PERSONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 11, 17 March 1909, Page 8

PERSONAL NOTES.

Dr. R. Macnair. of Glasgow, is at present paying a visit to the Dominion. Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Kennedy, of Halifax <Canada), are at present touring New Zealand. Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Ballantyne. of I’aketapu, near Napier, are at present on a trip to Auckland. Mr. L. Shackelford has severed his connection with the Wellington stall of the I nion S.S. Company. Mr. A. H. Vile, a member of the Wellington Education Board, and editor of the "Farmers’ I'nion Advocate,” has been on a visit to Auckland. Mr. W. A. Thom, elerk of the Court at Tauranga, will retire from the end of the present month, having reached the Government age limit. Mr. G. Exley, of the staff of the Wellington Woollen Company, has resigned from the firm, and enters into a business partnership in Auckland. The Hon. Jas. McGowan, who is still at Thames, is improving in health, and intends visiting Te Aroha and Rotorua very shortly. The Deputy Public Trustee (Mr A. A. K. Duncan) is at present on a visit to Auckland. He will be absent from Wellington for about six weeks. Bishop Wilson, of the Melanesian Mission. is now on his way out from England. The bishop has arranged to leave Sydney for Norfolk Island on April 1. His Excellency the Governor is expected to arrive in Auckland on April 15, and will commence a tour of the North. He expects to reach New Plymouth about May 5. Constable Waugh, who has been watchhouse keeper at the Christchurch Police Station for some time past, has been transferred to Auckland, where he will take up mounted duty. Mr. W. S. Short, chief clerk of the Roads Department, is leaving Wellington to hold a commission with regard to the apportionment of the main county road, Ghinemuri. t apt. Sinker, of the Melanesian steamer Southern Cross, has returned to Auckland after a successful lecturing tour in the South on behalf of the Melanesian Mission. The Rev. J. Cocker, who is leaving Wellington for Auckland, has been the recipient of several beautiful presentations from the congregations of the Wellington Primitive Methodist Churches. Mr and Mrs S. J. Murphy, of Satara, India; Mr and Mrs McLeod, of Ballarat; and Mr and Mrs Wallace Sandford, of Adelaide, arrive at Rotorua front Wellington last week. The Rev. W. G. Taylor, of the Sydney Central Methodist Mission. arrived in Auckland by the Manuka on Sunday last. He is accompanied by Mr. Blade, the organising secretary of that

work, and will preach and lecture in the East-street hall. The congregation of Moray Place Congregational Church, Dunedin, last week presented their pastor (the Rev. W. Saunders) with a cheque for £250 prior to his departure for the Old Country on an extended holiday.—Press Association message. The Rev. R. Wilson, who has been stationed at Petone, will be attached in future to the Auckland East Wesleyan Methodist circuit, and regarded as "resting.” This arrangement was adopted by the Methodist Conference in consequence of Mrs. Wilson’s serious and continued illness. Mr. Vollemaere. of the Lands and Survey Office. Auckland, -was the recipient of a handsome travelling bag from his fellow officers on the occasion of his transfer to Wellington. Mr Vaile, who has been promoted to the Dunedin offiee, was at the same time presented with a valuable gold watch. At a special meeting of the Waihi Schools Committee, held last week, to

