PERSONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 21, 18 November 1908, Page 8

PERSONAL NOTES.

Drs. Inglis and A. B. Talbot arrived from Sydney by the Wiinmera on Sunday. Dr Mason, Chief Health Officer, arrived in Auckland from Wellington by the Takapuna on Sunday. Mr. T. E. Donne, Superintendent of

the Government Tourist Department, is at present visiting Rotorua. The Revs. I. Jolly and E. Mackenzie, were nominated as next Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, the Rev. Jolly being elected on a vote. Mr. James Lonergan, who is going t 4 Australia to continue his musical studies,

was farcwelled -last week by the Auckland Marist Brothers' Old Boys* Club, and presented with a token of the members’ esteem. Mr Lyall Hector. the youngest son of the late Sir James Hector, died' at Dunedin last week from pneumonia. Deceased was a student at Selwyn College, and was about to sit for his final medical examination Dr. Coldicutt left Auckland on Friday for Wellington, where he joins the s.s. Rippingham Grange for London. On the voyage Home he will occupy the position of surgeon. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) and 1-ady Ward arrived at Christchurch from Wellington on Saturday morning. They attended the Canterbury Jockey Club's races at Ricearton, and left by the Maori again in the evening for Wellington. At the invitation of the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds, as Minister-in-charge of the Department, will open the new buildings of the Waikato Hospital at Hamilton on Thursday afternoon next. On the same date, he opens a sale of work in connection with St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at Hamilton. The Melanesian Mission steamer Southern Cross which arrived from Melanesia and Norfolk Island on Saturday. She brought the following passengers: Misses Hurse, Palmers. Bongard. L. Christian, A. Christian, Kinsey, Mesdames Brindle and child, M. Adams, Boyle and child, C. Christian, Messrs. Morton, G. Bailey, C. Quintal, J. C. Palmer. The following railway transfers are announced:—Mr E. G. Wilson, stationmaster at Invercargill, is to take charge all 'faihapc; Mr J. Hanning, the present stationmaster at Taihafie, will take up the duties of chief clerk; Mr W. McNieol, clerk at Taibape, will succeed Mr P. Cooney as stationmaster at Waveriey, and the latter takes charge at Ohakune; Mr Barclay, relieving officer on the Auckland section, is to take .•barge at Taumaruuui. • Miss Irene Ainsley, the young Auckland contralto, who has, for the part

three months, been touring the North and South Islands, giving a total of 37 concerts, came over the Main Trunk line on Friday as far as Te Arolia, where she will remain for a few days for the purpose of resting. On Monday she leaves for Sydney, where another series of concerts will be given, and where a tour of Australia may be arranged. Miss Ainsley afterwards proceeds to England. Her Southern tour has been an immense success, especially as regards the concerts given in Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill. Mr V. Riee, secretary of the Auckland Education Board, leaves New Zealand in February on his vacation. At the meeting of the Board last week, it was decided on the motion of the chairman (Mr C. J. Parr) that for the period of the secretary's absence, on leave in 1909, Mr Richard Crowe, inspector of schools, should be appointed to act as secretary and treasurer, with salary at the rate of £SOO per year, Mr Crowe thereafter to resume his duties as inspector at his present salary. Mr Geo. H. Plummer, first assistant at Richmond-road, will be temporarily engaged as assistant inspector for the same period at a salary of £320 in place of Mr Crowe: and Mr R. P. J. Ray, chief elerk, will be designated assistant secretary, with a bonus of £25 to his present salary. LONDON, October 9. Mr. Henniker Heaton discloses, in a letter to the Home Press this week, the part that Sir Joseph Ward played in establishing the penny post bond of union between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Referring to the congratulatory cable on this matter Sir Joseph sent Home a few days ago, Mr. Heaton says it “deserves special attention, because it refers to a' stage in the progress of universal penny postage not generally known,” and goes on to draw attention to the fact that the first country in the world to establish universal penny postage was New Zealand. He continues: “On July 17th of last vear (1907), the Postmaster-General of America, the. Hon. G. Von L. Meyer, wrote to me offering penny postage with Great Britain and Ireland if 1 could (privately) ascertain that the British Government was favourable to the scheme. 1 had left for Australia a few davs before, and the important letter followed me there. On receipt of it, my friend, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, telegraphed its contents to the British Government, with a stronglyexpressed wish that England would agree to the proposal.” Mr. Heaton adds: "The subsequent negotiations,~~so happily concluded by the Postmaster-General of Great Britain and the United States, are well-known; but I think it interesting to record the part taken by a daughter - of the Empire in this splendid work.” It is news to me that Sir Joseph Ward is “a daughter of the Empire.” but little slips such as this may occur to any of us, especially when we are elated, as no doubt Mr. Heaton was when he wrote his letter to the newspapers. For most postal reforms made by St. Martin’s-le-Grand during the past 20 years we have to thank Mr. Heaton, and regarding many of the most notable, he would not be claiming too much credit if he pointed to them and said, “Alone 1 did it.”

