Tourist and Traveller

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1474, 25 July 1918, Page 36

Tourist and Traveller

HERE AND THERE. Mr. S. E. McCarthy, S.M., of Napier, has been promoted to be Senior Magistrate for Christchurch, in place of Mr. H. W. Bishop, retired on superannuation, and Mr. C. E. Cutten, S.M., to be Senior Magistrate at Auckland, in the room of Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., retired on account of ill-health.

News has been received in Wanganui of the death at Darnley, Yorkshire, of Mr. Herbert Briggs, at one time conductor of the Wanganui Garrison Band.

Gunner W. Hunter-Gray, a Main Body man, who has been on service for over three years and a-half, has returned to the Dominion on three weeks’ furlough.

Mr. Thomas Moss, of the National Efficiency Board, states that over 20,000 farmers and farm labourers in the Dominion have already been accepted for military service abroad.

Mr. A. A. Winslow, American Con-sul-General, has received advice that his late secretary, Sergeant S. D. Hill, has been accidentally killed. The late soldier was a native of Kentucky, U.S.A., and was the first American to enlist from Auckland under his own nationality.

“I hope sincerely,” said the Minister of Agriculture at the Council of Agriculture in Wellington last week, “that this will be the last year of this dreadful war. Last March the outlook was very black, but now that it is known definitely that America has 1,000,000 men in the field there is a feeling of greater confidence.” # * * *

Mr. B. E. Murphy, M.A., 8.C0m., LL.B., has been appointed lecturer in economics at Victoria College. Mr. Murphy is at present a partner in the legal firm of Mclntyre and Murphy, Feilding.

Mr. J. M. Baxter, secretary to the Franklin Agricultural and Pastoral Society, Pukekohe, has been appointed secretary to the Waikato Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

Mr. T. W. Leys has been re-elected chairman of the Auckland University Council.

Mr. W. G‘. Rae, Australasian representative of the London Polytechnic, who has been on a visit to the United States, passed through Wellington recently on his way back to Melbourne.

Dr. Walshe, who has been in charge of the Thames Hospital for some years, has been accepted for military service, and leaves early in August.

One applicant before the Service Board at Te Aroha stated that his poultry had returned him 10s. per head clear last year. His gross return from his farm of 25 acres last year was well over £4OO. The Board complimented him on the results of his efforts practically single-handed.

Mr. J. Beswick, postmaster at Lyttelton, has been transferred to Tauranga.

The Auckland Education Board has decided not to appeal for any teacher called on active service.

According to a statement made by the Hon. A. M. Myers, acting-Minis-ter for Finance, the revenue for last month was £1.616,916, as compared with £1,325,912 for the same month last year, an increase of £291,004.

Mr. A. B. Speakman, late of the Huddart-Parker Company’s service, died at Auckland on July 12. Mr. Speakman was well-known in shipping circles, and to the travelling public some years ago, when he was a purser on a number of the company’s steamers. When the company opened a branch office in Auckland, Mr. Speakman was appointed chief and claims clerk, from which position he retired about a year ago owing to his health failing. He was 39 years of age.

M. Chayet is being succeeded by M. Campana as Consul-General for France in Australasia. M. Campana has been attached to the French Ambassador’s staff in London.

A hare drive at Waipiata for the benefit of the patients in the New Zealand military hospitals at Home, resulted in a bag of 114 hares, secured by 13 guns.

“We must do more for the returned soldiers,” said Sir J. Carroll at a meeting of the Gisborne Trotting Club. “These boys come back, they have done their bit, and yet you allow them to roam about. The Government are to blame.”

At a meeting of the Ashburton Acclimatisation Society, held recently, it was decided to make an offer to the Canterbury Society to restock the Rakaia and other rivers in Canterbury with yearling trout, the Ashburton Society agreeing to defray lts share of the cost up to £4O. Mr. J. M. Cambridge tendered his resignation as a member of the Council, after 30 years’ service, and it was decided to place on record the Society’s appreciation of the valuable work he had done in the interests of the Society.

At the civic reception in Wellington to M. Chayet, ex-Consul-General for France in Australasia, Captain Barclay waxed enthusiastic about the French people. “They are,” he said, “the people who cannot be dismayed, the people who cannot be beaten, and the people of whom Germany is eminently afraid.”

The Otago Acclimatisation Society ig taking practical steps to improve the fishing at Tomahawk Lagoon next season, says the “Daily Times.” Quite recently 240 trout of fair size, which had been taken from the Water of Leith and stripped, were liberated in the lagoon. Last year 1000 two-year-olds were put into the lagoon, many of which must still remain there, so that anglers ought to meet with good sport in the coming season.

Tommy (with a worried air): “But look ’ere, Marco, ole sport. If .27 francs is equal to £l, and two lire is worth a bob, ’ow many lire change ought I to ’ave out of a ten-bob note after spendin’ seven francs and tuppence a’-pny?” —London “Punch.” * * * *

The challenge of the Canterbury branch of the Red Cross Society to lay a copper trail between Dunedin and Christchurch has been accepted by the Otago branch. The trail will be laid on the basis of 2s. per yard, and each branch aims at raising £40,000. The funds raised by the Otago branch will be devoted to the British Red Cross Society and the Soldiers’ Convalescent Home at Montecillo. It is intended to start the laying of the trail early in August, and the effort will be brought to a close on October 18.