consider four names submitted by the Board of Education in connection with the headmastership of the Waihi South School, the committee selected Mr H. T. Gibson, F.R.M.S., the present headmaster of the Temata School. At the end of this week the Governor, accompanied by the Hon. J. Carroll, Native Minister, and the Hon. A. T. Ngata, member of the Executive Council, representing the native race, will pay a visit to the Vrewera country. The party will leave in the Government steamer Tutanekai, and will land at a suitable place on the coast, and thence travel overland. The trip will take about a fortnight. The death of Mr. F. J. Smith, of Coates and Co., well known for many years in Christchurch, occurred last week very suddenly on the Christchurch bowling green (says a Press Association message). Mr. Smith was sitting on one of the seats on the green when he suddenly became uneoneiotis and died almost immediately. He had been in indifferent health for some time. Mr. Smith was one of the very old members of the Christchurch Bowling Club, and took a very keen interest in the game. The election held at Wellington for the Teachers’ Superannuation Board resulted as follows: North Island—William Foster 645. W. T. Grundy 532, W. H. Newton 453, James Aitken 309: South Island—Thomas Hughes- 593, William Davidson 592. James Jeffrey 421. A start has been made with the foundations of the new post office at Wellington by the Public Works Department. The work, which includes the construction of the basement, will run into £80,600. The remainder of the construction will be done by contract. Wm. McGonigle, the railway porter, who was injured at Marton while removing luggage from a van, died last week. Deceased was 53 years of age. and was a native of Ireland. A Timaru jury awarded Ruth Benbow, daughter of a small farmer near Temuka, £2OO damages last week in a breach of promise ease she brought against Robert John Edgar, a young farmer, whose excuse was that the girl was too quiet. Mr. T. Harle Giles, the Conciliation Commissioner for the Auckland district, received a presentation from the Liberal and Labour Federation last week, and the members in making it deprecated the attacks made on Mr. Giles by a number of labour organisations throughout the colony. They thought it was only fair Mr. Giles should have a chance to prove that he was fitted far the position. In the course of his lecture at Wangar.ui on ‘’Forecasting the Weather,” Mr. Clement Wragge paid a tribute to Captain Edwin, who is just about to retire from the position of Government Meteorologist. Captain Edwin, said Mr. Wragge, had done a splendid work, despite the paucity of information he had had to rely upon when compiling his weather charts. Some handsome volumes were presented at the Pet one School last week to Misses Pickering and Printzen. two of the staff, who are relinguishing teaching for a time —Miss Pickering to prosecute her studies at Victoria College, and Miss Printzen to enter the Training College. Mr. Kenneth C. Brown, who for some years has been representing Messrs. Edmondson and Dickerson, of Wellington, and has now severed his connection with the firm in order to take a trip to the Old Country, was the recipient last week of a handsome solid leather dressingcase, suitably fitted, and a case of silverplated fish and fruit knives for Mrs. Brown, from his brother commercial travellers. Mr. Alex. Russell, who for the past seven years has held the position of foreman of works for the Lyttelton Borough Council, has been appointed to the position of borough engineer at Wanganui. Mr S. R. Lancaster, President of the Maaawatu A. and P. Association, has been on a visit to Cambridge. Professor Ernest Rutherford, the famous New Zealand scientist, will probably revisit the Dominion In about two years’ time. At the request of an influential deputation, who presented him with a petition signed by 150 burgesses, Mr R. L. Somers, Mayor of Te Arolia, has consented to stand for another term of office. Mr J. P. Luke, M.P., has definitely decided not to contest the Wellington Mayoralty next month, as his time will be fully occupied with his Parliamentary dwtiesi , 3h> death ia aaamneed of Mr Donald

Munro Martin, of Wellington, sou of the late Major Martin, of the Royal Bengal Artillery, and, later, of the Bank of New Zealand, Wellington. Mr Martin was in his 54th year. Mr G. F. Gee, on retiring from the service of the National Bank of NewZealand, was presented by the Wellington stat! of the bank with a very handsome album of New Zealand views. Mr H. S. King, engineer and manager for Messrs Turnbull and Jones, Wellington, an associate of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, England, and for many years connected with the Westinghouse Company, has been elected an honorary life member of the New Zealand Institute of Marine Engineers. Mr H. H. Cork, senior clerk in the Masterton Post Office, has been promoted to the position of postmaster at Levin. The vacancy at Masterton will be filled by Mr H. E. Moore, of Hawera. Mr John Black, for 30 years storekeeper in the Post and Telegraph Stores Department, Napier, retires on superannuation on March 31. Dr. Fraser Hurst was a passenger from Tauranga by the Aupouri last week. Mr. J. G. Woon, of Wanganui, arrived in Auckland by the Mokoia on Sunday on a health trip. He may afterwards proceed to Sydney. Mr. Powell, assistant engineer, Auckland Harbour Board, has been granted S months’ leave of absence on half-pay. He is going on a visit to Europe. Mr. David Heron, late of the Madras Commissariat Department, passed away at his residence. Ponsonby, Auckland, last week. He had reached the age of SO years. Mr. G. A. Yates, principal of the Pomona College, Claremont, California, arrived at Auckland last week by the s.s. Hauroto, having come by way of Tahiti. He intends visting Australia after spending a month in the Dominion. Mr. J. W. Marchbanks, the recentlyappointed engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board, has left for Melbourne. He intends to inspect all the principal harbour works in the South Island and Australia prior to taking up his new duties. Sir Joseph Ward has forwarded the following telegram to Mr. P. J. Nerheny: “I am deeply grieved to hear of tl/' death of Judge Reeve. His loss will be greatly felt by a large number of friends with whom he was closely associated in days gone by. I extend my sincere regrets and sympathies to his relatives and friends.”