TOURIST AND TRAVELLER

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1579, 29 July 1920, Page 36

TOURIST AND TRAVELLER

HERE AND THERE.

Dr. and Mrs. Dalziell, of Glasgow, are touring New Zealand.

A Perth .message states that the Governor-General has granted Mr. Henry Lawson, the poet, a pension of £52 a year.

Superintendent W. L. Wilson, of the Auckland Fire Brigade, has returned from a visit to Dunedin.

Mr. W. Devinish Meares, Christchurch, is leaving on a short visit to England.

Mr. Gavin Hamilton, private secretary to the Earl of Liverpool, left for London by the Argyllshire on July 26.

Mr. T. W. Lonsdale has resigned the management of Moumahaki. State Farm and has purchased land in the Auckland district.

Mr. J. J. Corry (Mayor of Blenheim) has left for a trip to San Francisco, and expects to be away for about three months.

Captain Hatchwell, who recently retired from the service of the New Zealand Shipping Company, Ltd., is about to open a school of navigation at Lyttelton, says a southern paper, e. * * * .

Dr. Skerman, who was medical officer at Samoa for some time, left for Sydney en route to New Guinea (Rabaul) and the East.

Professor J. C. Johnson, professor of biology at Auckland University College, will leave next month on a visit to Ireland.

Mr. C. H. Ensor, of Canterbury, who also has station property in Queensland, has returned from a visit to Australia.

Lieutenant (temp. Major) J. F. Tonkin, M.C., of Timaru, has been awarded the New Zealand service medal (12 years.)

Captain E. Campbell, of Lovat’s Scouts and Cameron Highlanders, son of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Campbell, of Wellington, arrived by the Ruahine on six months’ furlough.

Mr. W. L. Chapman, Wellington, manager for J. Hott, Ltd., accompanied by his wife, left on a business trip to Australia by the Manuka.

Dr. H. J. T. Thacker, M.P., Mayor of Christchurch, and patron of the New Zealand Rugby League, came up to Auckland to attend the opening match of the English team’s tour.

Mr. John Payne, former Labour member for Grey Lynn, is at present private secretary to Mr. John DooleyColonial Secretary in the New South Wales Labour Government.

The Hawke’s Bay A. and P. Association has launched a campaign for raising £30,000, in addition to £lO,OOO already in hand, for erecting buildings and laying out new show grounds.

It is reported that Mr. R. W. Holmes, Engineer-in-Chief to the Public Works Department, will retire at the end of this month and that he will be succeeded by Mr. F. W. Furkert.

Mr. Justice H. V. Borst, a member of the Supreme Court of the United States, accompanied by Mrs. Borst, will arrive in Wellington on August 9 on a visit which he is paying to the Australasian States in the capacity of Grand Sire of the Oddfellows of the United States. Mr. Borst will visit the chief centres of the Dominion.

The Royal George Hotel, Newmarket, which enjoys a solid reputation among - sports, is now under the proprietorship of Mr. C. W. Dunmore, a well-known and popular figure in sporting circles. “Charlie, as he is popularly known, has had considerable experience in catering for the public, and as mine host of the Royal George should bring wide patronage to this up-to-date and centrally-situ-ated hotel.

Word from London states that a fresh departure in tourist organisation has been introduced by Mr. E. W Gray, who proposes conducting a party next October from England to New Zealand. The whole journey will occupy about six months, and the visitors will spend three months in seeing the Dominion in a leisurely fashion, besides touching at the chief cities of Australia.

Locomotives valued at 89,000 dollars were exported from Canada to Trinidad during January, whilst the exports of locomotives to Argentine in the same month amounted to 255,000 dollars.

A Press Association cablegram from Darwin, Australia, gives some details of the death by drowning of Sub-Lieutenant Alexander B. Ferguson, eldest son of Mr. A. M. Ferguson, of Auckland. It states that he was returning to the minesweeper, Veronica, late at night, when he slipped on the gangway and fell overboard.

“In view of the heavy increase in the cost of railway supplies and materials and wages” (stated the Minister of Railways in reply to a question in the House of Representatives), “I regret it is not practicable to grant requests having for their object reduction in railway charges for services performed.” He had, however, noted for consideration when more normal conditions prevailed and a favourable opportunity presented itself a request by Mr. Witty that children under five years should be carried free, from five to twelve at quarter fare, and twelve to sixteen at half fare.

A “Gazette” notice has been issued making it lawful to kill red deer in the Rotorua Acclimatisation district till October 11.

The Prince of Wales has decided to make a five days journey on horseback through the Western Division of New South Wales.

A donation of 1000 guineas has been given by Mr. and Mrs. F. Z. D. Ferriman to the Ashburton County War Memorial funds.

As a mark of appreciation of services rendered to the Dunedin Male Choir, Messrs. P. Lemon and J. M. Alexander were presented with the society’s gold bar brooch. Both Messrs. Lemon and Alexander have been active performing members of the choir for 20 years.

The death is reported from Napier of Miss Armour, sister of the principal of the Boys’ High School, and formerly principal of the Wanganui Technical College.

In Brisbane, the Government has issued an order fixing the price of board and lodging during the visit of the Prince of Wales. This action is the outcome of prices being increased, in some instances by 100 to 200 per cent.

