NEW APPOINTMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 459, 18 March 1909, Page 7

NEW APPOINTMENTS.

TRADE AND IMMIGRATION COMMISSIONER,

MR. T. E. DONNE'S CAREER. Mr. T. E. Donne, who has been appointed Trade and Immigration Commissioner for New Zealand in London, has had an active career during tho 33 years he has been connected with tho public service of the Dominion. Ho was born at Toorak, Melbourne, in 1859, and at tho early are of three years was brought to New Zealand by his parents, who settled in Dunedin, and afterwards at Quconstown. After leaving school he studied law, but not finding tho perusal of legal tomes .to. his liking, ho accepted a cadctship in . tho Telegraph Department in 1875. Mr. Do'iiio states that h'6 can still click a messago over the telegraph, and now and agaiu he finds it useful still when travelling. Only a few weeks ago ho .arrived at a telegraph office .whore tho solo operator's wrist had given way, and.he was labouring through a long mossago, so Mr. Donne took a spell at tho key. His association with tho Department; from which so many prominent officials have risen, commenced m 'Wellington, and it l 'was during his initial three months' service that he remembers having seen tho first shipment of timbor arrivo for the Government Buildings.

Before tho Gable C-amo. _ After a spell of four months in Wellington he: was transferred to the Bluff, which at that timo was a most important station. This )was before there was anything in 'he nature of cable communication between Now Zealand and Australia, and as tho Blu'r was tho, first port of call and last port of departure! i for tho Melbourne steamers, a stall'.had to be kept there to cope with tho business. Tho arrival of the . Melbourno boat, which usually got in lato in the afternoon or evening, usually meant "an all-night sitting." While at tho Bluff ho had for a fellow-operator the Bight Hon. the Prinio Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), who was accounted a pretty smart hand. From 'i.he Bluff Mr. Donne was sent to Taiaroa Heads . to .teach the, lighthouse-keeper's daughter ! telegraphy- That done, he went into tho Dunedin office, where ho was associated with Messrs.' L. Rose Jaggar (now manager here for the Atlas Insurance Co.), W. 11. ITolmes (of Auckland), Jas. Kirker (Postmaster at Courtpnay "Place), William Crow (Ministerial secretary), Thomas Muir (of Muir and Mooaio;; photographers, cf Dunedin), and Ballard . (now Inspector of Telegraphs). Mr. J:V, K. Logan (now Superintendent of. Electric Lilies) was .in charco in those days : ; at Dunedin. "In 1877," says Mr. Donne, . : "I and four others (Messrs. Baxter; (Stores Manager at Wellington!, Walnut (tourist agent a Auckland), (1 L. I Russell (secretary to tho Horse-breeders' As- I

sociation, Melbourne, and another), were lent by'tho' Telegraph to the Railway Department,'and 1 was placed at Cavershani as railway- telegraphist and postmaster. After about twelve months of this tho Telegraph Department attempted to | re-claim fl us, but we held a conference, and as tho result made strenuous'objection to goin« back. Yvo made it' - so; strong that eventually we wore permanently transferred to the '.Railway Department.. I was sent to take charge of Waitati, and it was whilst there that I.mot Butler, t,io notorious murderer and burglar. S Old Grlmo Recalled. • ''Many will remember that on March 14, 1830, !i butcher named D&war and his wife were murdered in Dunedin. After the double murder the housg was fired, and the daughter u.as smothered in tne smoke. That same J'Sht a man came to tho Saratoga. Hotel, at Blueskin, when I was having simper, was served, and loft a little later: I don't know wliat roused my suspicions cxeept that he seemed, to start when mention was made of the, murder, but I was. so suspicious: that I communicated with ,tho police,'and tho man -^B.utlei—was arrested seven miles further on. .'He resisted capture and ' attempted to shoot the policeman. He was acquitted on tho charge of murder, but was given IS years for,arson and 10 .years .for burglary, the f.entencos._to" run concurrently!' " That was on April 5, 18:0. 1 know tho date because ho threatened to 'slit any weasand' as scon as SS'?;?' a c ' lanco - He was liberated from the Wellington _ Gaol on August 4, 1893, and went to Rio and London, where he did 10 years for burglary. He subsequently turned up in Melbourne as Wilson, and was a"ain s-mt'enced for burglary, and under the name ot James Wharton was handed for murder in Queensland on July 17, 1005. Butler was a pretty desperate chap, and I foel easier now' ne is out of the v, - ay."

, ' ; Mangled by a Train, n "I next went to Edendale, and afterwards bore, where I got smashed up by a train. I had : attempted to put the brako on some carriages and trucks that were movin» smartly down the main line, •but instead of the-braife acting as it should, the lever nit-rely dropped. I v,'a3 so anxious when I ww the trucks wouid collide with tho wait■r. . that I fell 1 across the rails, and ouo of tho wheels crunched into ni?_sido lust below my ribs, and I. was pushed along the line, until my body; acting as . a sprag, stopped the trucks. After tint -il'■'•? Dunedin Hospital for sis months without moving. Tbe, wound in my side is not a pleasant sight to-day. : ' Transferred to tt'olilngtoh. ; ,"1 was then on notice- of transfer to 'Wellington, and it was on crutches that I first appeared as . stationmaster in this citv. Later I was appointed Traffic Manager on Me Wellington section, then did tho same uuty on the -Wellington and Napier sections bcturo tlioy wore made one, and in those divys I had to travel b&tv/oen tho Tail-ends by eoac.i. I was in charge of the Auckland Btcaoii in 1901, when I was appointed general. manager of the Tourist 'Department, and,. Secretary for Industries and Coinmorco. , O VfI7 hrst' duties was to manage the the representatives of British IlegiEieiu,s through the Dominion, then came tHe visit of iho Dune and Duchess of fork, of the arrangements of whicji 1 was placed in cnargo.' In 1004-5 I represented the Domiaijii, at the St. Louis Exhibition; and then went to England to make arrangements at Homo m connection with the Now Zealand r.Ahmtion, of _which I was a commissioner * 111 .. v'ee-pres'dent lam also a member of tho ■ Jonganro National l'ark Board, the Classification and Scenery Preservation lSorua" 0 'Jlayor' of , Mr.' Donne says that ho expects to leave or London in about six weeks' time.