PERSONAL ITEMS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16167, 22 March 1918, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS.

His Excellency tho Governor-General and the Countess of Liverpool leave for Dunodin to-day. They will not return, to Christchurch, going straight up to "Wellington on March 23th. Mr E. P Leo, M.P. for Oamaru, was a passenger from Wellington bv ye«ter. day s ferry steamer. Mr E H Hiley, General Manager Railways, arrived from N ellmgton by yesterday's ferry steamer. ; Superintendent "Woollcy who has been in charge of the Auckland Fire Brigade since the end of 1901, has re- ' signed owing to ill-health. News has been received from Dr Truby King that ho lias arrived saielv in England. after spending some time in America. ■ Mr H. /VYinstone, who has been con. noctod with the Rangiora Post Office tor about fifteen years, latterly as gZ sistant postmaster, has been appointed postmaster at Haumer Springs Lieutenant-Colonel Jennings, Cantnin i airbann, Rev. Father O'Riley Cantain'Crawford, Captain Gilmour, 'Major C. J. Hulbert. and Major W. G. AVrav were passengers from Wellington fcy yesterday's fcrrv steamer. At IV Wharo this evening the teachers of North Canterbury will make a. presentation to Mr E. U. Just, headmaster of the Lyttelton District High School, who is retiring from the profession on the 3()th inst. The President of tho French Republic has conferred the "Croix de Guerre" on Commander R. 31. Porter, R..X.R. late second officer of on oversea vessel' fo- conspicuous bravery displayed on board iI.M.S. Barham at the Battle of Jutland. The Rev. A. J. Scaton, the Anglican clergyman, who was killed near Blenheim last, week, by being thrown from ' ins Jiorso. had !>ren a Freemason for P a:,y , i uul served a term oa uranci Chaplain to the (Jrand Lodge of . : V| Zealand. lie was a widower, and leaves no chiloron. The Hon G. "W. Russell. Minister of Internal Afiairs, w;:s a passenger from Wellington by yesterday's ferry steamer, and went on to Dunedin by the nndday express. .Mr Russell returns to Christi-hurch nest Tuesday, and the following day attends the Hospital .board eouicrence respecting tho extension of the Consumption Sanatorium. Oiving to Ihe shortage of school teacher;, occasioned by the war .Jlr George M. Hashing has returned to the teacmng profession, after having retired from it for several years (says the "Lake County Press"). Writing recently to a resident of Arrowtown, Mr Massing says: "Though 81 years of aw, and perhaps the oldest teacher ori active service in New Zealand, I am jtill conducting satisfactorily the Feldttfck School. Excepting a touch of rhefohatic gout and a bit of short-windedmis, I am, intellectually and physically, A 1 at Lloyds. 1 ' l'elic.itations to tho members of the executive of tho Red Cross who have * had conferred on them tho Order of the British Empire were oxpressed in an appropriate speech by Mr IV. T. lvobiiisor, at yesterday's meeting of tho executive. Mr Robinson said that the honour had been thoroughly earned, and had been very wisely allocated. He mentioned, especially, the secretary of the Red Cross, Mr (J. J. TreJe&ven. » Brief acknowledgment was made of Mr Robinson's remarks by Mrs A. Boyle atld the chairman (Mr Arthur EG. Rhodes). Tho following, taken from the supplement to the London «'Gazette' : of January Bth, 1918, is a statement of service tor which tho Military Cross w-aa awarded, on September 26tn, 1917, to Captain J. Gordon Coates, M.P. for Kaipara:—"New Zealand Pore©. Captain Joseph Gordon Coates, Infantry. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion i to duty oh two occasions. He dis- "i played the utmost ability at a critical -{ moment, when a determined hostile raid was made upon his company's sector, ?■ getting his men. into safety and saving V' many casualties .by his coolness . and presence of mind. He reinforced his | front line, and personally re-established ) two posts which had been driven in. He ! afterwards commanded his company ] with great skill and energy in a ri(id. upon the enemy, and his fine leadership j was largely responsible for the success of the entire operation." j

Among recent recipients of the Military Cross was a young officor of New v. Zealand, birth, Seconci-Licutenant Jahfl Niali fox, Royal Engineers, the seoofld son of the late Colonel Fox, at olie time commandant of the New Zealand forces, who married a daughter of tie late Sir W. R. Russell. Lieutenant F<k - • muit bo cne of the youngest officers, fe> receive a commission in the for he was onjy in liis 17th year trhfin he -was given his lieutenancy. London "Gazette'' states that no ceived the Military Cross "For spir:uous gallantry and devotion to when engaged in repairing bridges. His party came under heavy shell fire, and although wounded and knocked over three times, he stuck to his duty and successfully carried out his vork. It . was due to his fine example and gallant *• conduct that his men were kept under.. '• control and successfully carried out the t repairs." Colonel Fox's eldest son, who was also born in New Zealand, was • about to come out to the Dominion, in-: tending eventually to settle on hi®, father's property, Mount Mason, m North Canterbury, when the war broke': out. He was given a commission in.: Sir William Russell's old regiment, the ? Norlhamptonshires, which suffered to terribly in the retreat from Mom. » B .|i is now serving with the regiment m India.