance to lovers of the fine arts, has just been made at Zurich. Professor Vogeli, while engaged in examining the public library there, found a table top painted by the celebrated Holbein, a piece of work which has long been believed to have been lost.