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Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1001, 16 December 1910, Page 8

' Tho-late Mr.'John Dobson, clerk - and surveyor of the Ashley Road 1 Board, Can-. : terbiuy,: who died the other. day at the '■ age of - 71, ' was. a native of Lancashire, ;; and before arriving "iff Canterbury' in--1865..by the ship Mermaid had • been en- : . gaged in railway engineering works. Ho . had a varied.'career, in Canterbury. For : : eleven, years ,he , was .master of the Cust District.School; for tho next eleven years clerk and surveyor to, the Oxford Road Board at a time when there was a large v ektent;.of: road..formation,.going, forward.' He then entered lipon'the auction busi- . ness at.Rangiora, and.continued tho same ■ 'for'the next elevc-n.''years. HeVsubse'-' quently took up a" farm" at Loburn, and,' '. retiring from rural life, bccame the pro...prietor, -of, a drapery establishment, t- which ' he. relinquished . to'" take up tho duties (two years since) ,of tho 4'ur- , vcyorship • of. the Ashley Road ..Board. ' . Dfiring: his lifetime. the late Mr. Dobson Was for' some time- chairman of the Oxford Road Board, chairman of the Ashley • .Road Board, and of the Christchurch Hospitil Board. He was one of the most . earnest advocates for the water race sys- , tem, which has, so much increased the ■wealth of : the. Ashley County, with 500 ,/miles of .races,. and was tho first chairman of the Water Supply Board, i'v--'Sonic eight .'or.-' nine ; months ago, M. . Adolf Szenes, a distinguished Hungarian : .violinist- from Budapest, spent ..»• fort- '.. .'-'night in ; Wellington en route, to America ..and Europe;! He had been located in '.. Melbourne/for'ft-time, when his eyesight v. began ,to : trduble' him, arid,'being advised • to consult a certain.'specialist in San Francisco, '.He made his way -thither by . ' way of Wellington,.but, missing tie boat, had perforce to remain.here until tho next;- steamer ' sailed. During the time .he spent here his general, health improved /•;..so wonderfully that, he has. written to ; friends advising th4m of-his'intention to settle in Wellington.. Those who, heard him play during his brief sojourn here .Tvere delighted with his great ability, his mastery of technique, and his tempera- = mental powers. M. Szenes was a pupil .. . of r the ..renowned Huba'y,, and is a fine , ; Exponent'of that'composer's works. He .- u as a repertoire of 76 classical compositions, which-he plays from memory, and is-tlie happy possessor of several valuable . instruments, including a Stradivarius v viola, anil-Lupot and Antonio violins. 51. ... Scenes writes to say, that he has just - completed. a nine weeks'- engagement as -- ; solo violinist at the Trieste Exhibition, v: which fact indicates. the calibre of the ' - artist. -M. Szehes,-who-is due here towards the end of next month, will-be ~ 'accorded a. welcome by musical people and ; . cho'friends, met';when in' Wellington. Messrs..' Abraham and Williams will .hold a stock sale at Levin on Wednesday, December 21. \ , ;>■ Tenders -are invited by -the Hokitika ' - Harbour, .Board for the. Hew south' wall . and north wall extension, and will close ' . an' January 6, 1911. ' - . . , Particulars of a number of sections af land, .to besold by public auction, by Mr." Ernest'Leighton, auctioneer, on JanV; "orv 10,'1911," appear in this issue. " ~