PERSONAL ITEMS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 30 May 1927, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mr A. J. H. Benge has been appointed Secretary to the Department of Education. Mrs Arthur Duncan and her daughter, Mrs lan Mcßae, left for a visit to Sydney on Friday. A hope that Mr Justice Frazer would be transferred from the Arbitration Court to the Supreme Court Bench was expressed by the Corwn solicitor at Hamilton, Mr H. T. Gillies, when welcoming the Judge to Hamilton this week. His Honour thanked Mr Gillies for the implied compliment. 'Mr Maurice Dickinson, aged 21, champion breaststroke swimmer of Auckland, died on Saturday after a short illness, stated a Press Association message. Mr Dickinson was a prominent swimmer for some years, and < besides competing unsuccessfully in the last Dominion championships, was a member of the Auckland team which visited Dunedin a couple of years ago. Mrs H. W. Horne, wife of Mr H. W. Horne, of Worksop Road, died yesterday morning after a long and lingering illness. Before coming to Masterton the late Mrs Horne lived for some years in the Xaituna district, where her husband was engaged in farming. At an earlier period Mr and Mrs Horne were residents of Martinborough. Mrs Home was greatly respected for her kindly and charitable disposition. She i is survived by her husband and a family of five sons and one daughter. The interment will be private. A new Director of Maori Hygiene to succeed Dr. P. H. Buck, who has accepted the position of anthropologist to the Bishop Museum at Honolulu, has been appointed. He is Dr. Edward Pohau Ellison, at present principal medical officer for. the Cook Islands. Dr. (Ellison w’afe born at Portobello, Dunedin, about 40 years ago, and took his medical degrees at the Otago University, later taking up work as medical officer and Magistrate in charge of Chatham Islands. Some time ago ha was appointed medical officer in charge at Rarotonga.

The successful work performed by Mr L. F. Ayson, Chief Inspector «f Fisheries, was acknowledged by the Minister of Marine (Hon. G. J. Anderson) at Wellington, when officers of the. department gathered to bid farewell to Mr Ayson on his retirement from the service. In presenting the departing officer with a well filled wallet, the Minister stated that Mr Ayson, wiio came of a family of pioneers, had performed splendid work in acclimatisation in New Zealand, and in the cultivation of the rock oyster in the north, which were due to become a valuable national asset. By the death of the late Mr T. T. Watt another link in the chain of old identities in the Rangitikei district has been severed. Mr Watt was a son. of the late William Hogg Watt, of Wanganui, who sat as a member of the Wanganui electoral district from ISS2-4 and who was also Mayor ofWaiiganui. The late “T. T.” Watt, as he was familiarly called, was born, in Wanganui in 1855 and was educated at the old Wanganui Grammar School, Canterbury College and Cambridge (England). In conjunction with Mr Lloyd Jones he took over the general store business at Marton, which had been carried oh for some years by his brother, Mr W. G. Watt, and Mr Robert Nolan (later Sir Robert). The late Mr Watt bought out Mr Jones’ 'interest and carried on the business successfully for some years until lje sold out to Messrs Davenport Bros, when he took up farming pursuits in Utiku and Kaliariki. The late Mr Watt was a first class amateur horseman and in the eighties was associated with several good horses, among them being “ Oaklands,” by “The Clown” bred by the late Mr Donald Fraser; “Aroha,” by “Brigadier Young,” bred by the late Mr W. J. Gray and owned by the late Mr John Hammond; “Sunbeam,” by “Day Dawn,” bred by the late Mr Henry Harrison and raced by Mr John Henry and also a grey mare named “Fern Flats,” owned by Mr J. Northcott, of Waituna. He rode all these horses and others to victory, both on the flat and over hurdles, and was considered one of the best gentlemen riders of his time.