Sir James Mills purposes returning to the Dominion by the P. and 0., or Orient line, about the first week in December, reaching Dunedin shortly after the New Year. Lady Mills remains with their children in this country for the winter, and they have taken a furnished flat for six months in Parkside Buildings, Knightsbridge. 1 gather that Sir James lias not been devoting much attention to business while here, and that negotiations for renewal of the contract for the Canadian-Australian service are suspended until after the Canadian elections, which are now approaching. Sir James has taken advantage of the favourable state of the shipbuilding market to contract with Messrs. Doxford and Hons, of Sunderland (who, it will be remem tiered, built the company's turret steamer Koromiko), for a cargo vessel of about 4000 tons, to be employed in the local coal and timber trades. Rhe will not, however, be a. turret ship, but a vessel of the ordinary type. The Bishop of Auckland and his wife and family leave for New Zealand by the Tongariro on November 26th. They will be accompanied by five clergy (all Oxford men) for the Auckland diocese, and three miatressen for the Dioeesan High School. The Bishop has a long list

of preaching and speaking engagements to get through before his departure. He is to give two lantern lectures on New Zealand next week to Eastbourne schools, and a similar lecture at Harrow on October 20th. Next Sunday he officiates all day at Chiswick Parish Church, and on the following Sunday visits Southsea and Port sea on behalf of the Melanesian Mission. He is also engaged to preach at St. John’s (Notting Hill), St. Luke’s (Chelsea), St. Jude's (Harrowroad), St. Stephen’s (Paddington), Holy Trinity (Paddington), St. ’Barnabas’ (Addison-road), and Oxford House (in the East End). He will speak on Foreign Missions at a midday service at Kensington Town Hall on November sth, and will take the chair on November 12th at a meeting of the Order of Divine Compassion. Mrs. Neligan will speak at Church House on November 14th at a meeting of the Women's Diocesan Association. Mr. Smith Hozier, F.R.C.S., of Auckland, who landed in England about the middle of lust mouth, travelled Home by way of Vancouver, and does not seem to have lieen much impressed with what he saw of Canada en route. In Winnipeg, for instance, he saw some thousands of unemployed, and all across the prairies he was struck by the dry and barren state of the country and the general absence of stock along the railway line. After spending a month in London, Mr. Hozier crossed the North Sea for a tour in Sweden and Norway, coming away vastly disappointed with the famous fiords of the latter country, which, he declares are not to be compared with the Sounds on the West Coast of New Zealand. Since his return to England, Mr. Hozier has been devoting his time to professional work at the Imndon Medical Graduates’ College and the West London Post Graduate College, where he has specialised in eye, ear. nose and throat work. He is also interesting himself in Sir Almroth Wright’s new bacteria and serum vaccine treatment of disease, and intends before returning to New Zealand to take a course at St. Mary’s Hospital, under Sir Almroth himself. During his stay in England, Mr. Hozier has been much struck with how much people know or hear of Canada and how little of Australia or New Zealand. “Parts of Canada,” he says, “are certainly grandly picturesque, but the cost of living there is far and away dearer than in Australia, and not’ nearly so comfortable. Besides, the people have only about four or five months to work in, and the rest of the year they are snowed and frozen up.” Mr. Hozier expresses himself much disappointed with the New Zealand Court at the Exhibition. “It is a very poor one, and there Canada certainly scores, but then she is two centuries older than Australasia in European settlement, and I was surprised to find in a eity like Montreal that hardly a single man you met in the street casually could either speak or understand anything but French.” The Rev. A. F. Smith, vicar of Northcote, Auckland, and his wife and children, have booked their return passages to New Zealand by the lonie, leaving London on December 10th and arriving in the Dominion on January 26th. During his stay in London Mr. Smith had received two more offers of permanent work if he would stay in England, but New Zealand draws him back to its sunny shores. After completing three months’ work in charge of the parish ot St. Philip’s, Lambeth, Mr. Smith joined his family at Eastleigh, near Southampton, and had a few days cycling about the neighbourhood. He visited Winchester amongst other places, and saw over the Cathedral and St. Cross Hospital, where a dole of bread and ale is given every bona fide traveller. He is now spending a week with relations at Sandiaere, and on Saturday begins a preaching- and lecturing tour through the dioceses of Lichfield, Southwell, Oakham and Norwich, till December Ist.

Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Fox, of Auckland, are revisiting the Mother Country after 36 years residence in New Zealand. They arrived on August 24th by the Oroya, af'er a pleasant voyage, and have since renewed old associations at Southend, Essex, and have done some sight-seeing in and around London. They will leave England about the middle of November, spending a few days in Paris and joining an outward bound Orient boat at Marseille#.

Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Richardson (late of Auckland) entertained a numerous company at their residence 9, Upper Addison Gardens, Holland Park, W., on the occasion of a farewell reception to their daughter Essie, who leaves shortly for

South Africa to marry Mr Clinton Mackenzie, of Hyde Park Estate, Buluwayo. A large number of New Zealand and English guests were invited, amongst whom were Meadames Haines, Edmiston, Witham, Wright, Burness, Tripp, Malcolm, Colquhoun, and Taggart, Misses Mackenzie, Colquhoun, Craig, E. F. Gorrie Haise, Blackwell, and Tillyard, Dr. C. H. Haines, Messrs. P. A. Vaile, Blackwell, E. Ware, P. Edmiston, Guy Pierce, Cantor, Charles Neville, Lesetr and “Crieffain’’ Rangiuia. Miss Richardson was the recipient of many valuable and artistic tokens of regard from her numerous friends. She leaves for the Cape in about a fortnight.

Recent callers at the High Commissioner’s Office:—Mr. C. 11. Smith Hozier (Auckland), Mr. E. O. Harrison and J. V. Harrison (Christchurch), Mr. Robt. Kirk (Timaru), Mrs. Y. T. Herbert ami Miss E. Herbert (Kelso, Otago), Mr A. M. Finlayson (Dunedin), Mr. A. A. Adams (Gre-ymouth), Mr. M. M. Thomas (Dunedin). Mr. C. M. Wilson (Blenheim), Miss A. I'. E. Bellamy (Invercargill), Mrs. J. S. Buxton and Miss Buxton (Christchurch), Mr. J. C. D. Crewe (Pahiatua), Mr. and Mrs. W. Hudson Davis and M/r.-es Davis (Wanganui), Mr. F. 11. Carrick ( Picton), Mr. and Mrs. J. Moore Morri i n ’Geraldine), Bishop of Wellington (Wellington), Mrs. R. L. Hutchens (Hnwera), Mr. 11. Maslen and Mrs. C. G. Maslen (Invercargill), Mr. G. Barclay Pirie (Auckland), Mrs. H. Faulke and Mis.-, G. Faulke (Wellington), Miss Maud Meldrum (Christchurch).