The North Canterbury branch of the Farmers’ Union .has decided to ask the Government to consider the question of erecting mills for making potato flour, or to otherwise deal with the surplus crop of potatoes.

“When is a man fu’?” cropped up the other day in the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch. “When I was younger,” remarked Mr. V. G. Day, S.M., “I was told that the only true definition of drunkenness was ‘when a man can lie on the floor without falling’.” Mr. C. S. Thomas, who was appearing for a man charged with being drunk while in charge of a motor car, quoted a definition in rhyme: “Fie is not drunk, who from the floor, can raise his head and ask for more.” As the defendant did not deny being drunk, the discussion was not further prolonged.

Mr. J. J- Davis, manager of the Fiji Shipping Company, who has been on a brief holiday visit to New Zealand, has left for Sydney. Mr. Davis recently purchased the steamer Noorebar for his company from the North Coast Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., of Sydney, for the Fiji-inter-is-land trade.

Mr. W. Dunn, manager of His Majesty’s, Wanganui, has received notice of his transfer to Hamilton.

According to Captain D. Mcßeath, formerly of the R.A.F. and now solo violinist with Mr. John McCormack, who has returned to Sydney from America, the telephone system in that country is as near perfection as it is possible to get it. Speaking of the toll telephone to a “Sun” reporter, Captain Mcßeath said: “A com

is first deposited. This immediately flashes the light at the exchange. The telephone is instantly answered, and the number is connected. If the number is engaged the coin is returned by an electrical device worked by the operator at the exchange. If the number is connected up, the coin drops into the bottom of the receptacle, and cannot be returned. There are telephones in all rooms at all hotels. They are all answered from the central switch in the hotel, and each message is charged for by the hotel operator. The call goes down in the book only in case of a complete call being made. The service- is immediate and directly connected with the exchange. Without exception, I have had my calls answered, and have been speaking to the person called in from 30 to 45 seconds. There has been no waiting for the exchange to answer. The toll ’phone call is five cents (city rate). This is equal to 2£d., but the service is perfect, and no one minds paying a little extra for promptness and satisfaction.”

Mr. T. H. Hamer, for many years confidential secretary to Mr. Seddon. and afterwards Under-Secretary for Mines, is returning to the Dominion by the Wiltshire, on a short visit, and is due in Wellington in September.

Four beautiful white swans have been donated to Palmerston North Borough by Mr. P. A. McHardy.

Mr. C. Burgess, of the Wellington branch of the firm of Messrs. Makower, Mcßeath, Ltd., has been transferred to an important position in the firm’s Western Australian branch. Mr. Burgess left for Sydney, en route to Perth, by the Manuka. Mr. O. W. H. Strettell, for many years auctioneer for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Invercargill, was presented with a cheque for £6OO. Mr. Strettell was one of Southland’s popular auctioneers as far back as 25 years ago. He has now retired.

Captain P. V. Storkey, V.C., writes from Sydney to his parents in Napier notifying that, after four and a half years at the war, he was successful recently in passing a further law examination, and that he hopes to be called to the Bar after the examinations in March next. He occupies the position of Associate to Sir Charles Wade, K.C.M.G., a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

News has been received of the death at San Francisco, at the age of 68 years, of Mr. Robert Williamson, a well-known Dunedin pressman in the late seventies and early eighties. A little over 30 years ago he went to the United States, where he found employment as official stenographer in the Superior Courts, and was regarded as one of the most efficient notetakers in California. He was the inventor of a system of shorthand confined largely to curves, and the author of several books.

“Of course, England is showing the way to all of them,” said Councillor C. B. Norwood, who has just returned to Wellington from a trip to America, England, and Europe. -“No country I visited,” he said, “is adjusting herself more rapidly to the new conditions born of the war than is England. She leads the way, and I am sure she will reach a stable period sooner than any of the other countries affected.”

When the hotel proprietors of Hastings recently decided to raise the price of spirits from 6d. to 9d., one declined to enter the “ring.” Sticking to the old price he did a roaring trade, while the others lacked customers. It is now reported that the members of the “ring” are one by one reverting to the old price.

As a recognition of the City of .London’s appreciation of the war services of the Mercantile Marine, the banquet of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom was recently held at the Guildhall for the first time in history with full civic ceremony. Sir Joseph Maclay, speaking of the wonderful war record of the mercantile marine, said the nation was greatly indebted to the great shipping organisations. The story of the mercantile marine was a romance, and he hoped "someone -with the necessary genius would some day write it.' There were no doubt difficult days ahead, with the marvellous development of America, and the great possibilities of Japan, but with a fair field and no favour the British shipowner would always hold his own, and his 'flag would continue to wave in every sea and every port. Lord Inchcape said the war against Germany was over; the war against Prussianism at home, whether in the • form of bureaucrats who thought they had a providential mission to turn their business or in the form of revolutionaries, who thought they . could incite the great, kindly and sensible of our working people to “hold up” Britain, as Germany tried to “hold up” Europe, was little more than begun. We had shown during the last five years we could beat the peril from without; we had now to show that we could confront the peril from within with equal power and resolution. (Cheers.)