During the last passage of the Moeraki from Wellington to Sydney service was held on board on Sunday, both morning and evening, and the offertory was devoted to the relief of the shipwrecked seamen of the Wimmera. One of the saloon passengers asked the officiating minister to suggest that, in addition, a concert be held on the following day (Monday), and the proceeds added to the Sunday offertory (£3 125.); and still another suggested the taking of a subscription list round the saloon offering to head the list himself. These suggestions were acted upon, with the result that a further sum of nearly £23 was added to the fund, which totalled over £3l at the close of the concert. This amount was handed to the captain by the promoters, for the relief of the wrecked seamen of the steamer Wimmera as a thank-offering to Almighty God for their own immunity from the perils of the deep. The captain, in returning thanks for this contribution to the funs of the Royal Humane Society for the relief of shipwrecked seamen, stated that, owing to the casualties at sea occasioned by the war, the society required every penny that could be raised to meet the demands upon its resources.

Speaking at the public meeting held last week in Palmerston North under the auspices of the Second Division League, Mr. D. Buick, M.P., who was present by invitation, said that he was not going to make any pledges to the meeting nor was he going to tell any tales out of school, but the Financial Assistance Board was not carrying out the intention of Parliament. There was too much “cheese paring,” and while he did not know if the Board or the National Government was to blame, it was quite safe to say that matters were not always satisfactory. He felt that the time was not far distant when they were going to have a great national upheaval, and the National Government would not come out on top. “I do say,” said Mr. Buick, “that we could do very well with a change.” A voice: When are we going to get a chance? Mr. Buick: “It is no use; you can’t get Parliament together. They are on top; you won’t get a chance.” Parliament would not be called together until the two wanderers came back, and he believed Parliament would be called together about the last week in October. Then there would be a pretty stormy sitting.

Captain T. W. Wilcox, assistant marine superintendent at Lyttelton, has been appointed chief clerk in the Marine Department.

The annual value of the New Zealand war pensions now amounts to £1,364,143.

Mr. J. McCarroll, of Aratapu, has been presented with an illuminated address by the Auckland Commercial Travellers’ Association, in recognition of the aid he has given the association in raising money for patriotic purposes.

Professor Goddard, of Stellenbosch University, has announced that he proposes to lead a South African expedition to Enderby and Kemp Lands (in the Antarctic) after the war, undertaking geographical exploration of 2500 miles of coastline and other investigations.

In the course of a tour in Australia, Mr. ,R. A. Wright, M.P., of Wellington, was greatly impressed with the prosperity which was everywhere in evidence. Statistics gave solid proof of the wealth of the community in the value of products exported, and the people and places of business confirmed the evidence of the statisticians. “If the spectre of drought does not loom up,” said Mr. Wright to a “Post” reporter, “Australia is in for a boom time; but already the absence of rain in New South Wales is creating an uneasy feeling. There has been no rain for five months, and people are recalling the signs and experiences which preceded the big drought of 1895. and the seven lean years following.”

The Thames has lost one of its bestknown identities in the death of Mr. John Watson. A native of Glasgow, Mr. Watson came to New Zealand in 1863, and was associated with the firm of A. and G‘. Price, engineers and ironfounders, from the time of its establishment at Onehunga in 1868, first as its accountant, and eventually as a member of the partnership. In 1872 the firm removed to Thames, where it erected engineering works

which eventually expanded into one of the largest iron manufacturing establishments in New Zealand. Mr. Watson took a prominent part in military affairs in the early days, when Thames was in its heyday of volunteering. A couple of years ago he came up to Auckland to live, and settled at Remuera, where his death occurred. He is survived by Mrs. Watson, six sons and two daughters. One son has lately returned from the front, and another is a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Messages of condolence have been received from all parts of the Dominion and overseas. * * * * A committee has been formed in London in connection with the New Zealand High Commissioner’s Department to secure war trophies for a war museum. # * * * Second Lieutenant A. H. King, of Wanganui, who left New Zealand as a private in the Second Reinforcements, has been awarded the Military Cross. * * * * Private Ralph S. Murphy, formerly of Napier, and well-known in the wool business, has been chosen from those permanently unfit for field service as instructor in wool-classing, etc., to convalescent soldiers in England. * * * as Grey mouth celebrated its civic jubilee last week. In the course of a function an illuminated address and a gold medal were presented to Mr. Alfred Ashton, who was the first baby born in the borough of Greymouth.

Mr. F. K. Hunt, of Christchurch, has arrived in Auckland to take up the duties of magistrate. Prior to 16aving, Mr. Hunt was entertained by the council of the Law Society in Christchurch, the president, Mr. S. G. Raymond, K.C., entertaining the whole party present. Mr. Hunt was the recipient of numerous wishes for his future welfare from his old colleagues.