OUR LONDON LETTER.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12347, 18 October 1909, Page 3

OUR LONDON LETTER.

PERSONAL NOTES

LONDON, September 3

Dr. J. Garfield Crawford, of Timaru, came to England as surgeon on board the Federai hner, Nairnshire. He will spend a couple of years in the Old Country, in order to continue his medical studies at the leading hospitals. Mr. and Mrs. H. Gilfillan, of Auckland, have just completed a motor tour of 2,400 miles, in company with their son, and Miss Effio Booth, of Carterton. They aro now leaving London for aseven weeks' tour on 'the Continent, where they will visit Switzerland, Italy, the Riviera and Paris. Their return will be by the Morea on November sth. Mr. Frederick Stubbs, of Rotorua, has been staying in the Pension Jennings, Florence. Mr. Bernhard E. Booth, of Messrs Booth, Macdonald and Co., of Christchurch, has been visiting America and England in search of new ideas in the making of machinery. He spent a considerable time in the United States last yeav, and for the past few months he lias worked in Yorkshire and Ipswich, where agricultural machinery is manufactured on a large scale, and on up-to-date lines. He is about 'to start on a visit to British East Africa for a month or two, and will return to London via South Africa. Afterwards he will probably go to America again for some months before returning to New Zealand. Mr. H. G. Simms, of Chrisfcchurch, and his daughter cam© by the Macedonia, arriving August 15th. Mr. Simms has come to open a London office for his firm, Messrs W. H. Simms and Sons, of Lichneld-street, Christchurch. They were accompanied by Mi*. Leslie F. Tribe, who also intends, unless something very unexpected happens, to reside in London. Mr. F. F. Hardy, of the same City, arrived here about three months back.

He hopes to visit New Zealand about Christmas, ,but his permanent headquarters, will in future, be Melbourne. Mr. Hardy leaves to-day for the Commonwealth by the Ornniz. Mr. Charles L. Nelson, also of Christchurch, arrived three weeks ago, and has come to study the^Jatest developments in municipal and domestic architecture here. He will remain about a year, and during that time, will see something of Scotland and France. Colonel E. H. Davies, C.8., of the New Zealand Defence Council, who is just now on a visit to the Old Country, is to be attached to the Staff during the Army manoeuvres this month. Colonel Davies played a big part in the war in South Africa, as Commander of New Zealand's contingents. A well-known Wellingtonian, in the person of Mr. C. R. Phillips, a teacher under the Wellington Education Board, arrived here on^July 27th by the Tainui. He is making Kingston-on-Thames his headquarters, and will afterwards stay at Carmarthen, South Wales, with his uncle, the Rev. D. Mathias. Mr. Phillips is taking the opportunity, while here, of visiting some of the county schools, and has already seen those of Bedford, Reading, and Kingston, and an excellent new school at Wimbleton, at the equipment of which he was very much surprised. He hopes to return to the Dominion before Christmas. Professor Albert R. Acheson, B.Sc, B.Eng., son of Mr. Robert Acheson, of Riverton, Southland, who was married recently to Miss Pansy K. Sbaw, of Napier, daughter of the late Mr. W. H. Shaw, of Merivale. Christchurch, has, with his wife" been spending the month of Augiist on tho Continent, chiefly in Switzerland. ■ They will sail to New York on September Bth., and thence to Syracuse, where Professor Acheson will resume his duties at Syracuse University. Sir Joseph AVard's departure furnishdfl a good instance of the wonders of wireless telegraphy. Four days after the New Zealand Premier sailed from Liverpool three wireless messages . sent by him from mid-ocean reached the High Commissioner's office, with inj Etructions to reply by wireless.

Mr. T. H. Hamer, who recently came over to take up the duties at the New Zealand office formerly carried out by tho present secretary, has taken up his residence at Sutton, in Surrey.

Mrs. 11. M. Maslin has made a generous gift to the people of New Zealand through the High Commissioner. This is a collection of valuable relics of the late Queen Victoria, inherited !jy her from a relative, who was a member of the household of the late Duchess of Kent, and afterwards of Queen Victoria. The relics consist of, amongst many things, a gold watch, an autograph letter of the late Queen, medals and photographs. It wa9 New Zealand's action with regard to the offer of a Dreadnought to the British Navy, which prompted Mrs. Maslin to make the presentation.

Sir Thomas Brooke Hitching has abandoned the idea, mentioned in a former letter of visiting New Zealand as a member of an English bowling team, mainly in consequence of his candidature for a Northern constituency. The opinion is to have a new Scotch Presbyterian preacher in the person of the Itev. J. B. Macdonald, of Dundee, who is being sent out by the United Free Church of Scotland. Several appeals have lately reached the Senates of New College, Edinburgh, for Scotch Presbyterian preachers, and their Colonial Committee resolved to do something in the circumstances; and agreed that Mr. Macdonald was a man worth sending. He will arrive in New Zealand in time to be presented at the New Zealand Assembly in October, and thereafter hopes to undertake whatever ministerial duties may be entrusted to him.

New Zealand will shortly have a well known visitor, Mr. Will Crooks. The arrangements for his tour in Australia and New Zealand are now completed. He is due at Brisbane on October 28th or 29th, and will stay in that city until November 17ih when he takes ship for Auckland, arriving there on the 21st of the month. Two days are, .to be spent there, two more days in llotorua. and on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, ho is expected to be in Wellington. Christchureh only gefcs one day, and from there the tour will be continued to unedin. Mr. Crooks will remain at Dunedin from December 2 to 6, and will visit Invercargill and Bluff in one day, and sail to Hobart in the evening. Ho will be officially received in most of the cities and towns which he Avill visit. No plans for speeches or lectureshave yet been made. Any that may be decided upon, it is stated, will be'the 'Outcome of arrangements concluded on Mr. Crooks's arrival.

An extraordinary general meeting of the Navy League was called for on Monday afternoon' ait the Westminster Palace Hotel, for the purpose of con-

firming a resolution passed _ under the^ Companies Act on August 10th for voluntarily winding up the Navy League— The object of this action was to give*the League more liberty to continue itework in the interests than if it acted" under the Companies' Act. A certains, number of members objected to what was done a fortnight ago, on Saturday" applied to the Court, and were granted an injunction against the League to* restrain them agreeing to a confirmatory resolution. Mr. C. Bellairs, M.P., who presided over a small attendance^., said it was necessary the meeting should?" be adjourned until Thursday next. Ther course, he said, was dictated by reason.: of an order of the Court of Jurisdiction forbidding the meeting being held vTfo- - fore September 2nd. He therefore moved thait the meeting be adjourned accordingly. The resolution was seconded and carried.