Three District Meri Booked Seats On Lodestar

Chronicle (Levin), 21 March 1949, Page 4

Three District Meri Booked Seats On Lodestar

pafe was kinfi t.o three (fistri.et regidentg whp, fpr nngxpected phanges in thgir pjans, would have been passengers on the ill-fated Lodestar, Kgrerp. They were Mr. G. A. Morik, formerly chairman of the ' Horpwfi.enwa Electric Power Board and Horowhenua County Council, .and 'now a member pf " the Local Government Commisgion, which was sitting in Auckland^Mr. W. Hhrrobin, pf W.aihan?e, ftnd Mr. G. J. Wiidp, pf otaW Beach." All made cancellatipng pf ithpir seats and travelled earlier. By a strange '.PQinpid ence, the Lodesfar, on which he mighf haye been . a passenger, prashed on property adjpinj.ng that pf Mr. Horrobin. • The cfimmission of which Mr. Monk was a member finjshed its Sitting at 10.45 a.m, on the Thursday and he was abie to catch a pakota leaving at 12.15 p.m. the same day. The two members pf the cpmmission, Messrs. F. B. Stephens andJ. F. D. *Jeune, who were ampng the victims on the crashed Lodestar, had tP Stay in Auckland to attend.to departmental business. Angther .commission member who pancelled his seat and travelled with Mr. Monk was Mr. J. W. Andrews, former Mayor of Lower Hutt. :"An earlier oceasion when Mr, •Andrew's ' life was probably saved by a change of travel plans was on February 12, 1909, when he had arranged to . travel on the ferry ship Pengujn from Picton to Wellington. The Fenguin wa's .wrecked in Cook Strait with the loss of 79 passengers. The day before it saiied Mr. Andrews changed his plans.